8 Surprising Things You Can Make in an Air Fryer … and 6 You Can’t
It’s been touted as the healthiest method to cook fried foods. ‘Taste of Home’ compiled a list of some recipes that would turn out great … and some that would be kitchen nightmares!
Doesn’t work so well: Most greens
We don’t know why you’d want to put lettuce in your air fryer, but throwing unseasoned spinach or romaine in there will just cause it to fly around and make a mess. However, there is one thing you can do with leafy greens: kale chips! Just be sure to coat your greens in olive oil so they’re weighed down when they go into the air fryer.
Doesn’t work so well: Fresh cheese
Wouldn’t it be great if you could make homemade fried cheese curds with this thing? Unfortunately, you’re out of luck unless you start with something frozen. Just putting cheese in the machine causes it to melt and stick to the air fryer … which only results in a mess. Sigh … looks like you’ll have to stick to deep-frying if you want to make Wisconsin-approved curds.
Doesn’t work so well: Battered foods
Liquid batter go flying the minute it hits the air fryer. That means you’ll have some trouble making breaded cod, chicken, or pork chops, unless you follow an air fryer-specific recipe. Fortunately, we have a list of those right here!
Doesn’t work so well: Foods with loose seasonings
As you can imagine, any herbs or spices that aren’t stuck to your food might not stay put in an air fryer. Hold off on salting, peppering, and seasoning your foods until they come out of the device—otherwise, the little bits could get caught in the air fryer’s nooks and crannies, making it harder to clean. However, if you do make this mistake, it’s not the end of the world: Most air fryer pieces are dishwasher safe! Here are more tips for using one.
Doesn’t work so well: Feeding a crowd
While air fryers come in a range of sizes, even the largest model can only fit food for two to four people. If you have a large family or you plan on using your air fryer for a bigger gathering, you’ll have to make your food in batches. You’ll probably be better off using these 50 dinner recipes guaranteed to feed a crowd.
The verdict
After consulting this list, you might be wondering whether you should purchase an air fryer for yourself. If you’re a big fan of fried fare, we suggest you give it a try—especially if you’re interested in the health benefits of foregoing so much oil. However, if you eat a lot of raw vegetables, bake your food in the oven or cook it on the stove, and generally make meals for a large crowd, an air fryer might not be the ideal device for you. Luckily, you can still get that crispy, crunchy texture by doing an old-fashioned deep fry … we’ll show you how here!