Are you unsure how to use an air fryer? This beginner’s guide walks you through everything you need to know to start using this kitchen tool.
An air fryer might be a great addition to your kitchen if you want to eat healthier meals at home. By cooking your favorite meals using air instead of oil, you may cut the calories and fat in each meal by up to 75% without compromising taste or texture.
Furthermore, many air fryers are tiny enough to fit on your countertop, so they won’t take up as much counter space as other large appliances. For cookware suggestions, check our Cookware Buying Guide.
What Is An Air Fryer?
An air fryer is kitchen equipment that makes popular foods like french fries and deep-fried chicken wings healthier. It has a tasty, crispy, and crunchy texture while maintaining the original flavor.
In addition, air-fried foods have less fat than those that are deep-fried. Because of the health benefits, an air fryer has become a popular alternative to deep-fried dishes.
Types of Air Fryers
Air fryers are generally classified as either basket air fryers or air fryer ovens.
Basket air fryers have removable baskets for food storage. A typical air fryer oven looks like a toaster oven and has racks inside for placing food.
Air fryer ovens add additional cooking options and storage capacity. However, they also take up more space in your kitchen. Each type of air fryer performs the same function.
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
The air fryer is a new style of cooking that uses hot air to cook foods. It works by circulating hot air around the food item, giving it the same crispiness and qualities as fried food.
Because of the hot air circulation, you may use much less oil than you would in the oven. Switching to air-fried foods can help you reduce dangerous unsaturated fats in your diet.
Furthermore, it is a versatile cooking appliance that can quickly prepare your favorite meals.
What Can You Cook In An Air Fryer?
You can cook anything that you would fry in a pan. The air fryer is ideal for items that require extra crispiness or crunch, such as French fries, fried chicken, and baked potatoes.
Vegetables, meat, and fish are all excellent choices. It’s also one of the best ways to prepare meats like steak or chicken, as it always results in juicy, tasty results.
How To Use An Air Fryer For The First Time?
Once you’ve chosen an air fryer that fits your needs, it’s time to start cooking.
Here are some tips for getting started with your new appliance:
- Preheat the air fryer before adding food. It will ensure the temperature is high enough to cook whatever you’ve selected.
- Use foods with low moisture content, such as meat and fish.
- Avoid including large pieces of food in your dishes because they take longer to cook than smaller ones.
How To Preheat An Air Fryer?
Is it necessary to preheat your air fryer before cooking? That depends. It is recommended to preheat an air fryer before putting food into it.
Follow these instructions to preheat your air fryer:
- Plug in your air fryer.
- Set the temperature to whatever you need it to be (usually around 350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Set your timer to start and wait for it to preheat. Depending on how hot you set the temperature, this could take up to 10-15 minutes.
How To Prepare Food For An Air Fryer?
The most important thing to remember when cooking with an air fryer is how much food you will be cooking. You should start by choosing the size of your air fryer and then figure out what kind of food you want to make.
The best way is to look at the user manual for your particular model. It’s also important not to overfill an air fryer.
Choosing A Model
Before you buy, think about how large your air fryer needs to be. Air fryers come in various sizes, so make sure you choose one that can hold enough food for your needs.
Once you’ve decided on a size, consider the features that are important to you and make sure they are available on the model that fits into your budget best.
Look for models with non-stick baskets, so food doesn’t get stuck in them and becomes hard to clean. It also helps if it has an easy-to-use timer, so there aren’t any surprises when cooking time is up!
Other features include temperature control and removable baskets so dishes can go directly from the appliance into serving dishes or onto plates without dirtying another dish or pan first!
Choose The Cooking Mode To Cook Your Food
Choosing the right cooking mode for your food is important. It will allow you to get the best results and avoid drying your food.
Here are some of the most common air fryer modes:
Stir-fry – perfect for smaller pieces of meat, poultry, seafood, and veggies that cook quickly.
Roast – great for roasting whole chickens or turkeys (without the mess) and vegetables like potatoes, squash, and peppers.
Grill – great for grilling hard meats such as steak or chicken breasts without adding any fat or oil! You can also use an air fryer as a warmer if you have leftovers in your air fryer basket after cooking on ‘grill’ mode.
How to Reheat In An Air Fryer?
Using your air fryer to reheat and crisp up foods is a great way to do so. In an air fryer, reheating food normally takes only a few minutes. To reheat food, you simply need to place it in a basket and cook until hot.
How to Clean An Air Fryer?
It must be suggested you should clean an air fryer after each use since a build-up of oil may cause them to smoke. Sometimes, a paper towel is enough to clean drawers and grates.
You can also hand wash them if they’re greasy. Check your owner’s manual to see if You can wash any parts in the dishwasher.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve learned how to use an air fryer. But, learning your equipment and getting familiar with what foods work best is the most important thing.
It will take some practice and patience, but we think you will be happy that you took the time to invest in one of these amazing devices!
Frequently Asked Questions
In some recipes, no oil is used; in most, it is used, but it’s still less than the amount used in traditional fried foods. So for most recipes, 1-2 teaspoons are enough.
It would be great if you do not use the air fryer for cooking any food containing wet battered, or liquid-coated foods. Also, raw grains and rice won’t cook evenly in an air fryer.
Brush a light layer of oil on the outside of the food, or sprinkle the oil over the food slowly. Instead of putting oil in the basket, use a small amount on your food.
In an air fryer oven, you can cook a lot of food at once because it has more capacity, but the air fryer basket tends to cook foods faster than an air fryer oven, so they are a great option when you’re short on time or just don’t want to wait for an oven to heat up.
