An air fryer uses hot air that’s forced into a frying or baking tray with no oil and heats everything from meat or vegetables to doughnuts without all the mess of cooking in an oven.
It may be the answer if you wish to cook food instantly without worrying about cleaning your oven, which could be a real headache.
It cooks food by circulating hot air through small holes in a sheet-pan-like device and using infrared energy, so there’s no need for preheating.
Air fryers are also easy to clean, and since they use superheated steam instead of oil, they’re considered healthier than traditional cooking methods.
You know that cooking food in an air fryer is healthy, but do you know how they work? You would uncover that by the end of this exclusive beginner’s guide for air fryers.
How To Use An Air Fryer?
Contents
Step 1
Select the food you want to prepare and place the food in the cooking basket. The basket can be placed either in a small compartment that you can pull out of the base or on top of a lid.
It is important to ensure that you have enough space in your air fryer basket so that the food doesn’t overlap.
Step 2
Set your air fryer to the heat level you require and also choose your air-fry time setting, depending on how crunchy or soft you would like your food to be. It’s important not to fill the air fryer too much; otherwise, it might not cook well.
Step 3
When you’re ready to start cooking, be sure to close the door. Some air fryers will have a timer and digital display, while others will only have a timer and require that you check the food periodically.
Step 4
Your air fryer will not automatically stop when your food is cooked, so you should wait for an alert to avoid overcooking it. It should take between 20 and 30 minutes to cook in an air fryer at about 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
The air fryer works by forcing superheated air into the cooking compartment and heating the food inside to about 390 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot air circulates the food at different speeds to ensure even cooking.
The basket can be filled with a variety of vegetables and meats, depending on your needs. Air fryers are also considered healthier than traditional deep-frying methods as they don’t use oil in cooking.
Most models come with a timer and digital display so that you can cook food without having to check on it periodically to see if it’s already done or not.
The air fryer includes a defrost setting that makes you cook frozen meats as easily as you would cook them on a gas stove.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- Air fryers are easy to use, so even inexperienced cooks can use them without much trouble
- You can cook several foods at the same time if you have multiple baskets with built-in compartments
- It’s easier to clean an air fryer than it is to clean a deep fryer because there’s no oil residue on the cooking compartments
- Food is healthier than most traditional cooking methods
- There’s no waiting time like you have to do when you cook in an oven or stovetop
Cons
- Air fryers take up a lot of space
- It’s expensive to buy an air fryer
- The air fryer doesn’t cook all types of foods
- It’s hard to clean the air fryer tray
Things To Consider For A Good Air Fryer
Portability
You need to have a small, compact air fryer that’s not going to take up too much space in your cabinets or countertop. If you’re going to buy one, make sure that it comes with wheels so that you can easily move it around whenever needed and place it wherever you want inside your kitchen.
Size
If space is limited inside your kitchen, you’ll need a small air fryer with a capacity of fewer than 1.5 liters in order not to take up too much room and leave nowhere for other cooking equipment inside the cabinet or on the countertop.
Ease Of Cleaning
No one wants to spend too much time cleaning every part of an air fryer, so it’s better to buy one that can be washed easily in the sink and set aside to dry without any messy oil residue or streaks.
Cooking Options
You’ll need to know what kind of food your air fryer can cook that will be appropriate for the needs of your family and whether or not you’ll need to buy more than one if you want to prepare more than one type of food at a time.
Turbo Mode
A turbo mode is a setting that allows you to cook food two times as fast as normal. You can cook eggs, chicken wings, and other types of foods faster than usual without overcooking them.
Temperature
Most air fryers are set at 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit to produce the crispiest results and minimize the chances of the food burning or becoming too dry.
However, there’s also a chance that your food will be cooked at a higher temperature if you’re making something such as oven-fried chicken wings or deep-fried foods.
Which Air Fryer Should You Buy?
If you’re interested in purchasing an air fryer for your kitchen, several brands offer models that are compact and don’t take up a lot of space on your counter or inside your cabinets. You can find compact air fryers from Hamilton Beach, Philips, Black, and Decker, or Cuisinart.
Air fryers from Hamilton Beach come with features like convection cooking which allows you to adjust the temperature to speed up cooking time as well as a turbo function that cooks food 2X faster.
Conclusion
Air fryers are great appliances to have in your kitchen. They make cooking chicken wings and French fries a lot easier and cleaner.
They’re also better for your health than traditional deep-frying methods because you use less oil, but still, get the same flavors and textures that you’re used to from eating traditional deep-fried foods.
With holiday parties and gatherings around the corner, it’s important to consider having an air fryer for your family’s needs during those events.
You can prepare several different types of foods with or without adding sauces or toppings so that there’s always something for everyone who might be attending such an event.