I air fryer you can handle most of it the oven, grill again the stove which they have traditionally done. Air fryers usually cook food faster than other appliances, and there is rarely much cleaning to manage. That’s great for getting food on the table quickly, but it also means you can dry out dinner or overcook meat and vegetables if you air fry carelessly.
Millions of recipes have been written with the air fryer in mind. But what about the ones that haven’t — your old favorites, the dog-eared cookbooks, the family recipes that were passed down before there was even a seedling? Those don’t just have to stay in the oven.
When you consider the speed and simplicity that an air fryer offers, your instinct may be to move every recipe to it. Before you do, listen to the advice of Andreas Hansen, founder and CEO of Fritaire air fryers. Whether the air fryer recipe you’re considering is grilled, baked or fried, Hansen walked me through all the preparations and considerations needed to adapt the air fryer.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Reduce the temperature and time
From the grill Brussels sprouts From roast duck to air fryer brownies, your air fryer will do it first and foremost faster than your oven it can be. “It’s called an air fryer because it transfers heat faster, which means things get browned faster,” Hansen said.
With super-fast heat and a small cooking chamber, the air fryer cooks faster than most appliances in your kitchen.
Air fryers with windows or glass containers provide indicators that help you measure when something is done. However, in drawer-style refrigerators, where you don’t want to constantly interrupt the cooking process to check progress, start by lowering the temperature and the recipe timer.
“I would lower the temperature by 20 to 25 to keep things from drying out too quickly,” Hansen said. And even with the lowest temperature setting, consider that your dish will be cooked in very little time, so set a timer or adjust your expectations accordingly. “You should also reduce the cooking time by 20 to 30%,” says Hansen. So if your recipe calls for a 425-degree oven and 30 minutes of cooking time, the air fryer equivalent would be 400 degrees and around 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Turn down the volume and leave the space
Consider the capacity of your air fryer and adjust the recipe capacity if necessary (or prepare for batch cooking) to ensure there is enough space for it to function as intended.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to reduce the volume of the recipe or cook in batches.
“The most important thing with an air torch is that you want the hot air to get in all directions,” says Hansen, “so you need to avoid crowding.” For something like meatballs, for example, you’ll be able to fit a lot less than you could on a sheet tray in your oven or even in a large roasting pan. For foods like roasted vegetables, some air fryer recipes require shaking to ensure air circulation, or turning large items during the cooking process. (Fritaire comes with a container basket to prevent the need for stirring.)
Consider, however, whether the ingredients in your recipe are strong enough to withstand shaking without collapsing. Otherwise, leaving space for the whole area to benefit from the air is important. And a good tip, regardless of the cooking method: Hansen says that anything cooked at the same time in the air fryer should be cut to the same size.
Overcrowding in the basket is a common mistake.
3. Manage humidity
Due to the rapid flow of hot air in the air tank, food dries faster than conventional cooking methods. So, put this in the air fryer you think. “Air-frying removes excess moisture from what you’re cooking,” says Hansen. “So adding a marinade, brine or light oil coating actually helps improve the texture.”
A little extra cooking time goes a long way when you’re adapting a recipe from a pan to an air fryer.
This is also a sign to consider using the air fryer for favorite recipes that already include a marinade, brine or saucy coating, such as grilled chicken pieces or hard vegetables. Naturally moist vegetables such as zucchini and eggplant can benefit as well, as the drying effect of the air fryer helps improve their texture. Your nonna’s old-world eggplant parmesan recipe? Air-fryer gold.
4. Imaginative frying: Replace bread with dough
Be careful with wet batter, which tends to spill and spread too much in the air fryer basket.
Your air fryer really shines when it comes to reheating foods that have already been fried, but actually frying in one requires a few important considerations. “Air does what oil normally does,” explains Hansen. “Just like something soaked in oilheat affects everything.” However, spirit has its limitations.
Wet batters, such as those used for fried fish or onion rings, can be tricky in an air fryer, as the dough itself may slip or crack before it has a chance to brown and harden. If you’re going to try it, make sure your batter isn’t runny and stick to your stuff as little as possible.
Fried stuffhowever, they are excellent candidates for the air fryer, especially if the base ingredient is naturally high in fat, and you’re looking to lower the overall calorie count compared to traditional frying. Chicken thighs, for example, release their fat during cooking, which helps the skin to become golden brown and crispy.
A simple oil spritz is perfect for certain recipes.
There’s not so much about tweaking your recipe as maintaining good habits, whether you’re deep-frying or air-frying. “Your ingredients should be dry first,” says Hansen, so the coating sticks easily, whether you give the chicken or cauliflower a flour-egg-breadcrumb dredge or choose one that includes a dunk in buttermilk or yogurt.
And don’t leave the oil out completely for great air-fried results. A simple spritz of oil — not a nonstick spray — on a breadcrumb or cereal coating will ensure the kind of texture and flavor that doesn’t make you feel like you’re compromising on the fried vibe.
