Before You Hop On The Trend Know Which Foods You Can’t Cook In Your Air Fryer
You can air fry almost anything these days. And why wouldnt you want to? Theres a reason these appliances have seemingly taken over everyones kitchens, and why this person used their air fryer every day for two weeks to find a whole new way of eating. Air fryers can imitate the results of deep-frying with some intense hot air and only a fraction of the oil. With this healthier alternative, you dont have to reserve crispy foods for nights out and state fairs. But because you can cook so many foods in an air fryer, with easy-to-use materials like foil or parchment paper, you may be wondering: What can you not cook in an air fryer? Not all foods are suitable for the kitchen gadget, so we got to the bottom of this oft-asked question. And make sure you know how to clean your air fryer and how to avoid common air-fryer mistakes before you get started on your next recipe with our favorite air fryers of 2022.
Personal Pizzas Are Just The Right Size For Cooking In This Appliance
Dang said air fryers are ideal for cooking small frozen or homemade pizzas.
“Because an air fryer has a small cavity that doesn’t require preheating, it gets the cheese bubbly and the bread toasted much faster than an oven would,” she told Insider.
Dang added that combining naan bread, tomato sauce, and mozzarella makes for a quick and tasty personal pizza that’s perfect for cooking in an air fryer.
What Does An Air Fryer Do Why Do Air Fryers Cook So Fast
An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that everyone is raving about! According to Wikipedia...
An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around the food. A mechanical fan circulates the hot air around the food at high speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy layer via the Maillard effect.
Counter-top air fryers are a healthy alternative to the traditional way of frying food in a pot of oil. Using circulated hot air, this appliance can do so many things in the kitchen.
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Whats The Big Deal With Air Fryers
At first, the cooking worlds latest craze of air frying might seem too good to be true. Dont know what it is? We have a longer explanation here, but its essentially a device that gives the texture of deep frying with only a fraction of the oil. With such a device comes the promise that fried foods dont necessarily have to be reserved for state fairs and fast food, especially with this healthier alternative. To find out if this device was all its cracked up to be, we asked our Test Kitchen pros, What can you cook in an air fryer? They let us know what works and what definitely does not.
Check out our Test Kitchens entire guide to air fryers.
How Air Fryers Work
Your air fryer is like an amazing convection oven. It’s small, yet mighty, and you can roast, broil, or bake in it. You cannot deep fry in it.
Need a refresher on convection cooking? No problem.
Heat rises, so in a regular oven the top rack is always the hottest spot, which leads to uneven doneness.
In a convection oven, however, fans blow hot air around so the temperature is equalized throughout the oven.
Air fryers arent exactly like convection ovens their airflow is designed to more closely replicate the heat distribution of deep-frying in hot fat. But for our purposes, the convection oven analogy is good enough.
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How To Use An Air Fryer
Wondering how to use your new air fryer? In this beginners guide, Ill walk you through everything you need to know to get started using this versatile kitchen appliance. How to use an air fryer, what you can cook in an air fryer, safety precautions, how to preheat an air fryer, reheating food in the air fryer, how to clean your air fryer, and the best air fryer recipes for beginners.
I held off on getting an air fryer for quite a while. Honestly, I wasnt sure that I needed another kitchen appliance, given how much I love and use my Instant Pot and slow cooker. But then I finally made the leap into air fryer cooking, and Im so glad I did!
An air fryer can help you to get quick, healthy, delicious meals on your table. It has the amazing power to make foods extra crispy while using very little oil. Proteins cook up especially tender and juicy. And when its hot outside, using an air fryer instead of your oven allows you to cook without heating up your kitchen.
Reduce The Baking Time By 20%
Since the compact interior of an air fryer makes it faster for hot air to reach your food, your food will be done in less time. Using the suggested baking time given for the conventional oven recipe will probably result in overbaking.
To prevent this from happening, reduce the suggested baking time by approximately 20% or one-fifth. If the original recipe suggests baking for 20 minutes, 16 minutes would be enough in the air fryer.
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New To Air Frying Well Walk You Through Everything You Need To Knowfrom How It Works To The Best Foods To Cook In An Air Fryer How To Clean An Air Fryer And Other Helpful Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Air Fryer
Congratulations! You must be the owner of a new air fryer, or the soon-to-be owner of an air fryer. Everybodys talking about these things, and now you get to see what the big deal is for yourself.
How do they work? Is it really frying? What kinds of foods can you make in your new air fryer? Here’s everything you need to know about a basic basket-type air fryer.
Easy To Use And Clean
Most units are designed to be very user-friendly and easy to operate just place your food in the basket, set the temperature and time, and walk away . A typical air fryer doesnt have dozens of cooking options, just simple controls that are basic and easy to understand. Because air fryers dont use much oil, theyre also typically very easy to clean. Win-win.
