Best Ways to Use an Air Fryer – How to Cook Your Food the Best Way
Air fryers have become widely used nowadays. They are especially popular among people who love eating fried food but aren’t exactly keen on using oil in their cooking. But what exactly is an air fryer, and how do you use it for cooking? Well, here are some of the best air fryer uses.
1. Great for Making Crispy Food
Air fryers are designed to give us an alternative way of cooking. They combine the best of both the deep fryer and the oven. The food is surrounded by hot air that crisps the outside while maintaining a tender and juicy core. This helps you reduce the amount of oil intake while having crispy and tender food.
The good news is that you can cook just about anything in the air fryer. However, there are certain foods that the air fryer cooks really well. Let’s see what they are:
Frozen Foods in Air Fryer
Imagine having your frozen food ready within minutes without the hassle of defrosting, preheating, and oil splatters. You can place the frozen food into the air fryer basket and set the temperature and timer. One thing to note is that the food cooks faster in the air fryer so you will save time by reducing the cooking duration.
Most ingredients will take around 10 minutes to cook but depending on the size and the type of food; it can take slightly more. The most popular frozen foods include:
- Chicken nuggets: 7-8 minutes at 204°C
- Potato chips: 15 minutes at 204°C
- Chicken Breast: 15 minutes at 182°C
- Mozzarella sticks: 6 minutes at 182°C
- Tater tots: 7 minutes at 220°C
Air Fried Chicken and Beef
Air fryers can make crispy and tender meat in a much shorter time compared to other traditional methods. The average cooking time is 5-15 minutes, compared to conventional ovens that take at least half an hour.
Here are some of the most popular examples for air fried chicken and beef recipes:
- Chicken wings: 20 minutes at 180°C
- Pork chops: 20 minutes at 204°
- Crispy pork belly: 30 minutes at 160°C
- Pecan-crusted chicken tenders: 20 minutes at 204°C
- Roast beef: 15 minutes at 180°C
- Chicken parmesan: 10-15 minutes at 176°C
- Steak bites: 18 minutes at 204°C
- Juicy beef kabobs: 15 minutes at 204°C
As the air circulates around the meat, it will become much crispier and more delicious. The taste will be similar to deep-fried food – but much tastier and with a less obvious oil taste. Using an air fryer to cook beef and chicken will cut up to 80% of the calories.
Vegetables
Vegetables are also great for being cooked in an air fryer. You can lose up to 60% of the nutrients when you boil vegetables. On the other hand, the air fryer does not cook the vegetables in water. This means the nutrients are maintained in the vegetables. Also, you can accurately control the temperature and time on the air fryer, which helps prevent overcooking the ingredients.
The main vegetables often cooked in air fryers include Brussels sprouts, onions, squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, and potatoes. Softer vegetables such as Brussels sprouts can take 7-8 minutes to cook at 190°C, whereas tougher vegetables take around 12-15 minutes at the same temperature.
Fish Filets
Fish can be cooked perfectly with an air fryer because you have accurate temperature control during your cooking. Also, whether you cook a fish filet or a whole fish, you do not have to worry about uneven cooking. Some popular recipes include:
- Air fried snapper filet: 10 minutes at 175°C
- Frozen fish filet: 15 minutes at 160°C
- Whitefish filets: 12 minutes at 204°C
- Air fryer salmon filet: 10 minutes at 204°C
- Air fryer crumbed fish: 12 minutes at 180°C
2. Reheating Leftovers
We all have leftovers in the fridge from time to time. Perhaps we cooked too much, and we could not eat it all. Or maybe we had a delicious meal at a restaurant that we could not finish, so we decided to take it home. When it becomes cold, the dish loses almost all its taste, and all we are left with is that cold lump of regret.
We have microwave ovens, but most of the time, the food turns out soggy or unevenly warmed. On the other hand, air fryers will help crisp the food while getting it warm, preventing it from getting soggy. An air fryer is especially useful when reheating fried or baked foods. For instance, you can reheat pizza in an air fryer, so it does not become wet and soft.
3. Dehydrating Food
If you want healthier snacks, an air fryer is an excellent way to obtain that. Dehydrating food often takes a lot of power, but with an air fryer, the power and time are reduced. Here are a couple of foods that you can dehydrate in an air fryer:
- Potatoes: 4 hours at 60°C
- Apples: 25 minutes at 150°C
- Beef jerky: 2-3 hours at 100°C
- Bananas: 10 minutes at 204°C
- Mushrooms: 5 hours at 50°C
Most air fryers will have a dehydrating function and a roast, bake, or steaming option. The GoWise USA Dehydrator air fryer is a smart option for dehydrating food, allowing you to prepare ingredients such as kale chips, fruit leather, granola, and even spice blends.
The Bottom Line
An air fryer is a great tool to make extra crispy food or to reheat leftovers. You can also dehydrate fruit in the air fryer, as well as other ingredients like vegetables and even beef jerky. It would be best to look for multifunctional air fryers with functions such as grilling, rotisserie, and even steaming, as they will offer you more exciting ways of cooking your dishes.
