The air fryer is an essential tool for the modern kitchen. Here are a few benefits of this appliance.
The air fryer is easy to use: Simply put food in the basket (or on a rack-more about this later), select the time and temperature, and turn it on. Other than shaking the basket or turning the food over for even cooking or crispness, the machine does all the work. Some air fryers come with preset functions and buttons for different foods, such as French fries, frozen vegetables, bacon, fish, and chicken, which eliminates any guesswork, even if you aren't following a recipe.
This appliance is energy efficient, and it won't heat up your kitchen like an oven or stovetop. An air fryer keeps heat inside the unit by using a heating coil to warm the air, then blows that hot air around with a high-speed fan.
This book covers:
- Breakfast Recipes
- Lunch Recipes
- Dinner Recipes
- Seafood Recipes
- Vegetables Recipes
- Meat Recipes
- Poultry Recipes
And much more...
The air fryer acts as a flavor and texture booster. Food in an air fryer cooks quickly, allowing flavor compounds that evaporate into the air during deep-frying and sautéing to stay in the food. You'll notice that chicken tastes more chicken-y, vegetables have more flavor, and herbs and spices pack more punch.
Food gets juicier, too, with super-crunchy exteriors. Chicken, pork chops, and steak taste tender and juicy, crisp-tender vegetables retain their flavor, and baked goods have a nice crust. The air fryer's hot, fast-moving air seals the surface of food quickly, allowing it to hold in the juices. The hot air also removes water from the surface of foods, lending that coveted crunch. To create a crust, most foods get coated with flour or bread crumbs and are then sprayed with just a bit of oil. Even frozen foods, such as frozen vegetables, cook beautifully in the air fryer, going from frozen to crisp and hot in just a few minutes.
The air fryer lets you make traditionally high-fat foods, such as fried chicken and French fries, with fewer calories. In fact, deep-fried recipes made in the air fryer use 90 percent less fat. The recipes in this cookbook use only a small amount of oil. When air frying, oil is poured into a mister and sprayed onto the food before it goes in the appliance.
Food cooked in an air fryer is healthy in ways you may not expect. The closed cooking environment helps to preserve nutrients. And because food cooked in an air fryer is often more flavorful with an appealing texture, your family may eat more vegetables. Who can resist a crisp yet tender broccoli floret that's flavored with herbs? You may find your child eating a browned and crisp Brussels sprout with no coaxing.
The air fryer is easy to clean. You simply pull out the basket, remove the food, unplug the appliance, and let the basket and air fryer cool. To keep food from sticking to it, the basket is coated with a nonstick finish (never spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray because that may damage the finish). Once the basket is cool, rinse it, add a bit of soap, rinse again, and dry. Some air fryer baskets are dishwasher safe (check the instruction manual).
