Air Fryer Ideas - total newb to air fryers!

HoneyBadger302
HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just placed an order for an air fryer after knowing several people who use them all the time and seeing how easy it made some stuff at my mom's house.

I cook mostly for me and the boyfriend, but sometimes enough quantity for some leftovers, so I got a little larger one (5.8Q), thinking I may do more than one thing at once, too.

Any obvious tips or tricks, preferred foods to cook in one, and things to avoid using it for (yes, I will look at the directions before using lol)? I'm not particularly creative on how I cook (mostly stove top for everything, occasionally roasting in the oven for veggies, rarely meats).

Meats are generally fish (tuna and salmon most frequently), shrimp, chicken breast. Veggies are all kinds, generally fresh. I keep carbs to a minimum, but potatoes and yams and rice are the most frequently eaten/cooked.

I'll check recipes when I'm getting more creative, at this point though, just need basic ideas!

Replies

  • gpanda103
    gpanda103 Posts: 189 Member
    You can make super crispy chicken with a little bit of cornstarch (tsp per pound) and some baking powder.

    I’ve seen people make carrot fries in it too
  • 88AViva
    88AViva Posts: 499 Member
    Some people make their steaks in it too. I tried it, it was okay but I rather not.
    The airfryer is just basically a smaller oven imo. Aside from meals you can make many little snacks in it.
    I use mine for all kinds of meals like bacon, shrimp, roast potatoes, roasted eggplants, roast chicken, burger or veggie patties, Vegetable fritters, potato croquettes, grilled chicken and broccoli, even easy grilled cheese.
    Buy those paper liners that match the size of your air fryer basket. It's useful in between meals and keeps the air fryer less messy and greasy. Easier to clean up as well.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,964 Member
    My tip if the non stick coating is wearing off on the basket or tray (I abused mine by putting them in the dishwasher and the non stick coating can't really take the harsh detegergents). Buy some silicon mesh sold for lining BBQ grates to keep small items such as shrimp or asparagus from falling in between. They can be cut to size with scissors to line the basket, and nothing sticks.

    My air fryer is great for rendering down subcutaneous fat on skin on chicken or fish. I use an internal thermometer, so 72C for chicken and 63C for fish. It is also great for roasting vegetables.

    I can do Sunday roast dinner for 4 people in my tiny Phillips Viva air fryer. Slice carrots, radishes or parsnips in thin rounds, toss in olive oil and place in the bottom of the air fryer under the basket (I have a half inch clearance). Cut potatoes to 1 inch cubes, place in salted water, bring to a boil and time for 2-3 minutes, drain, toss in fat (butter or goose fat but olive oil is fine), shake in the dry pan to roughen the edges. Put a 500g joint of roasting beef or a half leg of lamb in the air fryer basket. Toss in the potatoes to surround. Air fry everything at 200C for about 25 minutes. giving everything a stir at about half way. This is the timing for medium rare meat (63C internal temperature), so if you want medium let everything go a little longer to 68C internal. While everything is roasting in the air fryer you have time to do a second leafy veg dish on the stove such as sauteed spinach.
  • SwimBikeRun_Mom
    SwimBikeRun_Mom Posts: 46 Member
    We just got ours, so I'm new to these also. But - so far I've learned a bag of frozen veggies turns out really well. I often make roasted chickpeas, I want to try those in the air fryer - I wonder if it might be easier to get them really crispy. Its kind of pain to make those in the oven - I take forever trying to get those darn peas to dry out fully and I usually still end up with most of the batch from the oven not being crispy. So, planning to try that next! I borrowed a book from my Mom called "175 Air Fryer Recipes" and will use that for inspiration!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,964 Member
    Check out the air fryer thread in the “Recipes” section. It is a couple of pages long.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    So far loving this thing, going to try chicken breasts tonight. Have done shrimp, homemade potato wedges/fries, watermelon radishes, and sweet potato. Will check out the recipes soon since the basics are proving to be pretty easy and turning out great!

    Are there any ACCESSORIES people suggest? So far I'm just using the tray with some of the perforated parchment paper bottom liners....have seen some accessory sets, just wondering if people find them helpful/worth it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Most of them come with a guide for various foods. But really, it's just a small convection oven, so anything you would bake in an oven works...the convection feature on traditional ovens typically just decreases cooking time and whisks moisture away to make things crispy so you get a nice crisp skin on your chicken or a nice crust on a roast, etc. IMO it works better than a traditional convection oven because the small size really allows for it to crisp things up better.

    Basically anything you would roast in an oven for which you want a crispy texture...roasted veggies, roasted potatoes, chicken, roast, fish, etc.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,964 Member
    @HoneyBadger302
    My Phillips Viva came with a basket and my first accessory was a tray where it was easier to remove delicate items like fish fillets. My second accessory was a tray allowing me to double the capacity by cooking in two layers. Soon I had destroyed the non stick coating on both the basket and the tray by tossing both in the dishwasher, where the coating cannot withstand the harsh detergents. This problem was solved by buying some silicon mesh sold for lining BBQ grates so that small items like asparagus spears and shrimp don't fall through. They can be cut down to size with scissors to line the basket or tray and nothing sticks to that stuff. The silicon mesh can be tossed into the dishwasher.

    If your can't find a rack that fits your brand of air fryer for doubling the capacity I think I would try to improvise something with the stiff silicon mesh sold for lining BBQ grates. Cut a piece the width of the air fryer and double or triple the length and fold accordian style so that there is a little room for air to circulate between layers.
  • perryc05
    perryc05 Posts: 226 Member
    edited May 2022
    I really like them for chicken wings and pork chops. They do roast veggies in good time as well. Here's some curated ideas (not all healthy though):
    https://www.allrecipes.com/search/results/?search=air+fryer

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