Here Are 10 Air Fryer Recipes You Need To Try Now
If the idea of crisp, perfectly cooked food without the fat that comes from frying sounds too good to be true, then you must be unfamiliar with air fryers. These nifty kitchen tools have gained immense popularity in recent years since air fryer recipes yield crunchy, evenly browned veggies, meat, tofu, and more without the oil. Air fryers work a lot like convection ovens, which circulate hot air around the food to cook it quickly and perfectly every time. Thats a pretty hard concept to resist.
Whether you got an air fryer over the holidays and cant wait to get started, or are wondering how to justify yet another kitchen gadget, here are ten of our best air fryer recipes to get you started.
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How Do You Clean An Air Fryer
With pull-out food drawers, air fryers are far easier to clean than their greasier cousin, the deep fryer, but the specific steps will depend on the type and the exact model you have. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when cleaning any kitchen appliance, but in general, Levy recommends handwashing with soap and water and a non-abrasive sponge most air fryers are not dishwasher-safe, as detergents will deteriorate their nonstick coating.
“You will want to clean it after each use so oils don’t build up and particles don’t burn,” she adds. “I recommend placing a thin layer of foil in the bottom basket for ease of cleaning.”
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Instant Omni Pro 18l Toaster Oven And Air Fryer
The Split Cook two-stage cooking allows you to roast to perfection and use 95 percent less oil than other standard cooking methods. There are also 14 settings: air fry, broil, bake, roast, reheat, rotisserie, toast, warm, convection, slow-cook, proof, split cook, temperature probe, and dehydrate.
Shop Now: Instant Omni Pro 18L Toaster Oven and Air Fryer, $269.95 , williams-sonoma.com.
Take Up To $30 Off Fan
Courtesy of Williams Sonoma
Pressure cookers are one of the most popular kitchen appliances on the market, and it’s easy to see why: Not only do they make it easy to cook your foods to perfection, but they also do so in record time. If you like to make quick and easy meals and are in need of one of these handy cooking tools, you’ll want to shop Williams Sonoma’s Instant Pot sale, which includes pressure cookers and other fan-favorite products created by the brand. Consider a piece like the Instant Omni Pro 18L Toaster Oven and Air Fryer , for instance. Its EvenCrisp technology allows you to cook everything from French fries to chicken wings with 95 percent less oil than other popular cooking methods. The Instant Pot Six-Quart Pro Plus WiFi Electric Pressure Cooker will be just as helpful to have on hand. The pressure cooker heats up 20 percent and cooks 70 percent faster than your stovetop or oven. That’s not all there is to shop during this limited-time sale.
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Best With Pressure Cooker: Instant Pot Pro Crisp + Air Fryer
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Inner pot is stovetop- and oven-safe
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Convenient vent/pressure toggle
Fans of multi-functional kitchen appliances will want to check out this air fryer option from Instant Pot. It comes with two lidsone for air frying and one for pressure cookingthat enable the pot to function as both an air fryer and the classic multi-cooker the brand is known for.
The pot holds up to 8 quarts, which is enough room to air-fry a whole chicken, and is equipped with 11 cooking functions that are sorted by which lid they require. The pressure cooking lid functions are pressure cook, saute, slow cook, steam, and sous vide, and the air fryer lid functions are warm, air fry, roast, bake, broil, and dehydrate. The pressure cooker performed well with pork ribs, steamed cauliflower, and sauteed potatoes in tests, while air-fried eggrolls and fries were also a success.
Our tester noted the inner pot has some upgraded features compared to other Instant Pot models, including side handles and a flat bottom for even cooking. It can also be used on stovetops and is oven-safe. It comes with a number of accessories, including a multi-use cooking rack, nonstick air fryer basket, dehydrate/broil tray, a protective pad for the lids, and a storage cover. The accessories fit inside the cooker for compact storage. Most of the accessories are dishwasher safe and the rest of the appliance is easy enough to clean.
The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie
Why Take Our Word For It
In our test kitchen, our editors performed side-by-side testing on a variety of air fryers, including a handful of air fryer toaster ovens. Associate Editor Bridget Degnan carefully examined the testing data to determine our favorites and then named a few more winners after collaborating with other food editors. All in all, we identified the best air fryer toaster ovens through hands-on testing and market research.
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Best Splurge: Philips Premium Digital Airfryer With Fat Removal Technology
Philips Premium Digital Air Fryer is a worthwhile splurge. Youll find that its super easy to make crispy chicken wings, fries, and more by following its accompanying recipe book. Simply plug in the air fryer, turn its incredibly sleek knob to the correct temperature and time, and press to begin frying. The machine is so silent, you might forget its there, and its large basket fits everything from a whole bag of frozen fries to a small chicken for four. You can even grab Philipsbaking kit to make a cake and the grill kit for barbecue salmon, steak, and vegetables. One reviewer used their air fryer to makethe crispiest, tastiest nuggets The same was true with my experiment with grilled cheese sandwiches. Wow, perfect toasting and no greasiness. Roasted vegetables, also a hit. I am using this fryer more than I initially imagined.
