Air Fryer help?

ashmherrin

Hi, everyone!

My boyfriend was recently gifted an air fryer, and frankly, I have no idea what to do with it. I've been looking around online, and it seems like all the recipes I'm finding are either:

a) some slight variation of the same few things (wings, fries, chips, etc.)
or
b) something unique that sounds really delicious in theory, but has a ton of negative reviews

Do you have any hidden gems of recipes for this thing?

Thanks!

julesdechaine

I know nothing about them, and don't eat fried foods often, but coworkers were saying that if you have leftover wings/fried chicken, for example, you can toss them in the air fryer the next day and they will heat up perfectly and be super crispy, even after being in the fridge overnight.

swirlybee

Yup, they're only really good for re-heating leftovers for getting them crispy again. Even then, it takes a long time so I'd rather just nuke leftovers and eat them soggy. They're great for wings and frozen french fries and frozen foods. That's about it.

acpgee

I love my air fryer.

1. The aggressive fan is great at removing subcutaneous fat from chicken wings, other skin on chicken, duck breasts, even skin on fish. For fish air fry for 3 minutes skin side up, then remove the skin with tongs and lay down beside the flesh for a crisp fish skin crackling. Use your nose as the skin can start to burn before the flesh is cooked through. Get a meat thermometer. Costs about $10 and takes up as much room in a drawer as a fork. Ensures you get your timing right. Google for internal temperatures for meat, keeping in mind that if you rest your meat for 10 minutes the temperature will continue to rise 5 degrees celsius or 10 degrees farenheit.
2. I use the air fryer instead of the oven for almost everything. It is better insulated and smaller than the oven so more energy efficient. I even make Sunday roasts. Boil peeled potatoes for two minutes in salted water, then drain and shake in the pan with some butter. This helps distress the edges for crispier roast potatoes. Put in a seasoned roast beef that fits in the air fryer or half a leg of lamb and scatter the potatoes around. The roast will be done in 30-40 minutes at the highest temperature. Turn everything half way through the cooking time. Rest the meat wrapped in foil for 10-15 minutes and turn down the potatoes to lowest setting to keep warm if done while meat is resting. I would normally sautee some spinach as a side while the meat is resting.
3. Roast vegetables. Toss in olive oil in a plastic bag and blast at highest heat. Broccoli, okrah, cauliflower, root vegetables, cherry tomatoes (prick each one with a fork so they don't explode). Every thing I've tried works well but different veg all require different cooking times. Roast corn on the cob is great too.
4. Another useful bit of kit is some silicon mesh which absolutely nothing sticks to, to line the basket. You can either get the little round ones designed for lining dim sum steamer baskets, or cut down to size the big sheets designed for preventing food from slipping through BBQ grates. I bought some small glass casserole dishes which fit in the air fryer on top of the perforated pan attachment (it's bigger than the standard basket) and make lasagna's and clafoutis in the air fryer.
5. I use it for blackening pepper and eggplant for peeling.
6. I use it for toasting nuts and shredded coconut for SE Asian salads. For light ingredients such as coconut lay a piece of silicon mesh across the top of a small bowl so that it doesn't blow around, what with the aggressive fan. If using the air fryer with anything that is lightweight, such as grilled cheese sandwiches weight down items either with silicon mesh or a heavy object like a metal spoon prevent the fan from blowing everything apart.

A couple of things I made recently in the air fryer.

ashmherrin

acpgee wrote: »

...A couple of things I made recently in the air fryer...

Everything looks amazing!! Thanks for all the tips!

sammidelvecchio

I love my air fryer! My favorite things i've made so far:

-broccoli
-brussels sprouts
-veggie patties (i like to have these on the weekends, hilary's root veggie burger, with eggs and the air fryer is the absolute BEST way to cook a veggie patty IMO)
-turkey burgers
-teriyaki marinated boneless skinless chicken breasts
-curry powder chick peas
-bacon

I kind of just wing it. Lots of trial and error because I also haven't had much luck with recipes I find online. The instant pot is still my favorite kitchen appliance, but the air fryer comes in handy quite often.

DWBalboa

I've been really on the fence about getting one, all of y'alls post is making me want to get off the fence and get one.

acpgee

I've been cooking with mine for about a year. Here are my favourite techniques.

