Air fryers are all the rage in recent years. And it’s not hard to see why: everything becomes easier with an air fryer, from cooking chicken and meat to making french fries. But the truth is, most of us aren’t taking full advantage of everything it has to offer. This convenient gadget has plenty of little-known uses that will change your cooking game entirely. Whether you already have an air fryer or are considering purchasing one, you’ll be tempted to try out all these tips for making yummy food while keeping the appliance in tip-top shape.
Prevent a Smoky Air Fryer With a Little Bit of Water
It seems sometimes that air fryers are practically without fault. It’s shocking that all people don’t have them in their homes. However, they are not all perfect. While they come pretty close, one of the most annoying aspects of them is that they often get very smoky while cooking. This is usually the most relevant when it comes to cooking meats, and it can get quite annoying with the grease and oils that build up.
In order to prevent this, all you have to do is put a few tablespoons of water in the air fryer while it is cooking, and this will prevent the intense smokiness.
Make Individual Portions Using Silicone Cups
You may have thought that in life, the only thing that you can use silicone cupcake cups for would be to make good cupcakes. However, that is not the case, especially when it comes to cooking with an air fryer. Although you definitely can make cupcakes, they can also be used to cook just about anything in small individual portion sizes. You can cook mini omelets or small dishes to eat on the go.
Who doesn’t love a little mini snack that you can have on the go or just when you’re feeling a little peckish? Make snacking easy with silicone cups to cook them.
Add the Juice Leftover in the Air Fryer to Your Meal
This is probably the last thing that you expect to be able to make in an air fryer. After all, it’s not really something that is cooked. However, this isn’t the juice that you are probably thinking of, as it is not carrot or orange juice. Rather, it is the leftover juices of the foods that you cook. Don’t be skeptical just from the sounds of it. Try saving some of the juices and see how it adds flavor to other foods.
You won’t regret adding all the leftovers, spices, and juices from the food that you cook. It makes a wonderful addition to other meals.
Make Desserts in Your Air Fryer
Although you might hear the word fryer and be led to believe that the only thing an air fryer is capable of is frying food. It makes sense that you would think that; however, the name is a bit deceiving. The air fryer is much closer to an oven than a fryer, and as a result, it can be used to cook things just as you would with an oven. That cooking also extends to baking.
One of the easiest things to make is small lava cakes like these ones or pretty much anything that fits in a small baking dish like this.
Salvage Stale Pastries With Water and an Air Fryer
Nothing is more frustrating than realizing the fresh pastries and bread that you bought so recently have gone stale. Not only is it a waste of money, but it is also just a bummer that the delicious food can no longer be eaten. Don’t despair too much – if you have an air fryer. All you need is a little water and some air fryer heat, and you will be able to revive the pastries.
Just add a small amount of water to the drip pan, turn up the heat, and you will see that you have fresh pastries in just a few short moments.
Defrost Frozen Foods
There is nothing worse than being ready to make a meal only to realize that you forgot to defrost some of the ingredients for the dish. Did you know that you can use your air fryer to defrost the vegetables easily? It also allows the vegetables to defrost at the correct level so that they’ll still be delicious when they are cooked. It is also super easy and only takes a few minutes.
You can cook the vegetables in the air fryer or any other cooking mechanism that you would normally use once they are defrosted properly using the air fryer method.
Always Preheat the Air Fryer
It’s already been made quite clear that the air fryer is much closer to an oven than a fryer, but the name will continue to stick. However, you need to keep in mind that many of the things you would do with an oven are just what needs to be done when it comes to using an air fryer. For example, you need to make sure that you preheat the air fryer before putting your food in.
This is especially important when it comes to working with meats. Preheating the oven ensures that they cook evenly and properly.
Use It to Hard “Boil” Eggs
Everyone loves a nice hard-boiled egg. It is perfect to have with sandwiches or even just as a snack. It can also be perfect for breakfast. But it is always difficult to ensure that the timing is correct when you are trying to hard boil an egg. After all, do you boil the water first and then add the egg, or the other way around? How long do you leave it in the water? The questions are endless.
With an air fryer, all of your problems are solved, and you don’t even need water in order to hard boil the eggs. You just need to cook them on low heat for 15 minutes. Easy peasy.
Avoid Nonstick Cooking Sprays
Most people tend to think that nonstick cooking sprays are one of the saviors of the kitchen. Although that may be true under most circumstances, that is not the case when it comes to air fryers. Nonstick cooking sprays can actually do more harm than good. They can clog the air fryer and cause disruptions in the long run. That is why you should use olive oil instead, whenever possible, or other natural oils.