To buy: $250
Best Quiet: Taotronics Air Fryer Tt
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Doesnt have a full touchscreen
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Presets need some adjustment
Love air-fried food, but not the noisy fans that accompany many air fryers? This model is well-rated for being ultra-quiet. In fact, our product tester said she could barely hear it when it was turned on. Like most air fryers, the cook can manually select the cooking time and temperature or use one of 11 cooking presets to prepare fries, steak, bacon, fish, shrimp, vegetables, chicken, potatoes, bread, cake, or thawing frozen snacks. The cooking basket holds 6-quarts, is nonstick, and is dishwasher safe.
The square-shaped design of this model gives you more room to fit food in the cooking basket compared to smaller fryers with rounded baskets. Our product tester noted the basket shape helps spread food out a bit more versus piling it on top of each other, which can lead to less crisp cooking results. In tests, this air fryer heated quickly, cooked evenly, and was extremely efficient. Our tester did warn that it does take a little practice playing around with settings to get the perfect amount of doneness.
The Spruce / Lindsay Boyers
Capacity: 6 quarts | Power Rating: 1750 watts | Dimensions: 11.73 x 13.39 x 11.73inches | Warranty: 1 year
“When I first started testing it, I actually turned it off and on a few times, because it was so quiet, I didnt think it was working.” – Lindsay Boyers, Product Tester
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Best Large Fryer: Instant Vortex Pro 10
The Instant Vortex Pro isnt just big in size, but in features, too. With nine pre-programmed settings such as proofing, broiling, and dehydrating, theres almost nothing you cant cook with this massive fryer. Its huge rotating basket can fit a whole chicken, and the fryer even comes with a rotisserie kit, so youll have everything you need for big family dinners. Plus, the Instant Vortex Pro includes two baking trays that you can fit in the air fryer simultaneously, so its incredibly simple to fry up your main course and side dishes all at once. You can even create custom programs based on your go-to temperatures and preferred time settings and return to them for reheating dinner from the previous night. It currently has more than 7,500 five-star ratings, with a reviewer saying its the best kitchen appliance they have ever bought, adding, we use it for so many different things and it saves me from having to heat up the whole kitchen with the regular oven.
To buy: $160
Best Indoor Grill Air Fryer: Ninja Foodi Xl Pro Grill And Griddle
Air frying might be a quick and easy way to make dinner, but many choose grilling as their preferred method because its so good at preserving natural umami flavors of ingredients while adding classic smoky elements from an open flame. With Ninjas Foodi XL Pro Grill and Griddle, you can combine the best of both worlds. It comes with three baskets, one each for griddling, grilling, and frying, making it perfect for cooking burgers, making pancakes, grilling steaks and vegetables, and so much more. The tool heats up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and promises to balance edge-to-edge cooking so you wont be left with charred bits on one side of your steak and raw meat on the other. Its large 12-inch cooking surface fits as much as six burger patties or pancakes, and cleaning up is easy since all its accessories are dishwasher-safe.
To buy: $300 bestbuy.com
- Air Fryer Grill Tray: 7 x 7 1/2 x 3 high.
- Air Fryer Rack: 6 3/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 high.
- Air Fryer Skewers : 7 1/2 long.
- Air Fryer Cups : 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 1 1/2 high.
- Air Fryer Doughnut Hole Pan: 7 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 2 high.
- Air Fryer Loaf Pan : 3 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/4 high.
- Air Fryer Cups, Doughnut Hole Pan and Loaf Pan are microwave-safe and oven safe.
- Air Fryer Doughnut Hole Pan and Loaf Pan are freezer-safe.
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Best With Toaster Oven: Cuisinart Toa
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Slightly hard to clean
Cuisinart excels at making compact toaster ovens and air fryers in one. Its TOA-60 option can air fry up to 4 pounds of food, roast a 4-pound chicken, and toast 6 slices of breadand thats just the beginning. It has heating elements on both the top and bottom, with the convection fan located above the top elements, so you can bake and broil when you aren’t air-frying bacon.
When we tested this in the Lab, we found it to be the most compact and quietest of the toaster oven machines, and it performed the best as an air fryer. Both French fries and chicken tenders come out with great coloring and good flavor, even though this runs hot and some were overcooked. Once you’re over the learning curve, you’ll definitely be able to achieve fried goodness. When we roasted a chicken in the Cuisinart, it came out with the crispiest skin and tasted delicious.
Our testers did find some downsides to this machine, in addition to the machine running hot. It’s a bit difficult to handle grease both during the chicken roasting and the cleanup after. Even though the interior is nonstick, we needed to get into the corners to get all the splatter. We also wished it had a digital interface instead of manual controls. If having the ability to fine-tune the presets to your exact preferences is a must, take a look at the slightly more expensive Cuisinart TOA-65 Airfryer Toaster Oven.
