Everyone Needs an Air Fryer in Their Life
For my birthday last year, my mom bought me an air fryer. My initial reaction was mixed - it was a cool gift idea, but would I really use it? I wasn't sure, but she knows I enjoy being in the kitchen, so it was definitely a cool kitchen gadget to add to my stash.
It sat on my shelf for a while until I used it for a girl's night to "fry" toasted ravioli. I was skeptical, but willing to give it a try. I had a coworker who used an air fryer and raved about it, but I didn't really believe that this little machine could create perfectly crisp, hot, "fried" food. But, I figured, why not, let's try it.
You guys. The toasted ravioli were PERFECT. Perfectly toasted. Perfectly crisp and crunchy. Perfectly hot. They. Were. Amazing. This one experience changed my opinion of my air fryer, and my air fryer quickly became one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I'll post some recipes I cook using the air fryer, but seriously, you can basically cook anything in the air fryer. Mine came with a little recipe book and you can cook so many things, your mind will be blown. French fries. Mozzarella sticks. Chicken. Fish. Veggies. Homemade chips. Banana bread! Really, so many things.
Real quick - here's how they work. The use super hot circulating air to cook the food. You need a small fraction of the oil you'd use to fry a particular food in the traditional way. But, it's not just for "frying" food. It really is like a little oven. It makes food that's supposed to be crunchy, crunchy. It makes food that's supposed to be moist, moist. Don't let the name of the gadget fool you. It's not really fried food. You can actually cook some really healthy stuff in an air fryer. Some of my favorites are chicken and asparagus, homemade seasoned fries, and fajitas. There's really a lot you can do with it.
Another major win in my book is that it's pretty mindless and quick. I season my food and dump it in, choose my temperature and time, and walk away. So simple, so convenient, and so delicious in the end. I will say, the basket is only so big on this particular air fryer I have so it really is perfect for 2-3 servings. It could be tough if you're trying to feed 4 or 5 people. But, I do know they make some larger air fryer units, so check those out! If I had more kids, I could see using it to make some homemade (or store bought) french fries to get those nice and crispy while I had chicken baking in the oven. Why not just put it all in the oven? If you've ever tried to put a large baking sheet of french fries on the bottom rack of an oven while a large sheet of chicken nuggets baked on the top rack, you know that the fries just don't see to get as crispy and soggy fries just aren't so good. Use the air fryer in this case, toss the fries midway through your cook to evenly distribute, and you'll end up with crispy fries and delicious nuggets while having to do very minimal work.
Here's the air fryer I have. My sister-in-law and aunt have the same one and they seem to also really like it!
Go Wise Air Fryer
Also, if you decide you want to try it out, read up on air fryers, read some of my recipes, and check out these quick articles that I found that can give you some more information about an air fryer and some great recipe ideas!
How to Use an Air Fryer
Taste of Home - 10 Things You Can Cook in an Air Fyer & 6 You Shouldn't
10 of the Best Air Fryer Recipes You Should Know
Cooking Light - 45 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
It sat on my shelf for a while until I used it for a girl's night to "fry" toasted ravioli. I was skeptical, but willing to give it a try. I had a coworker who used an air fryer and raved about it, but I didn't really believe that this little machine could create perfectly crisp, hot, "fried" food. But, I figured, why not, let's try it.
You guys. The toasted ravioli were PERFECT. Perfectly toasted. Perfectly crisp and crunchy. Perfectly hot. They. Were. Amazing. This one experience changed my opinion of my air fryer, and my air fryer quickly became one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I'll post some recipes I cook using the air fryer, but seriously, you can basically cook anything in the air fryer. Mine came with a little recipe book and you can cook so many things, your mind will be blown. French fries. Mozzarella sticks. Chicken. Fish. Veggies. Homemade chips. Banana bread! Really, so many things.
Real quick - here's how they work. The use super hot circulating air to cook the food. You need a small fraction of the oil you'd use to fry a particular food in the traditional way. But, it's not just for "frying" food. It really is like a little oven. It makes food that's supposed to be crunchy, crunchy. It makes food that's supposed to be moist, moist. Don't let the name of the gadget fool you. It's not really fried food. You can actually cook some really healthy stuff in an air fryer. Some of my favorites are chicken and asparagus, homemade seasoned fries, and fajitas. There's really a lot you can do with it.
Another major win in my book is that it's pretty mindless and quick. I season my food and dump it in, choose my temperature and time, and walk away. So simple, so convenient, and so delicious in the end. I will say, the basket is only so big on this particular air fryer I have so it really is perfect for 2-3 servings. It could be tough if you're trying to feed 4 or 5 people. But, I do know they make some larger air fryer units, so check those out! If I had more kids, I could see using it to make some homemade (or store bought) french fries to get those nice and crispy while I had chicken baking in the oven. Why not just put it all in the oven? If you've ever tried to put a large baking sheet of french fries on the bottom rack of an oven while a large sheet of chicken nuggets baked on the top rack, you know that the fries just don't see to get as crispy and soggy fries just aren't so good. Use the air fryer in this case, toss the fries midway through your cook to evenly distribute, and you'll end up with crispy fries and delicious nuggets while having to do very minimal work.
Here's the air fryer I have. My sister-in-law and aunt have the same one and they seem to also really like it!
Go Wise Air Fryer
Also, if you decide you want to try it out, read up on air fryers, read some of my recipes, and check out these quick articles that I found that can give you some more information about an air fryer and some great recipe ideas!
How to Use an Air Fryer
Taste of Home - 10 Things You Can Cook in an Air Fyer & 6 You Shouldn't
10 of the Best Air Fryer Recipes You Should Know
Cooking Light - 45 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
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