What food can you air fry

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Delish

Party in an Air Fryer: 75+ Air Fryer Recipes from the Editors at Delish

$26 AT AMAZON

This best-selling 160-page spiral-bound guide includes photos for every recipe and it lies flat to make it that much easier for you to prepare crispy, crunchy food—without the oil! You’ll find guilt-free recipes for everything from onion rings and mozzarella sticks to roasted vegetables and juicy chicken, plus pro tips for using your air fryer and genius hacks for making your favorite recipes even better.

PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

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Air Fryer Bang Bang Broccolini

Bang bang sauce already has a kick to it, but if you really like the heat, bump up the amount of Sriracha or add an extra drizzle before serving. For an over-the-top addition, drizzle with a little mayo too (trust us!).

Get the Air Fryer Bang Bang Broccolini recipe.

What to cook in an air fryer? 10 things you need to try |

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Knowing what to cook in an air fryer has its benefits – whether you're looking for a fast (but delicious) dish after work or experimenting with low-fat cooking at home. 

Once you have found the best air fryer for your kitchen, you can begin to enjoy its advantages. And while this appliance is known for its ability to cook healthy food fast (air fryers are 70% faster than ovens and 95% less oil compared to deep frying*), it is good for your wallet, too.  

A recent study by *Instant Brands revealed that cooking in electric ovens can cost more than 5 times that of cooking in air fryers and electric pressure cookers. 'We can make simple tweaks to help reduce the amount of energy we use,' says lead researcher Dr. Ximena Schmidt Rivera. 'Electric ovens are a big culprit, using 5 times more energy than air fryers and pressure cookers.'

What to cook in an air fryer

'There are plenty of things you can air fry,' says Adele Brennan, home electrics buyer at VonHaus . 'From healthier snacks, such as sweet potato or peppers, to more indulgent treats like fried bacon or frozen chicken strips – air fryers are completely versatile. 

The best food for you comes down to personal preference. However, bacon, doughnuts, and homemade chips are known to be popular choices. Here's what else the experts are enjoying in this emerging kitchen must-have.

Below, you can see our top suggestions for what to cook in an air fryer, plus tips on getting the best results for tasty food.

1. Roast chicken 

As Instant Brands suggests, cooking in an air fryer is one of the easiest sustainable kitchen ideas you can follow. And the food at the peak of their must-try list is roast chicken. 

'We've undertaken an independent study with researcher Dr. Ximena Schmidt Rivera, a sustainability researcher, and lecturer at Brunel University London. It found that cooking chicken in an air fryer can save you more than 80% of energy and therefore cost compared to an electric oven,' explains Instant's marketing manager, Laura Wilkinson.

(Image credit: Alamy)

Zoe McClean, the senior home economist at Breville , reinforces this suggestion. 

'A small whole chicken can roast beautifully in 60 minutes,' she says. You'll be left with a delicious roast chicken that's got a crispy skin. Our top tip? Use the juices that gather at the bottom of the oven to prepare a gravy. '

A moist yet crispy chicken is easy to achieve in an air fryer (with a rotisserie function), but you also practice this in one of the best toaster ovens, too.  

2. Tofu

Air fryers use 95% less oil than deep frying so that you can achieve a crispy but healthy finish. And the process behind tasty tofu is easy. 'Simply season or marinate before popping them in the air fryer,' Laura says. 

And, if you choose an air fryer with a window, you can keep track of its cooking process and remove your tofu when it is the perfect color for you.  

3. Whole roasted garlic 

It's easy to love garlic – the pantry staple that instantly elevates an abundance of dishes. And, if you're looking for a more sustainable and cost-effective way to enjoy its flavor, you will find the solution in your air fryer. 

'It's much more energy efficient to air fry a garlic bulb in the concentrated area of an air fryer rather than having to heat a whole oven for a small item of food,' Laura explains. 

4. Burgers and patties

'Burgers and fast food all cook and crisp up in minimal time whilst retaining flavor and color in an air fryer,' Zoe says.  

'Homemade burgers take about 10 to 15 mins at medium to high heat. Place these directly into the basket or rack (no oil needed), season, and cook. As air fryers get hot really quickly, there is no need to preheat as you would with a regular oven or grill. I like to turn mine halfway through cooking to encourage even browning, but this isn’t necessary.

