Are Air Fryers Suitable for Frying Everything?

If you have an air fryer, try out these recipes. However, be careful what you put into the fryer!

In the past few years, air fryers have become one of the most preferred kitchen appliances. The appliance uses convection and functions as a more efficient oven with an escalated airflow. Moreover, it helps make food crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked inside. In addition to that, its popularity is increasing more rapidly because cooking can be done without using any added oil or fat. Cooking food without oil has long been the dream of every health-conscious person.

Air fryers are ovens with tabletop convection. They can be used to make any dish customarily prepared on the stovetop or in a range without excessively heating the kitchen. Air fryers also do not require as long to preheat compared to traditional ovens. They are also available in different sizes. Before buying an air fryer for your kitchen, you should decide what size air fryer you need. 

With that introduction out of the way, let’s proceed with various dishes you can easily make with an air fryer:   

Crispy French Fries

The most popular dish made in an air fryer is french fries. However, to make potatoes crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the gadget uses surprisingly little oil instead of the traditional method of preparing french fries.

Fried Brussels Sprouts

Most people, especially kids, do not like Brussels sprouts. So, parents always try to cook them in different ways to make them more palatable. Fried vegetables with seasoning are always preferred to overcooked vegetables. With air fryers, one can quickly fry one of the healthiest vegetables unconventionally. It can be fried with Parmesan cheese toppings or with a touch of black pepper and salt. 

Fried Cauliflower Tots

We all know cauliflower is considered one of the healthiest alternatives among all snacks. We often try cauliflower rice or soup in many ways. Another tasty recipe can be made with fried cauliflowers. Just cut the vegetables into small pieces and dip the slices into egg batter or any batter you like. Just remember, do not put anything too much water into the fryer. Then coat the pieces well with breadcrumbs and put them into the fryer. You will get a fried snack with fewer carbs and less fat.

Blooming Onion

A deep-fried blooming onion is always a favorite side dish with steak or grilled fish. The tricky part of making the snack is cutting it properly. Once you are done cutting, coat it evenly and put it into the air fryer to get your deep-fried blooming onion. Just remember not to cut the onion through the root. 

Traditional Battered Fried Fish

We often crave traditional beer-battered fish. However, some of us are repelled by how oily the dish is and the messiness of the cooking process. Air fryers help make the dish without excess oil, and your favorite dish will be ready almost in no time! 

Homemade Bagels

If you run out of bagels and have an air fryer, you need some plain Greek yogurt and baking powder to make some delicious bagels on your own. The recipe is quite simple; whip the ingredients together and put them in the fryer. The bagels will be ready in minutes. The calories of these bagels are almost equal to traditional ones. In addition to that, the recipe can be made without sacrificing any of the original flavors.  

Seeds and Nuts

Many of us like to snack, although unhealthy options are much more accessible than healthy ones. If you want something crunchy and fit to go with your coffee or tea, consider eating seeds and nuts. They are tasty when baked or fried with seasonings like sugar, salt, or more. While conventional ways of baking them will take about an hour, the time and energy required are vastly reduced through an air fryer.

Crispy Chicken Wings, Drumsticks, and Legs

Everyone loves crispy chicken drumsticks, legs, and wings. They are staple foods that will never get old. The dish can be made easily and quickly with an air fryer; the chicken will remain crispy yet juicy. Chicken wings can be cooked in the air fryer in just 16 minutes, almost three times quicker than a regular oven. Moreover, to make the wings crispier, you do not need to preheat an air fryer which helps you to make the recipe more quickly. 

Flaky Empanadas

If you want to make something tasty and light for the evening but don’t take too much effort, then empanadas are the perfect bite for you. To make the snack, you need some pie dough and a filling made with beef, chicken, or vegetables. Then shape the dough like an empanada and spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with vegetable oil. Next, put the empanadas in the basket. To make the exterior crispier, sprinkle some more oil or brush melted butter on top. Then set the fryer to 350 degrees and fry for at least eight minutes. 

Crispy Schnitzels

Schnitzels are delicious and easy to make. To make schnitzel, you need to thinly slice some sirloin steaks, then bread and fry them. The pieces are so light and tender that you could cut them with a fork. To make schnitzels in the air fryer, first, preheat the fryer to 375 degrees. Then prepare the coating and dip the cutlets into it. Pat the pieces to shake off excess. Put the cutlets in a single-layer greased basket and spritz some cooking spray to fry finely. Cook for at least 10 minutes and occasionally turn, adding more cooking spray as needed. For an acidic bite, squeeze some lemon over your schnitzel. 

Crispy Tofu Bites

Tofu becomes tastier when it is crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Therefore, deep-frying tofu can potentially end in disaster if you do not fry it properly. For the perfect fried tofu, you need to control the temperature of the oil carefully. This can be done quickly with air fryers. 

Before cooking tofu, you need to remove the moisture altogether; otherwise, it will become soggy instead of crispy. Then prepare your coating in a bowl and drizzle the coating over the tofu blocks. Toss the pieces and keep them aside for at least 15 minutes. Next, Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees and put the tofu blocks in the air fryer basket. Get crispy tofu pieces in about 15 minutes and shake the pan frequently to promote even cooking. 

Though air fryers have gained massive popularity due to the comfort and ease of making different types of quick meals, some foods can become a huge mess if they are made in an air fryer. The machine circulates hot air using an internal fan for cooking quickly. Moreover, the appliance is an updated version of an oven with countertop convection which cooks with a bit of oil. Well, some of the dishes are not suitable for air fryers. These dishes include:

Raw Vegetables

The air fryer can surely make some delicious fried veggies if the vegetables are frozen, but the appliance is not suitable for cooking them when they’re raw. If you put raw vegetables—such as eggplants, beetroots, carrots, and others—in the air fryer, they will become mushy and soggy. 

Most Greens

If you put lettuce or unseasoned spinach in the air fryer, it will fly around in there and make a mess. The one leafy green you can work with is kale, as you can safely make crispy kale chips. Before putting them into the air fryer, coat the leaves properly in olive oil so they can be weighed down evenly. 

Fresh Cheese

Do not put raw cheese directly into the air fryer. It will melt in no time, and the interior of the machine will get sticky. Instead, if you want to air fry cheese, you have to coat frozen cheese with bread crumbs, and then you can put it into the air fryer.  

Whole Chicken

Never try to cook an entire chicken or whole roast in an air fryer. Usually, the capacity of the cooking racks or baskets is smaller than an oven. The main problem of cooking an entire chicken will be uneven cooking; the side of the roast near the heat source will start to burn and become dry before the other side cooks thoroughly.

Air fryers are small ovens with increased airflow and are mainly used to prepare crispy items without extra fat content. The gadget works well to deep-fry foods with less preheating time. However, if you plan to buy one for your kitchen, you should not buy a cheap one. It will be unable to put out a fine meal even if you do everything right. So, to cook correctly and consume satisfying meals, buy an expensive one with updated features.