People who know me well will tell you that I am passionate about air frying and would be happy to share my love with you. Air frying is great if you don’t need to cook large quantities, have an additional oven or “burner”, or want to cook your food without having to watch it too closely.
Like many others, my first love for air frying was French fries. Next, I tried other vegetables like Brussels sprouts, Buffalo floret and shishito peppers. These make a great snack or appetizer and are quick to prepare. I have also created several air fryer recipes, including crispy beets and summer squash and meatballs. Now, air frying is my preferred cooking method for any food.
Air-Fried Pickles
My teenage daughter loves this snack because it is easy to make. Crispy Air Fryer Picklesare delicious on their own but are even better when accompanied by a dipping sauce. Try the tangy mayo ketchup sauce that comes with this recipe or any other sauce like honey mustard or ranch dressing.
Grilled Air-Fried Cheese
Air frying is an easy way to make grilled cheese. This gives you a crispy, golden crust and a creamy, melty center. Bonus: You can make multiple sandwiches at once, depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
French Toast Air-Fried
Air fryer French Toast is easy to use and doesn’t require you to stand over a flame. You can be sure of perfectly cooked French Toast.
Corn on the Cob, “Grilled” and Air-Fried
I love this method of preparing corn on the cob. If the corn is too big to fit in the basket of your air fryer, shuck it and rinse it. You can rub them lightly with olive oil, but don’t use butter as it can burn easily in high heat. Season with salt and pepper and then air fry at 400 for 10 minutes. Flip halfway through. Crispy, delicious corn on the cob will be achieved without heating the grill or using a grill pan. Serve with lots of butter.
Air-Fried Portobello Mushrooms
Sometimes, pan-frying can result in soggy mushrooms. It’s difficult to make them crispy due to the high moisture released by mushrooms. The air fryer is your solution. The machine’s circulated heat draws out liquids, giving you a crispy cap and a steak-like texture. Mix olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Apply it to both sides of the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes at 375F or 385F, depending on how hot your oven runs. Flip over and cook until crispy and cooked through. You can serve the mushrooms as-is or add a slice of cheddar to the last few minutes. Finally, you can heat the burger buns in the oven until they are crisp and golden brown.
You can also cook whole caps with thickly sliced portobello mushroom slices in the same manner and at the same time. Serve with lots of fresh crusty bread and a bit of compound butter.
Air-Fried “Baked” Brie
This appetizer is great for entertaining. You can remove the plastic wrap and wooden lid from the Brie wheel by removing them from the wooden box. Then, place the cheese on a piece of parchment paper. Use the parchment to hold the cheese in the air fryer basket. For 8-10 minutes, heat the cheese from 375F to 385 degrees F until it is softened to the touch. After it has come out of the oven, you can either serve it plain or add some cranberry relish to it. It can be served with crackers, sliced crusty bread or other crunchy accompaniments.
Air-Fried Tofu
Deep-fried tofu is a favorite of mine, but I don’t like the messy nature of deep-frying. This crispy air-fried tofu recipe is my favorite. It’s crispy, delicious, and super simple to make. It also comes with the best dipping sauce.
Air-Fried Toasted Nuts
Even though I attended culinary school, I have been known to burn my fingers when using a dry skillet on the stovetop. It’s usually a sad, smoky mess before I realize it, and I have to start over. Since I discovered that I could air fry nuts, I haven’t burned one batch. For about 5 to 7 minutes, heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Then, place the nuts in an even layer on the heated basket of the air fryer.
You can also make candied nuts in an air fryer at the same temperature. Make a sugary batter using egg whites. This helps keep the sugar from burning while creating a crispy, glazed exterior. Here’s how it works.
- For 10 minutes, line the basket of your air fryer with parchment-lined with lightly greased cooking spray.
- Mix 1 raw egg white with 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.
- Mix 2 cups of nuts (egg whites, whole almonds, or pecan halves) with the egg mixture. Transfer the nuts onto parchment paper using a slotted spoon.
- Cook the coating until it is fragrant and caramelized, approximately 5 to 7 minutes
- Sprinkle the nuts with some flaky sea salt while they are still warm. After cooling, please place them in an air fryer for about 30 minutes. Then, break up any clusters of nuts that have formed.