'Tip: If you're building a cheeseburger, assemble the burger on the bun, add the cheese and any relish, and pop the complete burger into the now turned-off air fryer and let this sit in the warm oven for a few minutes. This melts the cheese and warms the bread.'

She adds that frozen shop-bought burgers can be cooked from frozen; however, you should reduce the temperature to medium and wait around 15 minutes while they cook. It's always important to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked before eating. 

5. French fries

One of the best things about an air fryer is the ability to indulge in the odd 'guilty pleasure' – with a lower fat intake.

Homemade French fries are crispy and delicious when made in an air fryer, with fewer calories than deep fat frying. Simply cut them all to a similar size and place them in your air fryer basket in a single layer (you can do batches if you need a large amount).

Air fry for around 12 to 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. You can check the cooking process to see how they are coming along by simply pulling the air fryer basket out to look.

Want an even healthier option? Make sweet potato fries instead, and season with a little paprika, salt, and pepper for an extra taste before air frying.

(Image credit: Alamy)

'If you're craving a sweet treat, but no one else is, you can easily make a dessert without having to waste energy heating the whole oven for one portion, and it also means less food waste,' Laura says. 

The expert recommends making sticky toffee apple puddings but adds that cookies are also perfect if you decide that you do want to share. 'You can make cookies in less than 10 minutes without having to wait for the oven to preheat. My favorites are peanut butter cookies.'

7. Reheated leftovers

We're not ones to waste food, and an air fryer can ensure you make the most of your takeaways and indulgent fast-food dinners. 

Zoe McClean suggests: 'Use the air fryer for re-crisping or reheating takeaway leftovers, like fried chicken or pizza, and enjoy your meal for a second time.

'Why air fry leftover pizza when you can microwave it? Air frying still keeps the base of your pizza nice and crisp, whereas microwaving tends to soften the base. 

'I like to wrap leftover pizza in aluminum foil before air frying as this helps to prevent the topping from drying out. Place in a single layer direct into the basket or rack and cook on high for 5 to 7 minutes.'

8. Frozen chicken goujons

An air fryer is a versatile investment, and is great for cooking frozen food quickly on days when you're particularly time-poor.

Chicken goujons or tenders are a lovely option, and should take around eight to 12 minutes to get nice and crisp from frozen at around 400°F/205°C. 

Put them in a single layer in the air fryer basket; flip them at around 10 minutes and cook for another two minutes, or until crisp.

Zoe McClean comments: 'Frozen fast food items like chicken goujons, fish fingers, breaded or battered vegetables can all be air fried from frozen and like all the other foods: no waiting time for your oven to pre-heat. 

'Simply place direct into the basket or on the rack and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on food type. Medium to high heat.'

9. Crispy bacon

To air fry bacon (this is the best!), the experts recommend placing the bacon in a single layer in the basket or rack before cooking at a high temperature for 5 to 8 minutes. The bacon will be browned and beautifully crisp. 

You can also prepare bacon in a fraction of the time you'd need to cook on the stove, and it won't be swimming in its own fat as it cooks, which gives you a crispier and slightly healthier result.  

(Image credit: Alamy)

10. Crispy roast potatoes

Is there anything more palate-pleasing than a crispy roast potato? We think not.

'We love to make our Sunday dinner roast potatoes in the air fryer,' says Zoe. 'Simply parboil the potatoes first, allow to drain and dry out. Then, fluff with a fork, season and place in a small tin or tray in the air fryer with a spoonful of duck fat (or vegetarian alternative). 

'Roast on 390ºF/200ºC for 30 minutes, turning/shaking occasionally to encourage even browning.'

What's best to cook in an air fryer?

Our experts agree that the best thing to cook in an air fryer is bacon because it comes out crispy, perfectly cooked, and less fatty than when cooked under a grill or in a pan.

That said, we think fruit is wonderful cooked in an air fryer – particularly bananas, which caramelize beautifully if put into the air fryer sliced or whole and brushed lightly with oil or melted butter. Tempted to invest? You can shop for the best deals below.  

