What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is a deep fryer that works on the basis of hot air instead of oil. Because the ingredients are on a grid, the hot air circulates around them. This way you get a crispy and evenly baked result that comes very close to a fried taste.
How does an air fryer work in practice?
At the top of the airfryer is a heating element that you can compare with a grill in the oven. In addition, hot air is constantly blown through the airfryer. So you have two heat sources at the same time. With most airfryers you can set both the time and the temperature. The temperature ranges from 40 degrees to 200 degrees Celsius. Some models also have a timer and a keep warm function, so that you can set the baking time in advance and come home to the smell of good food.
How do you get the best result?
Place your ingredients in one layer in the basket, so that the hot air can circulate optimally. Just like with a regular deep fryer, it is best to shake the basket halfway through the baking time, so that the hot air can reach all the ingredients well to make it crispy. This certainly applies to small snacks such as bitterballen, mini spring rolls or chips.
You don’t have to preheat an airfryer and everything is ready much faster than in a regular oven
Should you use oil to prepare food?
In the freezer section of the supermarket you will now find a wide range of ready-to-use snacks especially for the airfryer, such as delicious vegetarian bitterballen or sweet potato fries. These offerings are usually pre-fried in cooking oil, which makes them much less healthy than you might think. However, you do need oil to get a crispy result. Do you prepare dishes or snacks completely yourself? Then it is best to roll them in a very thin layer of oil first. An aerosol is very useful for this, especially when you prepare breaded dishes.
Be careful with cheese in your airfryer to avoid burnt odors
Do you need to buy extra gadgets with your airfryer?
Gadgets that are sold at an airfryer are often pricey. This usually concerns baking tins, muffin tins or grill grates. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to use your own bakeware or gadgets as a supplement, as long as they fit in the airfryer and are not made of plastic. For the rest, you can use almost any type of material, just like in the microwave.
Can you easily wash the air fryer?
You can easily put most parts of the airfryer in the dishwasher. Keep the heating element inside very clean, otherwise you will quickly suffer from burnt odors.
Handy recipes for your air fryer
The big advantage of your airfryer is that you can prepare just about anything in it. From main meal components such as grilled chicken, fresh salmon and crispy tofu, to snacks such as Mediterranean meatballs, cabbage chips or crispy cauliflower florets.
Grilled chicken
Do you have a large air fryer? Then brush a whole chicken of about 1.5 kilos very lightly with olive oil and season with chicken herbs or another spice mixture to taste. Plain salt and pepper can also be tasty. Rub the spices well into the skin of the chicken. Then place the chicken in the basket of the air fryer. Is the chicken too big and the breast is touching the top of the airfryer? First press the chicken a bit flatter on a cutting board and only then place it in the basket. Bake at 180 degrees for 70 minutes. This way you get a delicious, evenly crispy fried chicken, just like that from the chicken stall. Do you have a smaller air fryer? Then you can do the same preparation of spices for drumsticks. You will then let this cook for about 40 minutes.
Baked salmon fillets
Brush two to three salmon fillets with a little olive oil or melted butter and place them in the basket of the airfryer. Season the fillets with salt and pepper, and other spices if you like. Bake them for 8 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. After that, your salmon will be nice and crispy on the outside, but wonderfully soft and creamy on the inside. Extra tip: place a few bunches of cherry tomatoes next to the salmon fillets while baking.
crispy tofu
Get a block of firm tofu at home. Definitely don’t go here for silken tofu. Remove the tofu from the package and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut the tofu into strips or cubes. Mix them in a bowl with a dash of soy sauce, maple syrup and some grated ginger. Let it stand for 15 minutes and then sprinkle with two tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix everything well and divide the strips or cubes over the basket of the airfryer. Bake for about 12 minutes at 200 degrees and shake the basket halfway through the baking time. Serve the crispy tofu with a spicy dipping sauce.
Mediterranean meatballs
Mix half a kilo of mixed minced meat with a handful of grilled pine nuts, a handful of finely chopped basil, five finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (laid in oil), pepper, salt and one tablespoon of dried oregano. Roll into balls the size of a ping pong ball and arrange them in the airfryer basket. Bake them for about 12 minutes at 180 degrees and shake the basket every now and then.
cabbage chips
Take a Savoy or kale. Wash the leaves and let them dry for a while. Then tear them into bite-sized pieces and remove the tough stems. Place them in a bowl and add a splash of olive oil. Mix until each leaf is coated with a thin layer of oil. Then place them in the basket of the airfryer and cover with a second grid, so that the cabbage leaves do not ‘fly’ while baking in the airfryer. Bake everything for 4 to 5 minutes at 175 degrees and immediately sprinkle with salt. The result? Crispy, super healthy vegetable chips that you can keep eating.
Crispy cauliflower florets
Cut a cauliflower into florets and blanch for 1 minute in salted boiling water. Drain the florets and mix them in a bowl with some oil, salt and pepper. You can flavor them even further with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and/or cumin or mustard seeds. Divide the cauliflower florets over the basket of the airfryer and let them bake for about 12 minutes at 200 degrees. Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Looking for an air fryer? Here you see an overview of good and less good copies.
Pieter is lazy and mainly uses his airfryer for easy meals:
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