Air Fryer Versatility And Tips

Get ready to challenge your knowledge of fried foods. The air fryer can fry your favorite foods to golden perfection (yes, French fries and chips!) with little or no oil. Not only can you make traditional fried foods like chips and french fries, but you can also make vegetables, proteins like chicken wings and drumsticks, and appetizers like coquettish and feta triangles.

why it works

In other words, an air fryer is much like a convection oven, but with a different setup, cooking food at a very high temperature while circulating dry air around the food, cooking it faster while making it crispy without adding extra fat.

What to look for in an air fryer

There are now many different sizes and types of air fryers to choose from. If you're cooking for a large group, try the Philips XXL Air Fryer, which can cook a whole chicken or six servings of chips.

To further enhance the versatility of your air fryer, you can also purchase a variety of different accessories such as racks, baking sheets, muffin pans, and wire baskets for entertaining.

Five Tips for Using Your Air Fryer

1. Shake.

Make sure to turn on the air fryer and shake the food while it's "frying" in the machine basket - smaller items like french fries and chips can compress. For best results, rotate every 5-10 minutes.

2. Don't overcrowd.

Give the food enough room and allow the air to circulate efficiently; that's what gives you crispy results. Our Test Kitchen chefs swear by air fryers for snacks and small batches.

3. Spray the food.

Lightly spray foods with cooking spray or add a little oil to make sure they don't stick to the basket.

4. Keep dry.

Pat foods dry before cooking (for example, if they are marinated) to avoid splatter and excessive smoke. Likewise, when cooking fatty foods like chicken wings, be sure to empty the bottom machine of the fat regularly.

5. Master other cooking methods.

The air fryer isn't just for frying; it's also great for other healthy cooking methods like baking, roasting, and grilling. Our test kitchen also loves using the machine to cook salmon!