Marianne Martinez
Air fryers are a versatile kitchen appliance that can cook a wide range of foods. They are particularly good for achieving a crispy, golden texture without the need for large amounts of oil. As such, they are excellent for cooking chicken wings, chicken tenders, and chicken Parmesan. Air fryers can also be used for salmon, burgers, steak, and even pizza. They can cook a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, asparagus, and cauliflower, and can also be used for reheating food and cooking desserts.
What can you cook in an air fryer?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Meat | Chicken, Beef, Pork, Salmon, Halloumi, Shrimp, Tofu |
| Carbohydrates | Pizza, Fries, Potato, Yams, Bread, Pasta, Rice, Chickpeas |
| Vegetables | Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Green Beans, Carrots |
| Fruit | Apples |
| Dessert | Cookies, Cake, Pie, Brownies, Chocolate, S'mores |
| Snacks | Nuts |
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What You'll Learn
Meat and fish
Air fryers are a great way to cook meat and fish, achieving succulent meat with a delicious crispy skin. You can cook chicken, including whole chickens, chicken wings, chicken thighs, chicken tenders, and chicken Parmesan. For chicken Parmesan, use thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts, dip them in flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs, and air fry for about five minutes per side at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, add a spoonful of marinara sauce and some mozzarella to each piece and cook for a few more minutes.
You can also cook beef in an air fryer, including crispy chilli beef and a 1.25kg beef topside roasting joint. For the roasting joint, rub the meat with oil, salt, and pepper, and cook at 220ºc/425ºf for 15 minutes, then turn down to 100ºc/210ºf and cook for another 45 minutes. Lamb is another option, but it depends on the size of your air fryer; lamb chops are a great midweek meal but require a bit of extra prep.
Pork is also a good choice for air frying. For pork belly, season the meat with flaky salt and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. The next day, score the skin and heat the air fryer to 220ºc/425ºf. Toast some fennel seeds, peppercorns, and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan, grind them into a powder, and rub the mixture over the pork. Cook skin-side up for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 160ºc/325ºf and cook for about an hour until tender.
For fish, you can cook salmon, crab cakes, shrimp, and whole sea bass. Salmon fillets can be cooked in about seven to nine minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and you can add a marinade with chilli, soy, honey, and garlic. For crab cakes, you can get a crispy texture without them being oil-logged. For shrimp, toss them with taco seasoning or a homemade spice blend, and cook large peeled and deveined shrimp at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about five minutes. For whole sea bass, stuff the cavity with lemon and fennel slices, season the fish, and cook at 180ºc/350ºf for 12-15 minutes.
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Vegetables
Air fryers are a great way to cook vegetables quickly and easily. They can be used to cook a variety of vegetables, including tender vegetables like zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and peppers, as well as firmer vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower.
To cook vegetables in an air fryer, first preheat the air fryer to 360-400°F (180-200°C). While the air fryer is warming up, prepare the vegetables by chopping them into small, evenly sized pieces. For tender vegetables, aim for a size of around 1-inch pieces. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and your choice of dry spices or herbs, such as Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss the vegetables to ensure they are well coated.
Once the air fryer is preheated, spray the basket insert with a non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place the vegetables in the basket in a single layer, ensuring they are not overcrowded, as this will cause them to steam instead of brown. Cook the vegetables for 8-15 minutes, depending on their tenderness and your desired level of doneness. For firmer vegetables, cook for around 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. For tender vegetables, cook for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice during cooking to promote even cooking.
Season the vegetables to taste and serve immediately. They can be served as a side dish or paired with a main course, such as chicken or fish. Air-fried vegetables are tender on the inside with a crispy exterior, making them a delicious and healthy option.
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Snacks and appetisers
Air fryers are a great way to make snacks and appetisers with a fraction of the oil of traditional fryers. They can cook food quickly and evenly, making them a convenient option for a variety of dishes.
For those who enjoy vegetables, air fryers can be used to make crispy, crunchy veggie chips from sweet potatoes, zucchini, or even chickpeas. Veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and cauliflower also turn out great in an air fryer. You can also make delicious zucchini chips, which pair well with a creamy dill dipping sauce.
If you're craving something salty, you can make pickle chips or fried pickles, which will come out crunchy on the outside and hot and juicy on the inside. For a classic snack, you can make crispy chicken wings, seasoned with lemon pepper, or coated in a lemon pepper honey sauce. Chicken meatballs are another tasty option, especially when spiced with cumin.
For those with a sweet tooth, air fryers can be used to make apple chips, sweet plantains, or even cookies like peanut butter chocolate chip or arancini (crispy, cheesy, peppery bites made from yesterday's risotto).
If you're looking for something more savoury, you can make frozen taquitos with a crispy tortilla and hot filling, or spring rolls, which can be frozen and then cooked in the air fryer when you're ready to eat them.
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Desserts
Air fryers can be used to make a variety of desserts, from cookies to cakes and healthier alternatives to deep-fried treats.
If you're craving something sweet and chocolatey, you can make brownies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, or even chocolate bread pudding in your air fryer. For a fruity option, try making apple fritters with a cinnamon glaze, roasted pineapple with cinnamon, or air fryer apples with graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon.
If you're in the mood for something more indulgent, you can make a cheesecake with a cookie crust and chocolate ganache, or a strawberry cheesecake chimichanga. You can even make classic beignets in your air fryer with less oil for a healthier twist on the South Louisiana specialty.
For a quick and easy dessert, air fryers are perfect for making individual servings of cookies, brownies, or even donuts. You can also get creative and experiment with your own air fryer dessert recipes.
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Reheating food
There are some foods that are not recommended for reheating in an air fryer, such as leafy greens, whole roasts, and soft cheeses. Leafy greens can fly around and get stuck in the heating vents, while whole roasts will not heat evenly. Soft cheeses will melt and drip through the basket unless they are placed in an air fryer-safe dish first.
However, there are plenty of foods that are perfect for reheating in an air fryer. Pizza, for example, can be sliced and reheated, resulting in a crispy crust and melted cheese. French fries, whether homemade or fast food, can also be transformed back into a crispy, juicy masterpiece. Fried chicken, chicken wings, and mozzarella sticks are other classic bar food favourites that can be reheated in an air fryer with excellent results.
For foods like steak, it is recommended to reheat at a lower temperature to prevent drying out. The USDA recommends heating leftovers to 165°F to ensure food is safely reheated. It is also important to note that reheating times and temperatures can vary depending on the brand and type of air fryer, so it is best to experiment with different settings to find what works best for your specific appliance.
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Frequently asked questions
Air fryers are great for beginners as they are easy to use and require less oil and cleanup than traditional frying. Some good air fryer recipes for beginners include:
- Chicken wings
- Brussels sprouts
- Green beans
- Fried potatoes
- Salmon
- Chicken tenders
- Cauliflower steak
Air fryers are versatile and can be used to cook a wide variety of foods. Some unique things you can cook in an air fryer include:
- Crab cakes
- Fried oreos
- Pizza
- Ravioli
- Cheeseburgers
- Bacon
- Sausage rolls
Yes, you can cook desserts in an air fryer! Some dessert options include:
- Berry crisp
- Vegan zucchini chocolate cake
- Apple pie "baked" apples
- GF peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
- Reheating leftover pie or brownies
