My parents got me one of them fancy countertop air fryer/oven things and idk what to cook first when I get it set up. According to the box, it does everything a normal oven does as well as air fries. It can hold two whole chickens or 1 frozen pizza. It came with a rack for things like toast and a baking sheet. I also have a bunch of pans and stuff that I was given when I got my house that I’ve never used.
I don’t know much about actually cooking food other than chicken should not be medium rare and that the cereal goes before the milk.
Brussels sprouts in the airfryer are amazing - but pretty much any vegetables go well, are quick, easy and healthy. If healthy is not your thing, anything in the frozen aisle (chips, hash browns, onion rings, chicken nuggets and fish fingers, etc) are also incredibly easy and always work.
I’ll second this. Try veggies, esp. brussels sprouts for sure. A little salt and pepper is all you need when they’re roasted properly.
Then if you think you can safely live with the knowledge that you can make fast food restaurant onion rings at home, try that next. It’s kinda amazing.
Reheating fried food in the air fryer changed how I view leftovers. Also, love roasted veggies or air fryer whole chicken. I use my air fryer a lot more than I thought I would.
How do you usually make your chickens? Like spices and stuff. Idk how to cook a chicken lol
https://therecipecritic.com/air-fryer-whole-chicken/ is the last recipe I used. I recommend it!
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I agree totally and on top of that, I also bake:
- croissants;
- pain au chocolat;
- pistolets. in my airfryer.
Tip to keep your air fryer/oven in top condition: do NOT use oil sprays with propellants, like PAM. They will accumulate on your air fryer and get burnt and nasty and generally be a lot harder to clean off than a pure oil. I use a sprayer with pure avocado oil and no propellants. Also, give it a good wipe down after every use. You’ll thank yourself later when it’s not a disgusting mess.
Is a wipe down all they really take? I’ve been considering getting one, but fussy clean up put me off (in the regular oven I’ll coat the tray in foil and then just bin that, but in an air fryer I assume that would interfere with circulation)…
Specifically talking about the inside walls and glass door, if the wire racks or other accessories look like they need it I take them out and go at them with soap and water. If the wipe down isn’t sufficient for the inside then a wet sponge and a tiny bit of dish soap should be enough, just wipe it with a wet paper towel or something afterwards to make sure all the soap is removed.
It’s incredibly easy to clean up if you do it before using it again. It’s only repeated exposures to heat* that will cause oil to polymerize and become nigh impossible to clean off.
*or temps significantly above what you’re cooking at in an air fryer
Thanks for the informative reply! That doesn’t sound too bad, I had pictured having to soak bits like you might with an oven roaster, and that’s kind of hassle I don’t need lol
I think after an imminent house move I might take the plunge and try one, everyone who has seems to only have good things to say (I have used a really old fashioned halogen one before they became trendy, so I know they can cook well, but I never had to clean that one haha)…
It does a way better job at most frozen food and leftovers than a microwave does, but takes longer.
Almost anything you’d deep fry can be lightly spritzed with oil and done in an air fryer instead.
If it’s big enough for a pizza, you can make one from scratch instead of frozen. It’s cheaper than anything but the cheapest frozen crap and a lot better.
Chicken nuggets and fish fingers are my favourites, mainly because they’re so tasty for how quickly they cook.
Preheat the air fryer for 2 - 3 minutes, spray a small amount of oil, then put the food in for about 12 minutes. Crispy and delicious every time :)
Baked potatoes are easier in an air fryer. Bacon works surprisingly well. It’s essentially a small oven, so anything that fits in it is probably worth trying in it.
Brussels sprouts.
Chop up a potato into chunks, boil for 5 mins. Drain, add butter salt, any seasonings you like, mix it together until the chunks softened.
Spread it out on a tray and air fry at like 350 for 25 mins or until it’s crispy. Tastes great.
You can do DIY potato fries if you couple the air fryer with sous vide. You need to get the starch out of the potatoes. People will suggest you soak them in water, but that only gets you so far.
Put the raw fries in a ziplock with enough water for them to float around. Put this bag into your water and set it to 170F and let them soak for 20-30 mins. Then dry them out (start in salad spinner and spread out on a towel), coat in oil/salt, and air fry at 400 until done.
The 170F water breaks down the pectin that holds the sugars in the potatoes, so if you don’t sous vide, you end up with caramelization/burned fries. This is actually what McDonald’s does to their fries.
A sous vide wand can be had for around $50, and you just need a big enough pot to hold whatever you’re cooking. They also do wonders for dark meat. Sous vide chicken wings are ridiculously good.
Interesting, I’ll give this a try!
Pork roast in air fryer is easy mode for great crackling.
20 min at 200°C, then 25 min per 500g at 180°C.
I like making vegetarian stir-fried chicken:
I use yakisoba from the grocery store, toss it in a bowl with 2 bags of Daring chicken, shredded carrots and lots of onion and bell pepper. Air roast for about 25 minutes while the rice cooker does it’s thang.
Delicious, with a little salad on the side too.
This is for lazy days where I get home and am just too tired to cook.
Leftover pizza in the fryer is next level. Often better than when it was delivered. But I like them a bit crispy.
Air fryer taquitos has been a big one for my house! A million times better than the premade freezer ones and not much more work if you have a protein cooked already or as a leftover.
I base my approach off this But I have used all sorts of proteins instead and it’s always a great meal.
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Be sure to preheat it before use! You can prep while it’s preheating and it really cuts down on cook time.
One of my favorites is sweet potatoes and kielbasa. Cut up the sweet potato into 1/2 inch chunks, toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper (I also like thyme and a little rosemary, but that’s up to you). Toss em in for 14 minutes at 400 or so, until they’re fork tender and the sugar has started to caramelize on the outside.
While that’s going on, slice the kielbasa into ~3 inch sections and slice each section in half length-wise. Fry in a bit of olive/vegetable oil until warmed through and crispy on the cut side. Combine and serve.
Might find it’s not to your taste, but I find the sweet and salty combo to be a real winner.
