Are you planning on purchasing an air fryer? Then it might be wise to understand what you may be able to use the air fryer for. The healthier alternative to deep frying comes in the shape of a box with a removable basket and offers a lot of possibilities at 80% fewer calories than regular deep-fried food.
Having used the air fryer for a couple of years now, I have asked myself this question more than a hundred times. Whenever I eat something new I always wonder if it would be possible to use the air fryer to prepare it.
So, what can you cook in an air fryer? You can cook anything that you otherwise would prepare in an oven, a grill, in a pan or a deep fryer. Well, you can basically cook anything in an air fryer, however, the air does not handle wet batters and liquid very well.
Here’s an in-depth view of the air fryer’s capabilities and a couple of tricks.
Can You Put A Wet Batter In An Air Fryer?
Leaving chicken breasts and vegetables to drench overnight in a tasty marinade does so much for the flavor. The taste is absorbed into the food and preserved in the juices, just waiting to be devoured.
However, before you decide to throw a pair of soaked chicken breasts in the air fryer, you may want to know how gently the air circulation of the air fryer treats a wet batter.
Can you put a wet batter in an air fryer? The circulating air in the air fryer will cause the wet batter to splash all over the air fryer’s chamber. However, air frying a dry batter works perfectly, a mixture of eggs, breadcrumbs, and flour creates a crispy surface. Press the mixture onto the food firmly to make sure it sticks.
Some have successfully cooked battered foods in an air fryer by frying the battered foods in the pan before putting them in the air fryer. That way, the batter can set before it goes in the air fryer, preventing it from splashing.
Can You Cook Raw Meat In An Air Fryer?
Yes, raw meat can be cooked in an air fryer and the results are awesome. Cooking raw chicken breasts in an air fryer takes about 20 minutes depending on the power of your air fryer. With the right cooking times and temperatures, the chicken breasts come out all juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Steaks, burgers, fish fillets, lamb chops, pork chops, chicken wings,
To achieve the best results, apply a tablespoon of oil and your favorite spices to the food.
Some air fryers come with accessories that allow the user to make rotisserie-style chicken, kabob skewers, and perfect burgers. As an added bonus, the air fryer can prepare raw meat faster than most other methods of cooking.
Can You Bake In An Air Fryer?
The air fryer is fully capable of baking muffins, biscuits, cakes, bread, pies, and other baked goodies. However, in order to bake in the air fryer, you need to make sure that you have the right tools. The regular air fryer basket is full of holes, the purpose of the design is to allow the air flow of the air fryer to circulate freely without any obstacles.
Placing a cake in a traditional air fryer basket wouldn’t work very well, the cake would drip through the holes and make a total mess. The proper tools will enable you to bake cakes, muffins and much more with ease.
I recommend a Baking Basket or a Baking Tray.
There are thousands of recipes online if your creativity is somewhat limited.
Can You Put Breaded Food In Air Fryer?
Breaded food is a much better alternative than a wet batter when cooking in an air fryer. It’s important that the breading is applied firmly to prevent the breadcrumbs from landing on the heating coil. Ingredients that end up on the heating coil may burn and produce a strange smell and smoke.
In order for the breadcrumbs to stick properly, you may have to dip the item in eggs and flour prior to applying the breadcrumbs. The combination adds an even crispier surface to the food.
This way, you can easily make healthy homemade chicken nuggets, fish n chips, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks.
When making chicken nuggets, I always mix the breadcrumbs with my favorite spices and herbs. The chicken nuggets are then dipped in the mixture and cooked for 15-16 minutes depending on size. In my opinion, they are even better than deep-fried nuggets.
Can You Cook Frozen Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes, the air fryer is capable of cooking frozen food, such as french fries, chicken nuggets, egg rolls, vegetables, and onion rings. When cooking frozen food it may be smart to either preheat the air fryer or add 2-3 extra minutes. The air fryer is very efficient when cooking frozen food and the results are just as good.
Most food packages don’t come with cooking instructions for the air fryer, therefore, the user may have to use a conversion chart. You may need to shake or stir the basket halfway through when cooking to ensure that it’s evenly cooked.
Here’s an article I wrote about cooking frozen food in an air fryer and how to handle conversion times when using the air fryer.
Can You Roast In An Air Fryer?
Oh yeah, the air fryer is actually my go-to appliance when it comes to roasting, it doesn’t matter if its nuts, vegetables or meat. If you enjoy roasting beef, you will definitely love cooking it in the air fryer. Here’s how I cook a
When roasting beef, I rub the roast with my herbs and spices of choice before putting it in the air fryer for about 45 minutes. Once finished, leave the meat in foil for about 5-10 minutes before devouring it. Leaving the meat to rest for a couple of minutes in the juices ensure that they are absorbed into the meat, making it wonderfully crisp on the surface and tender on the inside.
Can You Cook Pizza In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can cook both frozen and fresh pizzas in an air fryer as long as the air fryer is big enough or the pizza small enough to fit in the air fryer. To get the absolute best results when baking a pizza in the air fryer, you may want to check out the proper accessories, there are kits available on Amazon that include everything you may possibly need.
Can You Steam In An Air Fryer?
You can’t really steam in an air fryer – air fryers don’t handle liquids very well. When cooking, an air fryer uses dry heat to dry out the surface of foods, giving them a crispy exterior. When it comes to moist heat, the air fryer does not get the job done. There are much better alternatives if you prefer to steam food, such as the pressure cooker or instant pot.
Some air fryers may, however, come with a steam function. In that case, then yes, you can definitely steam in your air fryer.