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Ruth Doherty is an experienced digital writer and editor specializing in interiors, travel and lifestyle. With 20 years of writing for national sites under her belt, she’s worked for the likes of Livingetc.com, Standard, Ideal Home, Stylist and Marie Claire as well as Homes & Gardens.

What can be cooked in an air grill, simple recipes for dishes

Once you try to cook on an air grill, you will not be able to refuse it. It is so convenient, versatile and practical that it can be compared to a compact size convection oven. In an air grill, you can smoke, and cook pastries, and stew, and cook. And all this without the addition of fat and oil.

How to cook with an Airfryer?

Thousands of dishes are prepared on the airfryer at home. Just before starting cooking, you should study its main capabilities and features. The most important thing in it is the cover, in which the heating system, control panel and fan are built. A glass flask plays the role of an oven or chamber. In this flask, the process of cooking takes place. When the device is in operation, a halogen lamp or heating element heats the air inside the flask to the set temperature, and the fan circulates.

Modern aerogrills can not only bake meat, cook cereals and soups, but also dry fruits and berries, smoke foods or preserve them.

There are several modes for cooking different types of food. Modern air grills can not only bake meat, cook cereals and soups, but also dry fruits and berries, smoke food or preserve them.

An interesting feature of cooking is that fat is rendered from meat and poultry and possible additives that some producers may use. All the liquid drains neatly into a separate bowl (if you cook food on a wire rack).

Advantages of the device that make food tastier and cooking more enjoyable:

• multifunctionality;
• you can cook in any dish, except for plastic and wooden ones;
• no need to add oil or fat;
• simplicity and speed of preparation.

Airfryer is used instead of an oven, toaster, grill, frying pan, roaster, double boiler and other kitchen appliances. It can defrost and reheat food. Thanks to its compactness, it saves kitchen space, and you can also take it with you on the road.

Food in clay pots is especially tasty - cereals, sour cream, milk, soups, potatoes and mushrooms taste like they are cooked in a real Russian oven. Meat, fish and poultry can be baked on skewers or on a grill.

It is important for every housewife that food does not burn in the air grill at the right temperature. You can set the operating mode and go about your business. Due to the fan, each ingredient will be cooked evenly. This is especially convenient when cooking in breadcrumbs, as they usually burn on the pan.

The secret of making breaded cutlets is as follows: prepared semi-finished products or homemade cutlets are smeared with a little oil and baked on a wire rack for 10 minutes on each side. Wings or kebabs are prepared in the same way.

How to use the Airfryer?

All flask accessories included. Before cooking, you need to place in it (depending on the recipe) either a baking sheet, or a wire rack, or a heat-resistant pan. If space allows, you can place several dishes at once. It is better to cook a whole bird, large pieces of meat or fish on the lower grate.

Before the start of the working process, the temperature mode, cooking time and air circulation intensity are set. A bonus for the cook is the opportunity to observe the whole process through a transparent flask. After cooking is complete, be sure to wash the appliance.

What to cook?

What can be cooked in an air grill at home will take a very long time to list. The main types of culinary goodies include cooking recipes:

• smoked;
• grill;
• pizzas;
• casseroles;
• champignons;
• vegetables;
• baked vegetables and meat;
• soups and cereals.

Cured meats are interesting and tasty. At home, with the help of an air grill, you can get a rich and special aroma of smoked meats. Experienced chefs advise using alder shavings or "liquid smoke" for the best effect.

To cook smoked fish, cook it as usual: wash it, rub it with salt, brush it with “liquid smoke” and leave it to soak for an hour. After that, we tie it with a rope and lower it into the flask on the grate. The baking temperature for mackerel is set at 180 ^o C, for carp and other types of fish - about 150 ^o C. Cooking time is 30 minutes.

For the preparation of smoked meat, the same technology is used as for fish: we wash the meat, rub it with salt, process it with “liquid smoke” and leave it to marinate for an hour. Put the alder shavings into the heated grill and put the meat with the addition of a small amount of water. The dish is cooked for 30 minutes at a temperature of 240 ^o C with medium fan speed.

The most unusual dish cooked in an air grill will be homemade sprats. To do this, you need: 500 g of sprat sprat, vegetable oil, bay leaf, pepper, salt and alder sawdust. The cooking technology is simple: the processed sprat without entrails and head is salted and poured with oil. The fish is laid out in a bowl in layers and placed on the lower grate. Alder shavings are poured under it. Bake at a temperature of 175 ^o C for half an hour until a yellow color appears.

