Will it air fry? How to get the most out of your air fryer

Think they're just for chips? There's an air fryer revolution taking place, and people are finally maximising the gadget's potential.

When air fryers were launched in the early 2010s, it was to a great fanfare. Sure, there were plenty of cooks pointing out that they were just tiny convection ovens, but they remained steady sellers, refusing to be consigned to kitchen gadget history books.

As well as the health benefits of replacing the deep fryer, an air fryer could save you money as they use less energy than ovens, making it an even more attractive proposition. But how versatile are they for cooking whole meals? Are they good for anything beyond chips?

Jenny Tschiesche, author of Air-fryer Cookbook: Quick, Healthy And Delicious Recipes For Beginners, shares what you need to know about cooking (almost) anything in an air fryer.

Let's get it out of the way. There’s no denying air fryers and chips go hand in hand.

To make great air fryer chips, soak the potatoes in water for ten minutes to remove excess starch, then dry thoroughly before tossing them in oil and salt, says Jenny. How long they need to cook will depend on the air fryer you have, but around 30 minutes at 180C. But how good are they? “My mum makes the most incredible triple cooked chips. I made air fryer chips recently and my mum couldn’t tell the difference, which was a real coup for me.”

However, chips don’t need to be limited to potatoes. “I get an odd box [of vegetables] each week and I started making chips with whatever root vegetable was sent – potatoes, sweet potatoes, swedes, I even did kohlrabi at one stage and it worked really well!” says Jenny.

When making sweet potato fries, experiment with coatings, says Jenny. “You can toss them in a seasoned flour, rice flour or polenta, which will help them crisp up.” However if you’re making wedges, a coating isn’t necessary.

When making chips or fries, you can put more than one layer in the air fryer, “but you wouldn’t want to completely fill the drawer up,” says Jenny, “Just give the chips a really good shake three or four times while they’re cooking.”

Other crispy potato dishes work just as well. “Patatas bravas are amazing," says Jenny, as are air fryer roast potatoes and hasselback potatoes.

“Jacket potatoes are really good. Again, I tend to rinse them and dry them off, roll them in olive oil, and get as much salt to stick to the outside as I can. I prong them with a fork, and they cook in about 40 minutes and you get a really crisp outside and lovely fluffy inside.

Of course, crispy air fryer chicken is another favourite fast food switch-up. The key is to protect the chicken from drying out in the hot air. Breading or coating in cornflakes helps. (It's also great for air fryer mozzarella sticks). Using chicken thighs or chicken wings also keeps things juicy.

A marinade also helps protect meat in the air fryer, as it would on a barbecue. Prawns, beef and lamb all work successfully on skewers, as does Jenny's favourite chicken tikka. “I marinate the chicken in lemon juice, yoghurt and spice. That's a really nice way to get it easily tender.”

Burgers that are naturally high in fat will stay juicy in the air fryer too, as will oily fish.

“Fish is great to air fry, because it cooks so quickly” says Jenny. One of her favourite dishes is salmon in pesto with asparagus, “it's just so easy! You can put the asparagus and the salmon in pretty much at the same time.”

It helps to go beyond treating the air fryer as a deep fryer replacement. “I started to see the air fryer as a compact and efficient mini oven,” making things like croûtons, crispy chickpeas, banana chips, and pitta chips really easily, reducing food waste and oven usage. It works a treat for toasting nuts, making super crisp bacon and drying out breadcrumbs too.

Getting creative

Once she'd mastered all things crispy, Jenny was ready to experiment in taking the appliance further. “I made things like aubergine parmigiana and shakshuka, says Jenny.

Because the air fryer circulates very hot air, the surface cooks faster and hotter than the inside. So some dishes like shakshuka need to be cooked in stages. But gradually adding more ingredients can be done without losing too much heat or energy. “I start by roasting the peppers, then I add the tomato and seasoning and then later I add the egg.”

A dish of creamy dauphinoise potatoes will work if you keep an eye on the top and cover if needed before the potatoes are cooked inside.

“I tried arancini and I wasn't sure they were going to work. I wrapped leftover risotto around a mozzarella ball, and then covered them in breadcrumbs. It worked so well I put it into my book.”

The humble cauliflower works wonderfully in an air fryer. “I toss florets in olive oil, turmeric, black onion seed and salt, it gives a really nice sweet flavour with a crispy exterior.”

What is the best air fryer to buy?

Jenny advises against being wooed by the big ones you see on social media. “Air fryers have had a resurgence because they became really popular in America and that has travelled over here, but in the US, they often have big kitchens so can have big air fryers.

“But, typically speaking, the ones in the UK are of a size that fits the smaller UK kitchen. For most of us it just wouldn't work to have a 10 litre one, but I've got a 5.7 litre one and that’s great.”

Rather than getting it out occasionally, the idea is the air fryer will be permanently on your countertop to encourage everyday use. “It's not like a food processor that you get out from time to time. You're going to use it every day.

“The biggest tip is to not think of it as a really healthy chipmaker. Think of it as a really powerful mini oven”.

What accessories will I need?

You’re going to want to be able to use some of your existing dishes in the air fryer – that could be a small gratin dish or ramekins, so make sure they fit in the air fryer you’re buying.

You will probably want some air fryer liners which come with perforated holes, allowing the air to circulate. “Or you could just use greaseproof paper with a few holes in it,” says Jenny, but check the manual for the model you’re considering because this might discourage for safety reasons. Likewise, Jenny warns about using liners when you’re pre-heating the air fryer.

"They've got powerful fans. If you put a liner in before you put anything else in, the liner can literally hit the roof and scorch as it hits the heating element."

It’s also a good idea to have a meat thermometer to check everything’s cooked, advises Jenny, as browning may happen quicker than in a normal oven. “Particularly if you're going to be cooking pork or chicken.”

Originally published August 2022.