You can make your own cooking spray by placing olive oil in a spray bottle. It is easy and will keep your air fryer in the best condition possible.
Shake the Basket Every so Often
If you are used to cooking regularly, then you are probably aware of the fact that whenever you bake something in the oven, you are supposed to rotate the pans or flip the items halfway through. The exact same thing applies when it comes to cooking with an air fryer. If you just shake the basket a few times during the cooking, you will see a noticeable improvement in the end result.
This helps to ensure that all of the food is cooking evenly, and it is especially relevant when there is crispiness involved as it helps all sides to crisp evenly.
Here’s How You Should Place Parchment Paper
Although parchment paper is great for most cooking adventures, the exception comes when you are working with an air fryer. You can still use parchment paper. However, there are a few rules that you need to keep in mind when using parchment paper. You need to make sure there are holes in the paper so that the air can escape and it doesn’t burn the parchment paper in the cooking process.
If you want to avoid the hassles of dealing with an air fryer and parchment paper, then you can just use a simpler alternative like aluminum foil instead.
Dehydrate Your Fruit
Now, this is one of the more unique items on this list of fun and interesting things to do with your air fryer in the kitchen. Most of the hacks have been focused on how to cook savory foods or bake different goods. However, you can also use it for other purposes, such as dehydrating fruit. If you have a little bit of extra fruit that is about to spoil, put it in the air fryer.
There is no need to be a dehydrator when you can just use the air fryer, and it works just as well (if not even better). One device can do it all!
You Shouldn’t Place Your Air Fryer in a Kitchen Corner or Crowded Between Other Appliances
Although it might seem trivial, where you place your air fryer while it is doing the hard work of cooking is actually quite important. People are often tempted to try and push it into the small spaces that they have in their kitchens due to the small and convenient size. While this does work, in theory, it will affect how the air fryer cooks the food in the long run.
Just like any oven, the air fryer needs the air to be able to circulate properly so that the food can cook properly. That cannot be done if it is squished in a small place.
Parboil Potatoes Before Placing Them Inside and Get Delicious Results
It is no secret that cooking potatoes can be a time-consuming endeavor. After all, they are thick and big vegetables, so it takes some time before they are actually cooked all the way through. That is why, if you are thinking of cooking a potato whole in the air fryer, you should parboil it before sticking it directly in the air fryer. This will help them cook better and faster in the long run.
All you have to do is boil the potatoes in water for about five minutes before you place them in the air fryer to reach crispy perfection.
Use Dishwashing Tablets to Easily Clean the Appliance
Perhaps the number one downside of an air fryer is the fact that it is difficult to clean. People love to use these to cook, but they become a little confused when cleanup time comes around. It’s not so intuitive; after all, it is a pretty foreign cooking mechanism. However, it’s easier than you might think. All you need is a dishwashing tablet and some boiling water, and you are good to go.
Make sure that the basket is completely submerged in the liquid, along with the dishwashing tablet, for at least 15 minutes. When you remove it, you’ll be surprised by the amazing results.
Stop Using the Microwave to Reheat Leftovers – It’s Yummier With an Air Fryer
Although microwaves are great for heating up leftover food in a hurry, no one can deny that microwaved food is usually not the tastiest. It often comes out hot but also soggy and lacking some of its original flavor. If you have an air fryer, then you are in luck, and you can even consider getting rid of your microwave entirely. Heat up your leftovers in the air fryer instead of the microwave.
You’ll see that the food tastes almost as good as if it was made fresh. It is not even comparable to how the food would taste after it comes out of the microwave.
Use the Right Oil to Get the Perfect Smoking Point
Using the right oil in your air fryer can make all of the difference in your cooking experience. You have to make sure that you have the right smoking point, and in order to do that, you have to use the right oil. That means that you have to make sure to use the right oil at the bottom of the air fryer. Soybean and safflower oil are good alternatives.
They will cook at a better level so that it does not get too smoky, and it will make the food very tasty. These oils can also be less expensive, so it’s a win-win.
Aluminum Foil Helps Keep the Basket Clean
In case you are among those in the world who hate the cleanup side of cooking more than anything, then this hack is for you. You might be avoiding the use of your air fryer just because you don’t want to deal with the cleanup, but there is no need to worry about that. With the help of a little bit of aluminum foil, you can cover the entire basket of the air fryer to ensure an easy cleanup.
When you are done cooking, all you have to do is remove all of the food contained within the aluminum foil, and voila! No cleaning up is necessary.