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If you haven’t figured out yet what all the fuss about the air fryer is about, you might be wondering: is it all just hot air? That’s the point, of course: an air fryer uses circulating hot air to prepare all kinds of delicious dishes in no time.
Efficient convection technology produces crispy results without the oil bath of a traditional fryer, requiring less effort and saving time and energy. It’s no wonder that these handy countertop stoves have found a home in more and more kitchens.
But what many people don’t realize is that with a few clever tricks you can get better performance and more functionality from these devices. We present the five best tips and tricks for your air fryer.
If you haven’t invested in one yet, 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 (check out the best Ninja air fryers fryers), or check out our top picks for the best air fryers overall.
1. A little preparation pays off
One of the big advantages of an air fryer is that you can prepare food with very little effort. However, a little preparation can do wonders. Before cooking, cut all food into pieces of equal size, if possible. This ensures that meat or vegetables cook 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 stuck-on food. This ensures that all sides are evenly crispy.
2. Use a spray bottle for maximum crispiness
Use an oil spray bottle for the perfect crispy crunch. You can use it to coat foods such as chips, fish sticks, calamari or spring rolls in a very thin layer of oil, which is ideal for air fryer cooking. We tried the bottle below, which you can buy from Amazon for £14.99.
Yaramaat
You don’t need as much oil as you would use in the oven to fry potatoes, for example. And without oil you won’t get a similar taste and texture as frying. Because only a small amount of oil is sprayed onto the food, it is still a relatively healthy way to create the perfect crispiness.
Tip: Always use oils with a high smoke point, such as sunflower oil or canola oil, and not cold-pressed oils.
Check out the most popular air fryers on Amazon.
3. Your air fryer is more flexible than you think
If you have an air fryer, you don’t have to turn on the oven to bake rolls; This is faster and more energy efficient in a compact air fryer. Without time-consuming preheating, you can simply place 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 cook eggs perfectly, and you don’t even have to poke holes in them. However, the cooking time (7-10 minutes) is slightly longer than in boiling water.
Other great air fryer recipe ideas include:
- Baked apple rings (sprinkled with cinnamon sugar)
- Stuffed peppers or zucchini
- Pumpkin or kohlrabi fries
- Brownies
- Falafel or just roasted chickpeas
- All kinds of pasties (make sure you use baking paper, see next tip)
The best Ninja air fryers: which one is right for you?
4. Use baking paper correctly
Using parchment paper in an air fryer can reduce cleanup time and prevent food from sticking. However, you need to know when to use it. Hot air does not flow unhindered around the food, which means it does not get an evenly crispy layer. But for some dishes this is not a problem – and it opens up new culinary possibilities.
Sticky, creamy or very soft foods such as donuts, meatballs, muffins or small cakes can be perfectly prepared 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 properly without the food sticking to the basket.
When using baking paper you should pay attention to the following:
- Make sure that baking paper does not come into contact with the heating element inside (this is a fire hazard). Always cut the paper to size.
- The more baking paper you use, the more air circulation is hindered and the food may become less crispy.
- Do not add baking paper before preheating.
How to properly clean your air fryer.
5. Less is more
…at least as far as the frying basket is concerned. If you fill the air fryer to the maximum, you can forget about crispy food. Even cooking is also less likely if you overload the cooking area. Always leave space inside so that air can circulate as freely as possible and ensure that the food does not collapse into a compact lump.
That is why it is worth choosing a slightly larger model when purchasing, such as an air fryer oven. Dishes are ready faster and arrive crispy on the plate.
This article was first published on our sibling PCWelt and has been translated to appear here.
This article originally appeared in our sister publication PC WELT and was translated and adapted from German.