1. All meat I cook with a dry method, such as oven or air fryer is dry brined. That means salting as normal but at least a few hours in advance. The salt breaks down proteins and tenderizes the meat.
2. Chicken wings and drumsticks. As well as dry brining, coat in potato flour (ensures dryness) a tiny bit of baking soda (lowers pH making crisper skin) by shaking the meat in a plastic bag. No need for oil as chicken skin is oily enough.
3. Roasts such of a half leg of lamb, rack of lamb, roast beef. Besides dry brining I toss in a little olive oil in a plastic bag with optional herbs. Best to use an instant read meat thermometer.
4. Veggies are tossed in olive oil, again easiest in a plastic bag. Prick whole cherry tomatoes and jacket potatoes with a fork to prevent explosions.
5. If you want more of a deep fried structure for meat (ie for sweet and sour pork or general tso chicken) use this technique with egg whites. https://thisoldgal.com/air-fryer-chinese-salt-and-pepper-pork-chops/
6. For french fries I experimented for a long time with various starchy and oily coatings as well as soaking to reduce starch, but get the best results with frozen oven chips. No need to add more oil.
7. For freezer snacks like spring rolls, fish figers and other party food designed for home deeep frying I shake first with oil or spray with oil. A product designed for the oven, is already coated in oil so no extra is needed.
8. Anything you can do in an oven you can do in the air fryer. The only dish I still prefer the oven for is whole spatchcock chicken. First of all it doesn't fit in my air fryer. Second, when you spatchcock you make use that a conventional oven is hotter along the perimeter (where the legs are) and cooler in the centre (where the breasts are). Because of aggressive fanning in the air fryer, the temperature is quite even, so you can't cook breasts and legs at the same time without taking out the breasts first. If cooked until the legs are done, the breasts will be overcooked.
9. No oil needed for blackening red peppers or aubergines for peeling.
10. For meat with a lot of subcutaneous fat such as duck breasts or pork belly, score the fat to maximize fat loss.
11. Buy some silicon mesh and line the basket. Nothing sticks.

acpgee

One more thing. If your air fryer starts smoking, it's probably due to rendered fat burning at the bottom. Toss in a quarter cup of water under the basket.

psychod787

just_Tomek wrote: »

DWBalboa wrote: »

I've been really on the fence about getting one, all of y'alls post is making me want to get off the fence and get one.

Dont. Thats all I am going to say.

Lol... yes Godfather, a good convection oven can do the same thing. I have both. If I am feeling lazy and dont want to heat up the kitchen, I will use my air dryer. Uses less energy I believe.

shalvy2007

We love our air fryer, we buy these cheddar cauliflower broccoli bites that turn out amazing in there, we've done a pork tenderloin, pork chops, chicken breast, even fish my husband had to as well tried a steak in since ours has a steak setting. The steak was good but didn't have the "grill" from being cooked on a grill.

COGypsy

I have a countertop oven with an air fry setting and have hardly turned my big oven on at all since I got it a year ago. I make everything from eggs and toast in the morning to London broil and broiled asparagus with prosciutto at night in it and things come out great. I also really like the way it reheats things--more gently and evenly than the microwave. I only cook once a week, so I do a LOT of reheating. I'd say I even cook at least a little more because it's so much more convenient than everything else in my kitchen.

acpgee

I think that for drumsticks and chicken wings where there is a lot of subcutaneous fat, the air fryer is indeed different from deep fried but actually better. Very thin crispy skin without the greasy mouth feel.

Mamazon75

I love mine. Between my Air Fryer and Instant Pot I hardly use my stove. 🤷‍♀️

Ive made cinnamon rolls, a chocolate cake, whole chicken, chicken drumsticks (marindaed over night) they were so juicy. 😋
French fries, fish, roasted veggies, steak bites and steaks, pork chops, won tons, chicken nuggets, biscuits,
Really I just google or use pinterest to get recipes or times to cook.

acpgee

Lately the hubby is making the world'st easiest side. Cherry tomatoes are eached pricked with a fork and then tossed into the air fryer without any additional ingredients at all. Roast on high around 10-15 minutes giving an occasional shake. They come out intensely sweet. Will work in a convection oven too, of course.

italianprimadonna

I got one for my bridal shower in jan 2019. We absolutely love it. We stick everything in there. We love it better than the stove. It makes juicy meat and crispy veggies. The added bonus is no deep frying! We don't even use oil much, with the exception of a spritz of avocado oil, maybe, depending on the dish. We are a family of 3, with a teenager... the teen even uses it, especially for veggie tots or whatever, and loves it. That was a gift for the kitchen we didn't realize we'd enjoy having.

