Are you looking into buying an Air Fryer? You're probably wondering if they are easy to use, how to use an air fryer and what you can cook in it... apart from chips. In this post I give you the key to using an air fryer as well as a few delicious recipe ideas.
First posted in 2017, this guide was first published before air fryers became a household name, quite literally. Now it's updated with 8 years of non-stop use and knowledge. Plus now the website has lots more air fryer recipes.
Jump to:
- What is the one thing every air fryer user should know?
- THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF AN AIR FRYER
- No need to preheat
- How do you use your air fryer as an oven?
- How to look after your air fryer's non-stick coating
- Some examples of things I tend to use my air fryer for:
- Air Fryer Sausages
- Air Fryer Roasted Peppers
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Air Fryer Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Halloumi Cheese
- Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables with Leftover Chicken
- Air fryer Giant Mushroom stuffed with Ragu Bolognese and Topped with Low Carb Cheese sauce
- Air fryer Giant / Portabella Mushroom stuffed with ingredients of your choice
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
What is the one thing every air fryer user should know?
The most important thing when using an air fryer is to NOT think of it as a fryer but instead... think of it as a mini oven instead.
That's it, once you know that, you can use an air fryer successfully.
You don't need fancy conversion charts, you don't need dedicated liners or food labelled as air fryer food.
You don't need air fryer-specific accessories (although silicone-tipped tongs are going to come in handy).
All you need is this: do you know how to use an oven? Then you know how to use an air fryer.
This was like a revelation for me and I think I have Tracy J to thank for that.
It was that revelation that prompted me to finally buy an Air Fryer after years of consideration.
It was also what helped the Air Fryer earn its permanent spot on the kitchen counter.
Space is at a premium, one-dish wonders live elsewhere, definitely not on the kitchen counter but... a kitchen gadget that can cook a ton of different things, that on stays on the worktop and the air fryer has earned its keep.
Use it as a mini oven for pretty much everything that will fit in it! And this part will depend on what size air fryer you have.
Read product information, reviews and look out for photos to work the size that's right for you and your household or ask for opinions in my Kitchen Gadgetry with Feisty Tapas Facebook group.
My first air fryer was the Philips 9220 which I bought in 2017, the second was the Instant Vortex and now, well, I've lost count of air fryers. T jokes about it but we have several brands of air fryers: Ninja, Russell Hobbs, Instant Brands. As well as multi cookers with air fryer lids like Ninja, Tefal and Instant Pot.
In 2021 I also got to play with the Cosori Air Fryer with Wifi on loan and I did like it!! The app reminds you when your food is ready but also that you need to shake it. Great if you get easily distracted by other things, like life.
Not sure which one to get? Ask in my Kitchen Gadgetry or Air Fryer Magic communities for opinions.
THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF AN AIR FRYER
No need to preheat
This one is a biggy. You do not have to preheat your air fryer.
My air fryer consists of the housing where the mechanics of it all is housed, a drawer and a basket that inserts inside that drawer.
The drawer slots straight into the housing and you're off.
You can see how it works in this video, that was my first air fryer.
You place your ingredients in the basket and start from cold.
This, of course, means that if you have an electricity-guzzling oven like I do, an air fryer will help massively with energy consumption and, with energy prices going up, your air fryer will soon start earning its keep as it provides energy savings.
How do you use your air fryer as an oven?
It's extremely easy:
Place your ingredients in the basket.
Set the temperature (my most-used are 180ºC / 355 F and 200ºC / 390 F).
Set the time.
You're off.
If you're cooking an oven recipe for which you have time and temperature: set the temperature as if for a fan oven and programme the time but bear in mind it will, in most cases, cook way faster and there is no need to preheat.
So start by reducing the time by at least one third. Because once you burn things, it's not easy to unburn them.
Often it's worth turning the temperature down a bit even from fan and reducing the time or setting an early alarm to go check.
The key is going to be getting used to air fryer so, no fear, get started.
With a lot of things you might have to take the drawer out half way through cooking and turn the ingredients, toss them or shake the basket a bit.
I find silicone tongs handy for this.
The drawer is easy to pull out, as easy as a drawer basically.
No major science there.
A lot of air fryer baskets, drawers and trays can go in the dishwasher so super easy to keep clean but always be mindful of the non-stick and follow our guidelines to look after the coating.
If your air fryer cooks on mesh, it is easy for things to get stuck to the mesh, to avoid this, you can either line with foil or baking paper (no need to buy dedicated air fryer lines unless they fit your air fryer perfectly). This can be particularly handy for sausages, which are likely to stick but, to be honest, just don't buy an air fryer with mesh and make your life easier.
With foil, just make sure that you don't cover the whole of the basket, leave some of the mesh on show for the heat to get through. But I don't recommend using foil in your cooking anymore.
If you have a dishwasher, then use zero liners and the dishwasher should do a really good job of cleaning the mesh mess.
How to look after your air fryer's non-stick coating
Buying an Air Fryer? You'll want to look after the non-stick coating so that it lasts you a long time. Let me tell you how.
Some examples of things I tend to use my air fryer for:
Air Fryer Sausages
Included in the video above.
Air Fryer Roasted Peppers
Included in the video above, make sure you watch it.
15 minutes at 180ºC / 355 F for medium peppers and 20 minutes for larger ones.
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Following the instructions on the pack, reducing the temperature a little bit and making sure you reduce the time a bit or set an early alarm as it can cook quite fast.
Don't forget, no need to preheat so the bread goes in from cold.
Air Fryer Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Halloumi Cheese
Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables with Leftover Chicken
Air fryer Giant Mushroom stuffed with Ragu Bolognese and Topped with Low Carb Cheese sauce
That Low Carb Cheese Sauce is amazing!! I improvised it in the Thermomix and I can't wait to make it again.
5 minutes at 180ºC / 355 F.
Air fryer Giant / Portabella Mushroom stuffed with ingredients of your choice
Just the giant mushroom on its own while you cook scrambled eggs on the hob and then serve the mushroom filled with the scrambled eggs (5 minutes at 180ºC / 355 F).
You could even turn it into a low carb "pizza"... fill the mushroom with a bit of tomato sauce, cheese and your favourite ingredients and you're off.
Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Chicken legs smothered in your favourite sauce or marinade (in this photo I had used red Thai paste in one and smoked paprika and olive oil in the other).
Or plain just with salt and pepper of course.
15 minutes each side at 180ºC / 355 F, you could probably get away with less time.
I hope that helps give you a bit of an insight into how to use an airfryer. Super easy as you can see.
Do I ever cook chips in it? Nope.
How do YOU use your air fryer?
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Cathy says
Love my Cookware AirFryer, it's perfect for two people.
It's just like a mini oven but quicker.
I have used it for the usual, battered fish, chunky fish fingers, marinated chicken thighs, pizza slices, garlic bread, duck breast, steak. I have even baked Yorkshire puddings in it...my favourite at the moment are McCains tripled cooked gastro chips with Chinese curry. 😋
Judy McGloin says
Thank you Maria. I picked up a really cheap airfryer in Aldi just before we came back to France and having shoved a batch of chips in was wondering what to do next - instruction booklets very limited! I feel a bit more inspired now!!