Air Fryer Tips, Tricks & Info On Air Fryers
Just get an air fryer or thinking about getting one? Then you may want to check out these air fryer tips, tricks, and a few facts on air fryers.
I love deep-fried foods! Fries, chicken tenders, onion rings, and all the other fried treats. However, for years I avoided these foods except on rare occasions.
Why you may ask? These foods, if cooked with an oil fryer, can be incredibly unhealthy. Truth be told, I don’t feel great ingesting all that oil.
But what if there was a better way to make them – a method that allowed you to eat these foods without taking such a huge toll on your health? That was when I discovered air fryers!
Over the last couple of years, air fryers have taken over the world, but, surprisingly, not so many people know about them. However, they can be a healthier alternative to traditional deep fryers.
This article will highlight everything you’ll need to know about air fryers – what they are and how to use them as well as some air fryer tips and tricks.
After you check out this air fryer info and air fryer tips, here are a few air fryer recipes to try.
- Cinnamon Sugar Air Fryer Donuts – Made From Canned Biscuits!
- Pudding Filled Air Fryer Donuts
- Homemade Air Fryer Cookies
- Easy Air Fryer Pita Chips
- How To Make Frozen Biscuits In Air Fryer
- Easy Air Fryer Breakfast Pizza
- Garlic Parmesan Air Fryer Wings
Air Fryer Tips, Tricks & Info On Air Fryers
What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is a relatively new appliance that allows individuals to cook their food through the use of hot air.
They are usually about the size of a standard microwave, though they can be a bit smaller, depending on the brand.
How does an air fryer work?
The air fryer is in many ways like the normal oven or fryer you have at home or have seen somewhere. Functionality-wise, they can all be used to cook or heat food.
However, the main difference comes about when you look at how both of them work.
When it comes to the air fryer, the top section is the one where the heating mechanism is located.
Once you place your food in the fryer-style basket or tray and turn the fryer on, hot air is pumped from the top downwards.
The circulation of the air is what makes the food crispy, in the same way, that deep-frying works, but without using oil to cook.
How much is an air fryer?
The price you will pay to get an air fryer will vary. The brand you decide to get, as well as the specifications and style the fryer will have, will automatically influence the pricing of the appliance.
The price of an air fryer varies from as low as 30 dollars to 250 dollars. At a higher price, you are more likely to get a more sophisticated air fryer, but this is not always the case.
Make sure that you check the specifications of the particular fryer.
If you are wondering what air fryer I have and love the most, it is the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven.
What can you cook in them?
The best foods to cook in an air fryer are those that don’t create a big mess or need a lot of water to cook. Here are a few examples of things you can cook in an air fryer.
- chicken breasts
- steak
- lamb chops
- green beans
- mushrooms
- meatballs
- bacon-roasted potatoes
- salmon
- bread
- Cake
Are air fryers healthy?
Being a relatively new appliance, people are conservative when it comes to using air fryers. Most people cite health as the main reason to reserve the use of the appliance. This begs the question, is an air fryer healthy to use?
Study after study has concluded that using air fryers is healthy. Air fryers are far healthier than oil fryers. They cut calories by up to 70 percent, and the air fried food has far less fat.
Are air fryers worth it?
When it comes to getting an air fryer, you cannot go wrong. It is way healthier to use an air fryer than using oil to cook your foods.
Air fryers cut the number of calories in the food. Additionally, you will not be exposed to the harmful effects of too much oil in your diet.
Do you preheat an air fryer?
With most kitchen cooking appliances, you cannot simply switch it on and then start cooking. However with an air fryer that is not always the case.
Some recipes account for the warm-up time in the cooking thus no extra preheating needed.
It will all depend on what food or recipe you are cooking as to whether or not you will need to pre-heat the air fryer.
Do you need oil for an air fryer?
The thing with an air fryer is that it does not use oil as a cooking essential. That being said, you may still need to use oil when cooking your food.
With the air fryer, instead of using oil as a cooking element, it is used as a flavoring ingredient or to keep things from sticking.
If the recipe of the meal you’re cooking needs some oil, and you are using an air fryer, then don’t hesitate to add some.
What’s the difference between an air fryer and a convection oven?
The air fryer and convection oven are similar in terms of how they cook their food. They both use hot air to make sure that the food is cooked right.
The difference between the two appliances is that with the air fryer, the air circulates faster, and in a small chamber, which ensures that the cooking process is sped up.
What’s the difference between an air fryer and an oil fryer?
With an oil fryer, you will need to have enough oil to completely submerge the food you want to cook.
The air fryer, however, requires little to no oil, because it is hot air and its circulation that will cook the food.
Air Fryer Tips & Information:
1. Always place items in the basket or grated tray before placing them in the air fryer.
The grate will ensure that the hot air in the chamber will circulate properly, thus making sure that the food will cook evenly. Additionally, the grate prevents the food from sitting in excessive oil.
2. Don’t add oil to the drawer or fryer.
Unlike with normal appliances, with the air fryer, you will not need to grease the drawer with cooking spray. This can be hugely detrimental to the air fryer and its functionality, as it will damage it.
You can brush the food with a light coating of oil if needed.
3. Air fryers cook faster.
When compared to cooking appliances, you can be assured that the air fryer cooks faster. With that in mind, it is advisable to make sure that you do not leave the fryer on for too long when first testing a recipe in your fryer.
When cooking with a recipe, you need to make sure that you know the appliance used to cook. If they are using anything other than an air fryer, note that you will need to leave less time for cooking. If you keep that in mind, you will avoid burning the food.
4. Need lower temperatures than a conventional oven.
It is amazing how air fryer ovens can cook food at a faster pace than conventional ovens, yet they use lower temperatures. It’s simply amazing.
That being said, it is important to keep in mind that when cooking, the air fryer sometimes uses lower temperatures. Thus, you will need to translate the temperature used to cook on a conventional oven to those of an air fryer.
5. Don’t be generous with the oil.
Though you can use oil when cooking with an air fryer, you need to be conservative with it. This is because the oil will not be used to cook.
Rather, it will be used more as a flavoring agent. This is very important, because excessive oil, in the long term, will damage the air fryer.
6. Don’t use oil with a low smoke point.
When the oil reaches and passes its smoke point, it will start to burn the oil. Air fryers typically use air with high temperatures to cook the food.
Thus, if the oil has a low smoke point, it will easily release the fumes. Thus, you should not use oil with a low smoke point.
7. Shake the basket or flip food while cooking.
To ensure that the food you are cooking is evenly cooked, you need to shake the basket throughout the cooking process. Sometimes, to do this, you will need a pair of tongs.
Or the recipe may also call for the food to be flipped halfway through cooking.
8. Keep your hands off.
Don’t be deceived and think that just because you’re cooking with air that it won’t be hot. Using your hands to try and move the appliance can be detrimental.
It can lead to serious burns and I would avoid it at all cost. However, if you’d still like to take the risk and use your hands, make sure that you give the air fryer enough time to cool down or use hot mitts.