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What Can I Make With My Air Fryer
You can make the regular things like wings and frozen items. Well the question I throw back is, what cant you make in it? I really havent found anything, really. Even our tofu air fryer recipe rocks.
We used to make stuffed bell peppers in the oven but not anymore! After making air fryer stuffed peppers there is no other way.
Frozen Fish Fingers Or Goujons
Be it battered fish fingers or breaded chicken, the hot air element of an air fryer comes into its own when it comes to freezer food that calls for a crispy finish.
The upside of cooking these freezer foods in an air fryer rather than an oven is that not only will it be quicker, but the fried texture of the breadcrumbs or batter will be achieved. Oven-cooked soggy fish fingers, begone!
Recommended Reading: Air Fryer Microwave Toaster Oven
Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
It’s everything you love about crunchy, cheesy, saucy eggplant parm, except none of the oil. Serve a few of these eggplant rounds in stacks, coated with melted mozzarella cheese and your favorite marinara sauce. Get the recipe for air fryer eggplant Parmesan here.
Best Air Fryer Recipes
You can just add some salt and pepper, or our homemade dry rub to this salmon in the air fryer and it comes out perfect every time.
And making a whole chicken in an air fryer has never been easier. Way better than rotisserie.
Then lets move on to something like air fryer chicken parmesan. It is simple and gets that crunch on the outside you love. If you use our kitchen hack to make Air Fryer Chicken Wings baking powder youll never go back.
Air fryer fried shrimp is delicious with Old Bay seasoning which I love. If you love spicy, give air fryer firecracker chicken a whirl. Paired with fried ravioli without any oil is great.
- Zucchini boats can be made with cheese or meat. Either way it is simple to make and really cheap too.
- Make air fryer hard boiled eggs and make egg salad for lunch.
Want a really quick meal that your kids will love to dress up just the way they want to? Try a frozen turkey burger in air fryer tonight.
Want to make the unusual amazing? Give our air fryer chicken gizzards a whirl. Never know what to do with that stuff in the bag you pull out of a whole chicken? Now you do!
- This semi homemade air fryer pizza is a favorite with a fast cook time. My kids will even make frozen crab cakes in air fryer after school which are delicious.
- you can also make it as an air fryer hot pocket which is fun for the kids to eat
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Making Donuts Without Deep
There are some foods that most people just don’t make at home on a regular basis. While cookies and brownies may be easy to whip up on a whim, the same is unfortunately not true for donuts. As one of the few desserts that’s acceptable to eat first thing in the morning, this lack of access to freshly made donuts is truly a tragedy. Of course, you can always visit your favorite local donut shop, but sometimes, you just don’t want to leave the house. That’s where your air fryer comes in handy. While deep-frying donuts is undoubtedly going to get messy and time-consuming, you won’t have the same problems when you decide to air fry them instead.
Taste of Home recommends setting your air fryer to 375 F. The classic rings take five minutes , while three to four minutes are suggested for donut holes. The end result is super fluffy, just like you’d expect from a professionally made donut. This easy hack will hopefully save you money as well as time and get you your morning sweets fix in the meantime.
Air Fryer Potato Wedges
Just like chips, potato wedges in an air fryer are quick and easy to make. Simply wash, slice and add to the air fryer! They come out deliciously crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Change up the flavour by experimenting with different seasonings curry powder is a good one for curried potato wedges!
Also Check: What All Can You Cook In An Air Fryer
Can You Make Dessert In An Air Fryer
YES!! This gooey air fryer cake is a great example of perfection. OR make a small batch of air fryer cookies after dinner.
Want a small batch of air fryer cupcakes? You can make just 6 at a time or all 18 and never have to heat up your oven.
Air fryer monkey bread could be dessert or breakfast! And during the Fall youve gotta try our air fryer pumpkin pie or air fryer pumpkin bread recipes you see here.
But wait, there is more.
Weve even made the best apple crisp in this handy machine.
- Stuff our 2 ingredient bagels with strawberry cream cheese for a morning treat.
- Make semi-homemade air fryer dumplings with apple pie filling! Or use fresh fruit and make some air fryer peaches for dessert some night.
How To Preheat Air Fryer
Do you have to preheat your air fryer before cooking? It depends. Most air fryer instruction manuals state to preheat the air fryer before placing food inside it. Preheating can help food to cook properly, similar to how you preheat an oven before placing food inside. If you dont preheat the air fryer, it may take a few minutes longer to cook and/or food may not brown as well.
With that being said, sometimes I dont preheat my air fryer. When cooking foods that brown quickly on the edges but take longer to become tender in the center, such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts, I start cooking in a cold air fryer to keep them from burning on the edges before the centers cook through.
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Works Well: Egg Rolls
Whether youre making savory egg rolls for an appetizer or sweet ones for dessert, it can be difficult to nail the balance between a crispy shell and a well-cooked filling. With an air fryer, you dont have to worry. Youll end up with a firm, fried texture on the outside without ruining the soft interior.
