Frying Ice Cream: Air Fryer Experiment

Yes, you can fry ice cream in an air fryer! The air fryer method is a healthier alternative to deep-frying ice cream in hot oil, and it's also less messy. The air fryer method involves coating ice cream in a crunchy, crispy shell and then frying it for a couple of minutes. The result is a delicious, creamy dessert with a warm, crunchy outer coating.

How to make fried ice cream in an air fryer

Ingredients:

• Vanilla ice cream
• Cornflakes
• Cinnamon
• Egg whites
• Toppings of your choice (e.g. whipped cream, chocolate sauce, honey, cherries)

Method:

• Form 8 evenly-sized balls of ice cream using scoops and your hands. Place them in a muffin tin or on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet that has been chilled in the freezer. Freeze for 1 hour.
• Roll the frozen ice cream balls in flour and return them to the freezer for another hour.
• Prepare the crunchy crust by crushing cornflakes in a plastic bag using a rolling pin. Leave some larger pieces for added texture. Stir in ground cinnamon.
• Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl until they become foamy.
• Take out the ice cream balls from the freezer and roll them in the egg whites, then in the cornflake and cinnamon mixture. Make sure they are completely coated. Return them to the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Create a small shallow bowl out of aluminium foil and place it in the bottom of your air fryer basket. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes.
• Air fry the ice cream balls one at a time or in batches of 2 for 2 minutes each. Remove them from the air fryer and garnish with your desired toppings. Serve immediately.

Tips:

• You can use any flavour of ice cream you like, such as chocolate, coffee, or strawberry.
• You can use other cereals such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Rice Krispies, or Frosted Flakes instead of cornflakes.
• Make sure your ice cream is very hard before air frying to prevent it from melting.

Ingredients for air fryer fried ice cream

Air fryer fried ice cream is a fun dessert to make, and it's even easier than deep-fried ice cream. The ice cream is coated in a crunchy cereal shell and then air-fried to crispy, crunchy perfection while the ice cream inside stays frozen. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this delicious treat:

Ice Cream

First, you'll need some ice cream. Vanilla ice cream is a classic choice, but you can also get creative and use other flavours like Rocky Road, S'mores, Chocolate Chip, or even Pumpkin Ice Cream. You can use whatever ice cream flavour you like, including chocolate, coffee, strawberry, or mocha. Just make sure that the ice cream is firm enough to scoop and shape into balls.

Cereal Coating

The cereal coating is what gives the ice cream its crunchy texture. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is a popular choice, but you can also use Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, or any other crunchy cereal. If you want to get really creative, you can even use crushed cookies, chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, or graham crackers. Just make sure that the cereal or crushed toppings stick to the ice cream.

Egg Whites

Egg whites are used to help bind the cereal coating to the ice cream. You'll want to whisk the egg whites until they're foamy before dipping or rolling the ice cream balls in the mixture. This step is important to ensure that the coating sticks to the ice cream and creates a crispy shell.

Toppings

While not technically an ingredient, toppings are a must-have for air fryer fried ice cream. You can drizzle your ice cream with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, honey, or hot fudge. And don't forget the whipped cream and maraschino cherries! You can also get creative with your toppings, adding things like crushed nuts, coconut flakes, or fresh fruit.

Other Ingredients

Some recipes also call for all-purpose flour, which is used to coat the ice cream balls before dipping them in the egg whites. This helps the other ingredients adhere to the ice cream. You will also need some aluminium foil to create a small tray for your air fryer.

Step-by-step guide to frying ice cream in an air fryer

Ingredients:

• Vanilla ice cream
• Cornflakes
• Cinnamon
• Egg whites
• Toppings of your choice (e.g. whipped cream, chocolate sauce, honey, cherries)

Step 1: Form Ice Cream Balls

Scoop out your vanilla ice cream into balls of a uniform size. You can use an ice cream scoop to get evenly-sized balls. Place the ice cream balls in a muffin tin or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze for about an hour.

Step 2: Coat the Ice Cream Balls

Take the ice cream balls out of the freezer. Working quickly, roll the balls in flour and then return them to the freezer for another hour. Next, whisk egg whites in a bowl until they become foamy, and roll the ice cream balls in the egg whites. Finally, roll the ice cream balls in the cornflake and cinnamon mixture. Return the coated ice cream balls to the freezer for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Step 3: Air Fry the Ice Cream Balls

Create a small shallow bowl out of aluminium foil and place it in the bottom of your air fryer basket. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes. Air fry the ice cream balls one or two at a time for about 2 minutes.

Step 4: Serve Immediately

Remove the ice cream balls from the air fryer and garnish with your desired toppings. Enjoy!

Tips for making fried ice cream in an air fryer

Preparation

Before you begin, it's important to note that this recipe requires multiple freezing steps, so be sure to plan ahead. You can also make the ice cream balls ahead of time and keep them in the freezer until you're ready to fry them.

To start, use an ice cream scoop to form 8 medium-sized balls of vanilla ice cream and place them in a muffin pan or on a baking sheet. Freeze for at least 1 hour or until the ice cream is frozen hard.

Coating

For the coating, you can use crushed cornflakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, or a combination of both. Place the chosen coating in a plastic bag and crush it with a rolling pin, leaving some larger pieces for added crunch. You can also add ground cinnamon to the mixture for extra flavour.

In a separate bowl, whisk 3 large egg whites until they become foamy. Working quickly, dip the frozen ice cream balls in the egg whites and then roll them in the cornflake mixture until completely coated. Place the coated ice cream balls back into the muffin tin or on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Air Frying

When you're ready to air fry, create a small shallow bowl out of aluminium foil and place it in the bottom of your air fryer basket. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes.

Air fry the ice cream balls one or two at a time for 2 minutes each. Remove them from the air fryer with a long spoon and add your desired toppings, such as whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or cherries. Serve immediately.

Tips:

• For gluten-free fried ice cream, use gluten-free flour and cereal.
• If you don't want to use egg whites, you can roll the ice cream balls in honey or maple syrup before coating them in the cereal.
• Make sure your ice cream is very hard before air frying to prevent it from melting too quickly.

History of fried ice cream

The history of fried ice cream is a contentious topic. There are several conflicting stories about the dessert's origin.

Some claim that fried ice cream was first served during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, where the ice cream sundae was also invented. However, there are no mentions of fried ice cream in the coverage of that event. The first time anyone proposed this possible origin was in a piece in The Ice Cream Trade Journal in 1909.

Another claim states that a Philadelphia company was given credit for inventing fried ice cream in 1894. A small, solid cake of ice cream is enveloped in a thin sheet of pie crust and then dipped into boiling lard or butter to cook the outside to a crisp. The ice cream is served immediately and found to be as solidly frozen as it was first prepared.

A third claim, beginning in the 1960s, proposes that fried ice cream was invented in a process similar to Japanese tempura. It may be derived in part from Baked Alaska, which originated earlier in the 19th century and involves putting ice cream under a quickly broiled meringue.

In the United States, fried ice cream has been associated with Asian cuisine, appearing in reviews of Chinese, Japanese, and Polynesian restaurants in the New York Times in the 1970s. It also became associated with Mexican cuisine due to the national chain Chi-Chi's, which adopted a fried ice cream made with tortillas and cinnamon as its "signature dessert" when it opened in 1975.

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