Mastered the air fryer basics? Here's how to up your game
Expert advice on how to get creative with your air fryer and two easy recipes.
Image credit: Getty Images/Hazal Ak
Expert advice on how to get creative with your air fryer and two easy recipes.
So, you've mastered the basics with the air fryer and now want to lose that beginner air fryer tag that you feel has been holding you back?
You might have done the usual air fryer basics such as sausages, frozen food, and reheating your fish supper leftovers. But what should you air fry next?
I recommend our two-step plan.
Two air fryer recipes that will teach you the next two skill sets – making an actual meal in the air fryer and learning how to flip air fryer food. Both of these types of skills will open the doors to cooking a lot of different foods in the air fryer.
In our first air fryer cookbook The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook we started with the basics and then in our second Air Fryer Easy Everyday we did just this, so let me walk you through it, along with the recipes themselves.
Our favourite is the combination of fish fillets with baby potatoes and green beans. Think of it as making a traybake but instead of putting it on an oven tray and having to wait for your oven to preheat, it can all come together in one foil tray in the air fryer.
The easiest potatoes in the air fryer are baby potatoes and then we chose green beans because they are very quick to cook. But it’s easy to mix and match to suit your mood and budget.
We use smoked haddock fillets in the recipe, but you can use salmon fillets or basa is a fantastic budget-friendly white fish. Or why not try cod fillets? You can also swap green beans for another quick-cooking vegetable, such as asparagus or broccolini.
Start with the potatoes and prep them into the foil tray (to save on washing up). Once they are seasoned and a little oil has been added, you can mix them with your hands and start to air fry them.
Potatoes take the longest so put them in the air fryer on their own and, as the potatoes have their kickstart, start prepping the fish and veggies.
Because the fish is the shortest cooking time the potatoes and green beans will have a little cooking together before the fish is added.
Then imagine how over the next few weeks you can mix and match the ingredients to make different little trays of deliciousness at home in your air fryer. Below you will find the smoked haddock, with baby potatoes and green beans to follow along at home.
Flipping food halfway through cooking helps achieve an even cook on both sides. It’s especially important for food that sticks, to prevent roasts getting dry and for ingredients like pastries, to avoid a soggy bottom, as the air fryer often cooks more from the top of the food.
We will always flip steaks, some pastries (depending on its cooking time) and even a Spanish omelette. In our Air Fryer Cooking Guide, we share the top 275+ air fryer times and temperatures and when to do the flip.
Toad in the hole is the perfect example. Without a flip, its just cooked at the bottom, but by flipping it you can then give it the perfect colour and texture on both sides.
We recommend using a plate and flipping the toad in the hole onto the plate, and then continuing the cooking time on the other side. You can also take a smaller baby step in this process by using a spatula and flipping over a pastry you are air frying.
Below is our toad in the hole recipe to try at home so you can get used to the air fryer flipping process and take your air frying to the next level.
Serves: 2
Air fryer type: basket/dual
Prep: 8 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Calories: 330
.jpg?sc=max&mw=800&h=450&la=en&h=576&w=768&hash=C8DCD79A98C64E4369A8DFF322E67BC8)
Serves: 4
Air fryer type: dual
Prep: 5 minutes, plus resting
Cook time: 29 minutes
Calories: 743
Divide the ingredients between two 20cm/8 inch silicone containers, each 5cm/2 inches deep. Cook them one at a time following the times and temperatures above.
It’s important that you use full fat sausages and avoid low-fat varieties. This is because the fat from the sausages is what helps the toad in the hole to cook.
Sam and Dom Milner are the co-authors of Air Fryer Easy Every Day: 140 super-simple delicious recipes (£10, White Lion Publishing) and founders of Recipethis.com.
We delve into the world of air frying to share tips on what to look for when buying, and offer advice from expert chefs.
Find out the truth about air fryers and their impact on your health.
Still not used your air fryer? We've got advice from an expert on simple ways to get started.
Home chefs are turning to their air fryer and slow cooker to save money on their energy bills. Which is cheaper to run?
As well as being a healthy option, air fryers are said to save money – but in reality, how economical are they?