Air Fryer Brown Sugar Ham
This easy ham is perfect for Easter dinner, but why wait for a holiday? The brown sugar glaze–made savory-sweet with apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard and allspice– takes just a few minutes to mix up. And cooking a spiral cut ham in an air fryer produces a delectable, caramelized exterior. Some would say that the leftovers are the best part!
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Brown Sugar Ham
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Different Types Of Air Fryers
The most common type of air fryer on the marketthe basket-type air fryerlooks like a funky coffee maker with a removable basket in its belly. This air fryer has one function only: air frying. This guide covers basket-type air fryers.
You can also find boxy multi-function air fryers on the market, like the Beville Smart-Oven, the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven, and the . These look like toaster ovens on steroids, and air frying is only one of the things they do . They also hold more food than basket-type air fryers.
If you have a multi-function countertop oven with an air fryer setting, this guide still has some tips that will be useful for you, so don’t give up yet!
Air Fryer Crab Cakes With Chipotle Sauce
These deliciously crisp cakes are loaded with sweet crab. Not overmixing and allowing the mixture to rest before cooking helped the crab cakes hold their shape better, as did cooking them in an air fryer. Serve these hearty morsels with creamy chipotle sauce and you’ll have a decadent dinner in no time.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Crab Cakes with Chipotle Sauce
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With Practice And Patience You Can Make A Beautifully Cooked Steak In An Air Fryer
Since air fryers can serve as miniature ovens, they can also be used to cook steak, Pixley told Insider.
With a little bit of practice you can get a beautifully cooked steak in the air fryer, allowing you to skip the smoke and flames from the grill, according to Yankel Polak, the head chef at ButcherBox.
Plus, it frees up the stovetop and doesn’t leave the mess that searing a steak typically produces, Pixley added.
What Desserts Can You Make In An Air Fryer
Its easy to assume that air fryers are simply for cooking savory dishes, but these handy appliances can be used for sweet options too.
Churros and donuts are great desserts to make in an air fryer, and you wont be left with a greasy finish as you might expect from deep fat frying. Small pies work well in air fryers, and you can also make smores , and beignets .
Heres something else that might surprise you: since air fryers mimic the way convection ovens work, they also provide a fantastic way to bake cakes, with the hot air circulation ensuring that your cake will be evenly baked throughout.
If youve sworn off the donuts and are looking for a healthier selection of desserts to make in your air fryer, fruit works surprisingly well. Slices of apple will be transformed into crisp, tasty snacks, and even softer fruits such as peaches are delicious if you sprinkle them in a little cinnamon and sugar before cooking.
If you want even more options for preparing desserts, consider a model such as the Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker, which combines air-frying functions with other handy features such as baking, searing, slow-cooking, and grilling.
Also Check: Do Air Fryers Really Work
The 25 Best Things To Cook In An Air Fryer
You don’t really need an air fryer, but if you’ve got one, this is what you should cook first.
Air fryers have suddenly found their place on a number of home kitchen counters. The appliance uses convection plus high circulation effectively a small oven with increased air flow to achieve, ideally, the crispy exterior of deep-fried food without the fat content. Really, air fryers are just tabletop convection ovens with a buzz-worthy name, but the countertop gadget works well for any dish that would usually be cooked in an oven or on the stovetop, without producing as much residual heat in your home . Here are 25 things to cook if you’ve got an air fryer.
Frozen And Fried Foods
- Frozen Chicken breast: The air fryer has ease and swift nature, making cooking firm chicken breasts turn out golden and juicy. Just ensure to put two at a time and try not to stack them.
- Onion rings: With the air fryer, deep frying is not required to achieve a crunchy set of onion rings.
- Buttermilk fried chicken: This is usually a significant reason for owning an air fryer.
- French fries: Air fried homemade French fries tend to turn out crisp and perfectly golden. Remember to use just one teaspoon of oil.
- Fried pickles: Air fried pickles tend to be crunchy and crispy with little or no oil.
- Avocado fries: Experts recommend that one of the best ways to have perfectly air-fried avocado fries is to select avocados ripe but firm enough to retain their shape during the cooking process.
- Mexican style air-fried corn: Select small ears of corn to ensure they fit into the air fryer basket. It would turn out crispy, especially if given a quick turn halfway through.
- Pizza: Air fryers are great for reheating frozen pizzas, making it crispier. Mini pizzas can also definitely fit into the air fryer. Frozen individual pizzas can also be heated up.
- Mozzarella sticks: These never get greasy, especially if they are kept in the freezer, which helps keep the cheese from melting away in the air fryer.
- Crispy fish fillets: Using any semi-firm and flaky white fish with little oil to get a tasty and crisp feel.
- Air fried peach hand pies
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