JRsLateInLifeMom

1. Tortilla chips - open bag toss some in a 1-2minutes heats it just like the restaurant without the freeze.
2. Grilled cheese sandwich- wheat bread,cheese,a tiny bit of margerine on top
6-7minutes
3. Heat up frozen foods I got that has air fryer instructions.
That’s all I use it for so far still learning. Mine was a gift too but having a stomach condition born with I was a preemie obviously (Can’t have grease) so this is a great alternative if you have health issues need kitchen gadgets to help. I also use water instead of oils.Olive oil only a little bit. Margarine instead of greasy butter/lards.

I have a steamer on the way.I have quesadilla maker to egg cooker but I also have a late in life 2yr old so they help me cook faster with less mess as I run after a boy who is a giant hulk of a thing. Rest goes into my oven that uses a fan to cook evenly cause I like to broil chicken without skins.

CarolPre

My husband swore he wasn't going to eat anything from the air fryer. I changed his mind quickly with the first batch of French Fries that I made. I spray them with a little olive oil, and no they don't taste like the greasy ones you make in the deep fryer, but they do have a great flavor and the olive oil helps make them crispy.

Last night, I made chicken strips and zucchini chips in it for dinner. Yummy.

Tacklewasher

Love mine. Use it 3-4 times a week. But basic stuff I don't feel like turning the oven on for. A lot of french fries get done in mine.

Be sure to get the basket for it. Helps with those things you don't need stirred.

Ginamarie_39

My air fryer is good when making bbq baked chicken. I tried to make panko crusted chicken and it did go as well. Veggies come out well with the air fryer. So many uses but haven't tried them all out yet.

midlomel1971

I've been thinking of getting one. What brand or model of Air Fryer is good?

sammidelvecchio

@midlomel1971 mine is a Dash mini, and is good for one person. If you are cooking for more, i'd get a bigger one. Dash makes larger models too!

Another added benefit, in the summer, turning on the oven makes my entire apartment hot and has often made me dread cooking in the summer. With the air fryer, this problem is 100% removed from my life!

annwyatt69

I use my air fryer for non breaded chicken legs, homemade meatballs, meatloaf, homemade fried zucchini or sweet potatoes. I have never been successful with breading anything--mine always turned out gummy. Homemade egg rolls are great in there too. I don't have a typical air fryer like most have--I have the Big Boss Oil Less Fryer. Its huge, is clear and has two racks.

vnb_208

CHICKEN WINGS SEASON SPRAY FYER WITH SOME COOKING SPRAY AND 40 M ALL DONE WITH A SIDE SALAD
Whole chicken, "roasted" veggies, frozen foods, fries, or just to reheat food its amazing my hands down favorite appliance in the kitchen

mstrike

Check pinterest they have awesome recipes to make with one

Megan_smartiepants1970

midlomel1971 wrote: »

I've been thinking of getting one. What brand or model of Air Fryer is good?

I have the tidylife 6.3 quart

cynthobrien

midlomel1971 wrote: »

I've been thinking of getting one. What brand or model of Air Fryer is good?

I have the ninja foodi, it does just about everything including air frying and I absolutely love it!

srj58

I cook most of my foods in the air fryer. I also "boil" eggs that peel easily in my air fryer. I love to make buffalo cauliflower in it also.

midlomel1971

So is an air fryer just a smaller convection oven? The above poster said there was no need to have an air fryer if you have a convection oven. I have a convection setting on my oven, but I don't know what to do with it.

MelanieCN77

People have toaster ovens for convenience, air fryers seem no different to me in that vein. I was gifted one, it's kinda fun to use, I've made some nice things in it. It's not getting you anything like actually fried food.

JRsLateInLifeMom

Got an air fryer it is like a confection oven in ways. My type if airfryer bigger inside than the confection ovens I was looking for. It holds more cooks good way easier to clean!It’s just what you like or want really. I also got a steam cooker y a tiny egg cooker both steam eggs but the little ones easier to clean so it gets used way more.Got a rice cooker that steams veggies at the same time y the steam cooker the steam cooker makes rice too the veggies taste better but it’s harder to clean.