Do more with your handiest kitchen appliance
If you haven’t figured out what all the air fryer fuss is about, you might be wondering: it all just hot air? Of course, that’s the point: an air fryer uses circulating hot air to cook all kinds of delicious dishes in no time at all.
Efficient convection technology produces crispy results without the oil bath of a traditional deep fat fryer, plus it requires less effort and saves time and energy. It’s no wonder these handy countertop cookers have found a home in more and more kitchens.
But what many people don’t realise is that with a few clever tricks, you can get better performance and more functionality out of these appliances. We present the five best tips and tricks for your air fryer.
If you haven’t yet invested in one, or are looking to upgrade, you can get our top recommendations by type (check out the best dual-drawer air fryers and the best air fryer ovens), by brand (see the best Ninja air fryers), or see our top picks for the best air fryers overall.
1. A little prep will pay off
One of the great advantages of an air fryer is that you can cook food with very little effort. However, a little preparation can work wonders. Before cooking, cut all food into similar-sized pieces, where possible. This ensures that meat or vegetables are cooked evenly and retain their juiciness. This also gives (handmade) fries an even crispiness.
Tip: Halfway through the cooking time, shake the frying basket briefly to loosen any food stuck together. This ensures that all sides are evenly crispy.
2. Use a spray bottle for maximum crispiness
To get the perfect crispy crunch, use an oil spray bottle. You can use it to coat food such as chips, fish fingers, calamari or spring rolls in a very thin layer of oil, which is ideal for air fryer cooking. We’ve tried out the bottle below, which you can buy from Amazon for £14.99.
Yarramate
You won’t need as much oil as you might use in an oven to roast potatoes, for example. And with no oil at all, you won’t get a comparable taste and texture to deep fat frying. As only a small amount of oil is sprayed onto the food, it’s still a comparatively healthy way to create the perfect crunchiness.
Tip: Always use oils with a high smoke point, such as sunflower oil or rapeseed oil, and not cold-pressed oils.
3. Your air fryer is more flexible than you think
If you own an air fryer, you don’t need to start the oven to bake bread rolls – it’s quicker and more energy-efficient in a compact air fryer. Without the need for time-consuming preheating, simply place bread rolls or croissants in the air fryer and enjoy perfect results just a few minutes later. This works perfectly at temperatures of 160°C-180°C.
An air fryer can also prepare eggs perfectly, and you don’t even have to pierce them. However, the cooking time (7-10 minutes) is slightly longer than in boiling water.
Other great recipe ideas for the air fryer include
- Baked apple rings (sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar)
- Stuffed peppers or courgettes
- Pumpkin or kohlrabi fries
- Brownies
- Falafel or simply roasted chickpeas
- All kinds of patties (make sure you use baking paper, see next tip)
4. Use baking paper correctly
Using baking paper in an air fryer can cut down on cleanup time and stop food from sticking. However, you need to know when to use it. Hot air won’t flow unhindered around the food, which means it won’t get an even, crispy coating. But this isn’t a problem for some dishes – and opens up new culinary possibilities.
Sticky, creamy or very soft foods such as doughnuts, meatballs, muffins or small cakes can be prepared perfectly in the air fryer on baking paper. And there will be less mess to clean up afterwards.
Tip: When preparing dishes, cut a few holes in the baking paper so that the air inside can circulate well without food sticking to the basket.
You should pay attention to the following when using baking paper:
- Make sure that baking paper doesn’t come into contact with the heating element inside (it’s a fire hazard). Always cut the paper to size.
- The more baking paper you use, the more the air circulation will be impeded and food may end up less crispy.
- Don’t add baking paper before preheating.
5. Less is more
…At least where the frying basket is concerned. If you fill the air fryer to the max, you can forget about crispy food. Cooking evenly is also less likely if you overload the cooking area. Always leave space inside so that the air can circulate as freely as possible and make sure that food doesn’t collapse into a compact lump.
This is why it’s worth choosing a slightly larger model – like an air fryer oven – when buying. Dishes will be ready faster and arrive crispy on the plate.
