The Best Air Fryer Tips and Recipes
By
Holley Grainger |
Published:
Feb 10, 2021 | Latest updated:
Feb 18, 2021
Become a pro by following these air fryer tips and recipes guaranteed to make your experience and food amazing. Air fryers are quite simple to use! Follow these do’s and don’t’s to make the experience and your food amazing.
Your Air Fryer FAQs Answered!
Should I buy an air fryer?
I’ve had my air fryer for over two years now and I would say, hand’s down, it is the #1 kitchen tool that we use. I love that it is quick and efficient. Plus, it is a great tool when you want to make healthy and delicious recipes that everyone will enjoy. Whether we’re cooking a recipe from scratch or reheating leftovers, I’m always discovering new uses for this versatile gadget.
How does an air fryer work?
An air fryer is essentially a compact convection oven. Hot air circulates around the food and begins to cook it. The temp of the air fryer and the food you are cooking will depend on the amount of time you need to cook it. When deep fat frying, food is completely submerged in oil. Comparatively, air frying relies on little to no oil and generates the same crispy texture. This is because hot air that circulates around the food while it cooks.
Best Air Fryer Tips: The Do’s and Don’ts When Using an Air Fryer
DO: Get Creative and Try New Foods
Sure, frozen French fries and chicken nuggets cook beautifully in the air fryer but don’t limit yourself. From crispy granola to roasted salmon to corn on the cob to fresh baked bread, you can cook almost any type of recipe quickly, healthfully and easily.
Recipe: Air Fryer Maple Mustard Salmon
DON’T: Start cooking with a cold air fryer.
Allow the air fryer to preheat for just a few minutes before cooking. In the same way that putting food in a cold oven will cause the food to heat unevenly, an air fryer is the same. However, an air fryer is small and compact so the preheating step usually only last a minute or two. A quick preheat will also help to ensure your food is cooked to the proper temperature.
DO: Shake the basket when cooking.
If you have a slow cooker, you know the #1 rule is to not open the lid while the food is cooking. An air fryer is the opposite. Don’t be afraid to pull out the basket, check on the doneness of the food and then give the food a shake. This prevents food from overcooking on one side.
Recipe: Air Fryer Chili Margarita Lime Chickpeas
DON’T: Overcrowd the air fryer basket.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, some recipes will need to be cooked in batches. That’s okay! Overcrowding food prevents hot air from circulate around the food giving it the perfect crispy texture. Important air fryer tip good rule of thumb is to fill up the basket o more than half way. And for those foods that stack up like green beans, French fries or broccoli, make sure you follow my previous tip and shake, shake, shake the basket to ensure the food moves around and cooks evenly.
Recipe: Air Fryer Balsamic Bacon Green Beans – RECIPE COMINGS SOON
DO: Use breading on food when air frying versus wet batter.
Instead of preparing a wet batter for breaded food like air fried shrimp or chicken, use breadcrumbs, panko, or chopped nuts. Wet batter will drip right off the food in the air fryer. I like to dredge in flour, eggs and seasoned breadcrumbs and then cook. And a clever pro tip – refrigerate breaded food for a few minutes before air frying to help the breading stick better.
Recipe: Air Fryer Mozzarella Cheese Sticks – RECIPE COMINGS SOON
DON’T: Assume oven cook time and air fryer cook time are the same.
Some foods packages now come with air fryer instructions. However, if they don’t, you’ll need to be sure to keep an eye on your food because it will likely cook faster. Key air fryer tip – cook time in the air fryer depends on how much is in the basket and how large the basket is. That’s why it is perfectly fine to open up the air fryer during cooking, take a peek and give it a shake.
Recipe: Air Fryer Caramel Apple S’Mores – RECIPE COMINGS SOON
The Most Helpful Air Fryer Cookbook
Want to learn more about air fryers as well as have 125 easy air fryer recipes at your fingertips? Then DEFINITELY check out an amazing reference, Air Fryer Cookbook for Dummies, by my friends and fellow dietitians, Wendy Jo Peterson and Liz Shaw.
My Favorite Air Fryers
There are DOZENS of air fryers on the market with pricing ranging from not that much to a whole lot. We currently have a small air fryer (which means some foods have to be cooked in batches) but I have been testing a friend’s larger air fryer and plan to purchase soon. Here are the two I’m loving:
(Please note that this post contains affiliate links. These links will not charge you any more than the usual retail price but I may make a tiny bit of commission off of your purchase. With any luck, I’ll have my latte covered if a few air fryers are purchased!!)
Pin these Tips!
What are you cooking in your air fryer? Share your favorite recipe links and let me know if you have a special air fryer that your household loves.