The Spruce Eats / Tamara Staples
How Does An Air Fryer Work
Air fryers don’t fry food in the traditional sense. Instead of oil, air fryers use hot air to crisp and brown foods. All air fryers contain a heating mechanism and fan that keeps the heated air circulating around the food. The process is similar to a convection oven.
Air fryers contain a perforated or mesh basket that allows air to move around the food for even cooking. The only downside to this design is you can only air fry breaded foods since battered foods would drip through the perforated air fryer basket.
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Gowise Air Fryer Oven
GoWise’s low price is as appealing as its various presets and functionseight to be exact, with programmable temperature and cooking timesand we did give it a great versatility rating. However, we found it challenging to use, and the results of the food test didn’t impress us. We think it’s worth the extra investment to go with one of the other options on our list.
Are Air Fryers Healthy
While an air fryer can certainly be a healthier alternative to deep-frying foods, simply using an air fryer to make a recipe does not make it healthier. A major misconception is that pre-fried items are somehow made healthier when prepared in an air fryer. Air frying is certainly a great way to prepare these frozen foods to crispy perfection, but these types of foods are no healthier than when prepared in a conventional oven, says Food Networks health and nutrition consultant Dana White, MS, RD, ATC.
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How Do You Preheat An Air Fryer
Not all air fryers need to be preheated, while others automatically preheat before starting the cooking timer.
To preheat, select the preset preheat function if your air fryer has one, or just set the cooking temperature and let the air fryer heat for 3 to 5 minutes before adding your food.
We’ve tested models that automatically preheat and ones that let you get cooking without any preheating. In our tests, we found foods cooked similarly whether we preheated or not. Some air frying guides recommend preheating for better results when air frying meat you want to get a nice sear on, like steak and chicken breasts.
Is Food Made In The Air Fryer More Healthy
The descriptor “healthy” doesn’t have any standard definition, so it’s hard to say one cooking method is healthy while another isn’t. That said, if you share the widely held belief that using less cooking oil is healthier, then food made with an air fryer is healthier than the food you would make in a deep fryer.
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Things You Can Make In An Air Fryer
Have you met an air fryer evangelist yet? Youre at a party, sipping your drink, and then, boom: someone corners you about the unbelievable wings/ French fries/ doughnuts they just air-fried. Suddenly, youre hungry and a convert.
Heres how an air fryer works, what tools you need, and all the marvelous foods you can crisp up using it.
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Best Air Fryer Deals Right Now
Snatch up an air fryer for cheap with these great deals from around the web.
David Watsky
Senior Editor / Home and Kitchen
I live in Brooklyn where I write about food subscriptions, cooking, kitchen gadgets and commerce. Anything with sesame is my all-time favorite food this week.
Air fryers are one of the best warm-weather kitchen gadgets. They keep the kitchen cooler than turning on the big oven and will even save money on your energy bill. I use my air fryer nearly every day and its one small kitchen appliance I think everyone should give a try.
The good news is you can find deals on air fryers and budget models that work well. For July, we found air fryer deals as low as $35, and our all-time favorite model, the Ninja 4-quart, is down to $100 . If youve been air-fry curious, check out some of the best air fryer deals weve gathered below, and check back often since we consistently update this story regularly as new deals emerge.
But first, a little air fryer 101.
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These 10 Kitchen Essentials Are On Deep Discount At Williams Sonoma This Week
From air fryers to All-Clad pots and pans, you wont want to miss these sweet savings.Lauren Wicks
Tis the season for savings at Williams Sonoma with deals on Instant Pots, air fryers, Le Creuset, and more. Sale prices for most of these items start Wednesday, and you wont want to miss them Here are our top picks, plus when you can score them at a reduced price:
Flaws But Not Dealbreakers
Due to the Cuisinart TOB-260N1s large interior, this model took about five minutes longer to cook frozen french fries than some of the smaller air fryers we tested took. That said, its slightly slower cooking time often produced more evenly cooked food that was better tasting. We think thats a trade-off well worth the few extra minutes of your time. And the Cuisinart is still small enough that it can preheat and cook faster than a standard oven.
Since Cuisinart doesnt market the TOB-260N1 as an air fryer, it doesnt come with a cooking chart for commonly air-fried foods. However, we found that in most cases, the same temperatures youd use to cook in a standard oven can also be used in the Cuisinart, whereas smaller, pod-shaped air fryers require you to cook at lower temperatures. We also found that when youre air frying vegetables with lots of moisture, such as eggplant and zucchini, its best to chop them into 1-inch or smaller pieces to prevent them from getting mushy. We have more tips for cooking air-fryer recipes in the Cuisinart below.
The Cuisinarts baking pan may warp slightly when the oven is roasting at high temperatures, but this in no way affects its cooking performance the pan will return to its normal shape when it cools. If you want a better pan, we recommend that you get a Nordic Ware quarter-sheet pan, a smaller version of our favorite baking sheet, which fits perfectly inside the Cuisinart oven.
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