So you have just bought an air fryer and you have no clue where to start. This article covers How To Use An Air Fryer & everything you need to know to get off the starting blocks quickly and confidently.
Table of Contents
Start With the Basics
An air fryer is essentially a small oven that circulates hot air rapidly in a compact space. This is what allows it to cook food faster than a conventional oven, and it is particularly great at making food crispy. However, a strange thing happens when people first buy an air fryer.
They tend to lose their mind a little and start trying to cook absolutely everything in it, including boiling eggs. It is not a cooking challenge. Some things are simply better cooked the regular way, and that is completely okay.
Understanding the Buttons
The buttons on most air fryers control three things: time, temperature, and fan speed. For small things like chips, you want a high temperature and a fast fan speed. For larger items that need to cook all the way through, a slightly cooler temperature and a slower fan speed works better. If you are ever in doubt, the bake setting is usually a safe and reliable place to start.
Get a Conversion Chart
One of the first things you need once you have an air fryer is a conversion chart, and the good news is that it is free. A conversion chart gives you a guide for timings and temperatures when cooking in an air fryer compared to a normal oven. It makes the transition from conventional cooking to air fryer cooking much smoother and less guesswork-heavy.
Use an Oil Spray Bottle
You will want to spray most things you put in the air fryer with oil in order to get that crispy finish, with the obvious exception of things like cakes. For this, you will need to buy an oil spray bottle. Avoid the pre-filled aerosol sprays because there is some suggestion that they contain ingredients which may damage the non-stick surface of your air fryer. Instead, just buy an empty spray bottle and fill it yourself with your preferred oil.
Watch Out for Loose Items
Behind the heating element in your air fryer is a powerful fan that pushes hot air around the drawer. This means that loose items inside the drawer can blow around during cooking. Things like parchment paper, foil, and grated cheese are all guilty of this. You need to anchor them down. In the case of grated cheese, simply mix it with a little mayo and it will stick right onto the top of whatever dish it belongs to.
Reheating Leftovers
If you have leftovers to reheat, air fryers are brilliant for the job. Instead of pulling limp, soggy food out of the microwave, just squirt a bit of oil on your leftovers, pop them in the air fryer, and they will come out warm and crunchy. It is genuinely one of the best uses for the appliance.
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Use a Tin Foil Sling
If you are placing a dish in the air fryer that might be tricky to lift out once everything is hot, make yourself a tin foil sling before you start. Simply place it underneath the dish so you can use it to safely lift everything out once cooking is done.
The Crisper Tray Explained
A lot of people are confused about the crisper tray that sits at the bottom of the air fryer drawer. It is there to help warm air circulate underneath your food and give it a crispy bottom. However, if you are cooking something that does not need a crispy base and you need a bit of extra height in the drawer, you can remove the crisper tray without any problems at all.
Skip the Silicone Liners
You may have noticed silicone liners available for air fryers, but there is no need to rush out and buy them. Many people, find that silicone liners are not particularly useful because they actually prevent air from circulating properly inside the drawer, which defeats the whole purpose. If you want to keep the mess contained, perforated parchment sheets are a much better option as they allow airflow while still protecting the drawer.
Join a Facebook Group
Finally, one of the best sources of information for air fryer beginners is Facebook groups. Join one and you will find a wealth of knowledge, tips, and free recipes shared by people who use their air fryers every single day. It is a genuinely helpful community worth being part of.
Now that you know how to use an air fryer properly, it is time to get cooking and make the most out of your new kitchen appliance.
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