What is an air fryer?

Air fryers are a trendy appliance making waves across kitchens worldwide. The premise is simple: an air fryer is a miniature, multi-purpose oven that can be used for everything from chicken wings to chips to cupcakes. Unlike a regular oven, an air fryer simply plugs into the electrical socket – no installation required!

With lots of bold claims, viral recipes, and unusual hacks being shared online, the world of air fryers can seem strange and confusing. Our simple guide cuts right to the basics: learn what you can do with an air fryer, hear why you should consider one, and know what to avoid. Whether you’re considering buying one or trying to get the most out of your existing appliance, this is the guide for you. 

What are the advantages?

Image courtesy of Philips.

• It’s cheaper: if you frequently use the oven to cook small amounts of food, using an air fryer instead can reduce your electricity bill, helping you to save money over time.
• It’s healthier: an air fryer can produce the same results as deep frying or pan frying – golden, delicious food – while using a fraction of the oil, making it a great option for the health-conscious.
• It’s quicker: unlike a regular oven, you don’t need to preheat the air fryer to get it to the right temperature. Depending on what you’re cooking, your food may also cook faster than in a regular oven. 
• It’s easier to clean: most air fryers come with dishwasher-safe drawers, baskets and other accessories. After using them, you can clean them easily with your dishes, plates and cutlery. No scrubbing, strong chemicals or hiring someone is needed.

What can I cook?

By using dividers, racks and other accessories, you can cook multiple food items at once.
Image courtesy of Breville.

• Frozen food: air fryers are very good at cooking freezer staples, such as frozen chips. Some items may even have instructions for air fryer cooking on their packaging. To adapt oven instructions, you should typically keep the suggested temperature but reduce the cooking time by half.
• Mains and sides: like a regular oven, the air fryer can be used for a wide variety of recipes. You can bake jacket potatoes, roast a whole chicken, fry homemade chips, roast vegetables and much more. If your air fryer has two drawers, you can even cook your main and side dishes at the same time.
• Soups and stews: speed up the cooking process by swapping the oven for the air fryer to bake ingredients before blending them.
• Leftovers: some air fryers come with a reheat option, which gently heats leftovers without burning them.
• Cakes and bakes: with a compatible baking tray, your air fryer can be used to make cakes, pastries and other desserts.
• Full recipes: recipes designed specifically for air fryers can be found online and in magazines.

What should I consider when I buy an air fryer?

Left: Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven & Air Fryer.
Middle: Ninja Double Stack 2-Drawer Air Fryer.
Right: Ninja CRISPi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer.
Images courtesy of Ninja.

• Your budget: there is a wide variety of air fryers available to buy at different price points, from basic models to luxury multi-function models. Depending on your budget and your desires, 
• Your space: if you don’t have much spare kitchen space, you might struggle to use a very large air fryer. Before you buy your air fryer, pick out a space on your counter where you will keep it and measure it. You can then compare this to the dimensions of air fryers online. You could even consider a model that can be put away between uses.
• Who you’re cooking for: if you plan on using your air fryer to feed lots of people or do batch cooking, you might prefer one with a larger capacity. If you want to cook different foods at the same time, an air fryer with multiple drawers would be more suitable. If you want to do both, some models come with removable dividers and heat-adjustable sections.
• What you want to cook: even inexpensive air fryers can feature multiple cooking modes. Common cooking modes on most air fryers can include baking, dehydration and proving, allowing you to use the air fryer for loads of different things. More expensive models can be more specialised. If you’re big into homemade pizza, slow cooking, grilling or more, there is an air fryer designed for you.

What can I do to make the most of my air fryer?

The Instant Connect app is just one of many that can be used to enhance how you use your air fryer. Image courtesy of Instant.

• Start off simple: when you first unbox your air fryer, you should start by cooking something simple, like frozen oven chips. By beginning with a straightforward food, you can learn how your air fryer works without diving into an expensive or complex recipe.
• Familiarise yourself with its features: by getting to know the different ways your air fryer works and what you can cook in it, you can find new opportunities to use your air fryer. 
• Learn its quirks: every air fryer is different. While trying a simple recipe, make a note of any ways the cooking process differs from the instructions. Your device might run slightly hotter or need to take longer than the recipe suggests. This will help you learn the adjustments you need to make for future recipes, such as wrapping food in aluminium foil to reduce burning.
• Use the accessories: if your air fryer comes with accessories such as racks, trays, crisper plates, or temperature probes, look for recipes that use these so you can become familiar with how they work. This will help you to discover more opportunities to use your air fryer and grow more confident with different types of cooking.
• Download the app: some air fryer brands have created free apps that work with their products, which can provide new recipes to try or even remote monitoring and controls. Downloading your air fryer’s app can provide you with tailored inspiration for future recipes, and even new ways to use your air fryer.

What should I avoid?

Viral videos on TikTok can make big promises about the kinds of recipes air fryers can make.

• Overfilling the air fryer: like other cooking methods, trying to do too much at one time will only result in burnt outsides and raw insides. Air fryer capacity is normally measured in litres (L), which refers to the amount of liquid that could fill the drawer right to the top. Whether you’re cooking solids or liquids, you will need to leave space in the drawer to let hot air travel around your food, allowing it to cook evenly to perfection. If your air fryer is full or you are cooking bigger things, you will need to increase the cooking time.
• Recipes that seem too good to be true: if you’re on social media, you have probably come across cooking videos that promise incredible results from easy instructions. Before you go running for the kitchen, you should stop a moment and think. Some cooking videos on social media are less about sharing recipes you could make yourself and more about grabbing attention with over-the-top ideas and results. If you’re going to try a recipe you’ve seen in a video, you should check if the person who made the video has provided a link to a written version of the recipe in the description. Your air fryer’s manufacturer may share recipes designed specifically for your device on their website or app.
• Using too much oil: if you’re switching to an air fryer from deep-frying, you might be used to using lots of oil. For foods like fried chicken, you should only need to give the surface of the basket and the food a quick spray to get the desired results.
• Leaving the air fryer unattended: even if your air fryer stops automatically at the end of the cooking time, you should still check your food to make sure it’s cooking correctly. This will let you take action if it looks like it’s burning, needs stirring or turning over.

Conclusion

With the right knowledge and expectations, an air fryer can be a versatile appliance. It can become a critical part of your kitchen and a major timesaver. Picking the right air fryer for your space, learning how to use it correctly, and avoiding common mistakes can help make the air fryer your go-to cooking method for almost every meal. Whether you’re buying your first air fryer or trying to get more value out of an existing one, we hope this guide has been useful.