How to properly cook in an air grill

A wonderful appliance has appeared in your kitchen - an air grill. And first of all, the questions arose: "How to cook in an air grill?" and "What can be cooked in an air grill?" Today we will try to answer them.

Airfryer cooking is actually very easy and convenient. That is why it is an ideal kitchen tool for a beginner cook. But I know people who, after the first failure, put their convection oven in a distant closet and abandoned all attempts to master it.

From my point of view, they miss the chance to significantly ease their troubles in the kitchen and feed their household not only tasty, but also healthy dishes, because cooking in an air grill is recognized as one of the most useful ways. So it’s worth a little work and mastering this, in general, simple device!

An air grill can be compared to an oven with a convection function. The fan ensures uniform circulation of hot air inside the flask, due to which the products are cooked quite quickly, retaining a maximum of useful substances. Therefore, the same dishes are perfectly obtained in the air grill as in the oven. Baked meat and fish, grilled chicken, dishes in pots.

And now let's talk about some tricks that will help you master the convection oven and get the desired result the first time.

How to cook in an airfryer

Rule 1 . At first, do not blindly trust the cooking time indicated in the recipe. Keep an eye on the dish being prepared more often and adjust the time depending on the features of your particular appliance.

Rule 2. Almost all dishes should be cooked on the lower and middle racks. The top one may be needed for drying crackers and as a barrier when preparing, for example, a biscuit. In such a situation, the grate is simply covered with parchment paper and placed on top. 9Rule 3 baking dish.

Rule 4. Only HOT water should be added during cooking. This will greatly speed up the process and save on electricity bills.

Rule 5. If you do not want to wash the grates for a long and dreary time, try to cook directly on them as little as possible. It is better to choose suitable pans without a handle or a baking dish. And the same utensils are suitable for air grill as for a conventional oven: molds with non-stick coating, ceramic pots, molds made of thick tempered glass. At the same time, the result is not worse, and the care of the air grill is facilitated.

Rule 6. With absolutely no oil, you can cook the same dishes in an air grill as in an oven. In other oils, you can take less than when cooking on the stove, but it is unlikely that you can completely exclude oil when cooking in an air grill, since a thin oil film protects the food from drying out, and the absence of oil does not affect the taste of the finished dish in the best way.

If the absence of oil is essential, you need to bake in foil or in a baking sleeve (in a sleeve at a temperature not higher than 205 degrees). You can buy a special hot hose for air grill, it can withstand higher temperatures.

Rule 7. Most foods are best cooked at low or medium fan speed. The principle of operation of an air grill is the same as that of a hair dryer with which we dry our hair. You yourself understand that the stronger the fan blows, the faster everything will dry out and burn on top, and this is not quite what we need. After all, we want to get evenly cooked, tasty and juicy dishes.

In any case, it is better to increase the temperature by one step than to increase the fan speed by the same step. If your Airfryer only has one speed, try cooking on the bottom rack or using an expansion ring (you can adjust anyway).

Rule 8. Do not be led by advertising and do not try to cook several dishes at once on different grills in the air grill, stuffing it with products to capacity. In this case, the convection (movement) of air deteriorates very much, which affects not only the increase in cooking time, but also the result.

Rule 9. Concerning airfryer baking. Not everything and not always turns out as planned. Personally, I am not a big fan of the talents of the air grill, precisely as devices for making delicious pastries, although, perhaps, I simply could not figure out this trick. Airflow in the air grill comes from above, so often a crust immediately forms at the top, which prevents the baking from rising as it should. Yes, and you can’t stuff a lot of small items there. In my opinion, the oven is still more convenient.

But if there is an oven in the air fryer, then of course, you should not forget about the expansion ring and be sure to preheat the air fryer.

Rule 10. If you want to cook soup or porridge for several people, it is better to divide the food into serving pots than to cook in one large container. So cooking will take much less time.

The question is often asked whether it is possible to cook in an air fryer and how to steam in an air fryer. Frankly, this function is in the air grill for a C grade, so I personally cook for a couple in a slow cooker or in a regular pan with a wire rack.

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