Image credit: Shutterstock/Ingrid Balabanova
Air fryers are taking the culinary world by storm, and it's not just because they deliver your favourite fried treats with a healthier dose of convection heat. They're also surprisingly versatile and can save your money. Sure, everyone raves about air fryer chips, but these handy appliances can do so much more.
So, ditch the limitations and unleash your inner air fryer chef. From snacks and sides to full-blown meals, the possibilities are endless. The only boundary is your imagination - and maybe the size of your basket.
Clare Andrews, author of The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook, says that even after writing a successful cookbook, she’s still experimenting with different recipes for her air fryer. “To be honest, I’ve been trying out different recipes and ingredients in my air fryer for over two years now and I still get surprised at how well each one turns out,” she says.
Don’t dismiss eggs, as, according to Andrews, they are a wonderful match for an air fryer.
“Eggs work great,” she says. “Poached, omelettes and even a dippy egg. They are all fantastic.”
Use a ramekin or silicone cupcake mould to poach your eggs, or a silicone pot to scramble them in (although we don’t necessarily recommend an air fryer for scrambled eggs – we prefer the traditional saucepan-on-the-hob method, so you can stir more easily).
Don’t put raw egg directly into the basket, unless you’re doing boiled eggs in their shells.
No, we’re not suggesting you put a pack of Walkers into your air fryer any time soon, but you can make homemade crisps easily in one.
Use a potato peeler or a mandoline slicer to cut thin slices of potato, spray with oil, throw some salt over and then add to the air fryer for around 15 minutes (checking on them halfway through).
You don’t have to stick to Maris Pipers either – making crisps is a great way to use up vegetables such as kale, sweet potato or beetroot, for a tasty alternative.
Air fryers are the perfect partner for potatoes, especially those that benefit from a lovely crispy skin, such as baked potatoes or chips. However, you can actually also make mash, probably one of the more surprising things you can cook in an air fryer.
Just bake the potatoes first and then empty the soft flesh from the skins, and mash it the normal way.
It will taste slightly different to mash made from boiled potatoes, but it’s still delicious (some people say it’s better, because you don’t lose any potato flavour in the cooking water). And for extra health points, mash the whole potato as the skin contains lots of fibre, which will benefit your gut health.
You can roast your chicken, potatoes and veggies in the air fryer, so why not complete that roast dinner with a delicious air fryer Yorkshire pudding? It doesn’t matter what recipe you use, but the key here lies in the is pre-heating.
Add your chosen fat to either a silicone muffin tin or ceramic ramekins and heat at 200°C (400°F) for ten minutes. Once that’s done, pour your batter in and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
While you may not be able to make a full-size 13-inch (33cm) pizza in your air fryer, it is a good way to make smaller pizzas.
Either make your own dough or use a pre-bought mixture, and bake for around five minutes until golden. Then add your favourite toppings.
You can line your basket with greaseproof paper to ensure the dough doesn’t stick at the beginning, but if you do have a pan or pizza stone that fits inside your air fryer, these can help give a crispier result.
An air fryer is also a great option if you want to reheat pizza from the night before. Cook for around three to four minutes at 180°C (360°F) to freshen it up and give it a nice, crispy finish.
Be careful that your toppings don’t fly around in the air fryer – the hot air can cause this to happen to lighter ingredients such as cheese and pepperoni. To prevent this from happening, place an air fryer rack over the pizza. It will hold the toppings in place as they finish cooking.
Wondering what can you cook in an air fryer to satisfy your sweet tooth? While not all desserts can be made in an air fryer, an apple crumble is one that really does work well.
First, cut up the apples and cook them in a tin or silicone mould for around 15 minutes with a couple of teaspoons of water. You then just throw the crumble mix on top and cook for around another ten minutes, just keeping an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
We love this recipe by Liana’s Kitchen, who recommends using a baking tin lined with greaseproof paper to prevent the apples from sticking.
Baked goods, such as cakes and biscuits, work really well in air fryers, says Andrews. “I always bake my muffins in there now,” she says. “Whatever you can pop in your oven, you can cook in the air fryer.”
Just make sure you have the right air fryer accessories such as a cake tin or a silicone muffin tray, as wet mixtures should never be put direct into your air fryer basket.
And if you fancy trying your hand at baking in your air fryer, check out Andrews’ Irresistible Cookie Bites (below) recipe from her book.
If you’ve not tried baking with your air fryer before, these cookie bites are a great starter recipe from Andrew’s book The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook.
You can freeze the uncooked cookie dough in a sealed sandwich bag ready for another day and bake them straight from the freezer – just add an extra five minutes to the cooking time.
