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.