The air fryer has become one of the most popular kitchen gadgets in America. In a recent CNET survey, over 70% of US adults said they either have an air fryer, or plan to buy one soon. It's a good investment that makes it easy to whip up delicious meals like crispy grilled cheese or chicken wings in a fraction of the time, and without making a mess in the process.
Air fryers can handle a range of recipes, and thousands have already been written with the air fryer in mind. But what about existing favorites written before the air fryer era?
Often, the answer is yes, though there are considerations when converting any old recipe to the air fryer.
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Because of its undeniable ease of use, speed and results -- the microwave can't hold a candle to it -- your instinct may be to move every recipe to your air fryer. Before you do, take the advice of Andreas Hansen, a passionate home cook and the founder and CEO of Fritaire air fryers. Whether the recipe you're considering for the air fryer is roasted, baked or fried, Hansen walked me through all the potential adjustments and considerations needed to adapt it for the air fryer.
1. Reduce the temperature and time
From roasted Brussels sprouts to roasted duck to air fryer brownies, your air fryer will first and foremost do it faster than your oven can. "It's called an air fryer because it circulates the heat faster, so that means that things brown faster," Hansen says.
With fast-moving heat and a smaller cooking chamber, an air fryer cooks faster than most of the appliances in your kitchen. Ninja
Air fryers with windows or glass bowls provide visual cues that help you gauge when something is done. However, for drawer-style air fryers, where you don't want to constantly interrupt the cooking process to check progress, start by lowering the temperature and the timer for the recipe.
"I would reduce the temperature by 20 to 25 degrees to keep things from drying out too fast," says Hansen. And even with a lower temperature setting, assume that your dish is going to be cooked through in a lot less time, so set a timer or adjust your expectations accordingly. "You also have to reduce the cook time by 20 to 30%," Hansen says. 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.
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