The air fryer has become one of the most popular kitchen gadgets in our arsenals, with over 70% of US adults either owning one or planning to buy one. It's a practical investment that simplifies cooking by preparing meals like grilled cheese or chicken wings in much less time. It's like an old-school convection oven, but easier.
Beyond speed, its main benefit is the lack of mess compared to traditional frying or baking. It gives you a much more straightforward way to get crispy results for a variety of recipes without a complicated cleanup process. And dinner gets out on the table in minutes instead of hours. 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 that were 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.
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