Air Fryer Recipes that are both quick & nutritious the Whole Family will love - Cathy Richards, RD (2024)

FAQs

Why are people getting rid of air fryers? ›

Air fryers, once hailed as a kitchen revolution, are now being sidelined by some users. But why are people getting rid of air fryers? This concise exploration uncovers the primary concerns: they're bulky, they have limited cooking uses, and they often don't deliver on the promise of crispy, tasty food.

Some say it's too good to be true, that you can't effectively “fry” something with a few tablespoons of oil and hot circulating air. Some say yeah, it works but it takes up too much countertop space for what it's worth.

Increased air fryer recalls since 2021

But that doesn't mean air fryers pose no risk. Faulty wiring or user error can cause air fryers to overheat, burn the food inside or melt the machine itself, leading to several reported cases of kitchen fires and burns.

Bacon is a high-fat food and releases a lot of grease as it cooks, which can coat the bottom and inside of your air fryer (and isn't fun to scrub out). Too much grease can also start smoking in the fryer, which is never what you want to see when you're cooking.

It is safe to cook raw meat in the air fryer if it is fully defrosted, seasoned, and monitored. Some fully cooked foods, including chicken tenders or fries, can be placed frozen in the air fryer. However, with raw meat, it's recommended to thoroughly defrost to allow more even cooking and a tasty final product.

Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.

What are the cons of the Ninja air fryer? Most of the downsides of Ninja air fryers can be said of any air fryer: They have a limited cooking capacity, you can burn food easily, and they are quite bulky, taking up a good amount of counter space.

If you have a convection oven or a toaster oven with a convection oven setting, you can use it to make any air fryer recipe — even the New York Times' Wirecutter column agrees that the best air fryer is actually a toaster oven!

Does Gordon Ramsay use an air fryer? ›

Though Gordon Ramsay is clearly a fan of using an air fryer to cook steak, at his restaurants, his go-to method involves using a pan instead. Because you can only cook steak one or two at a time in them, an air fryer isn't the best option if you're feeding a crowd.

As with all dry-heat cooker methods (grilling, broiling, pan frying and oven roasting), tender beef cuts perform best in the air fryer. Those cuts include Top Sirloin, KC Strip, Ribeye, Tenderloin and Tri Tip. Ground beef also can be easily prepared in an air fryer.

Lakeland said as much: “In previous years, their popularity could be attributed to consumers seeking healthier cooking options and fast cooking times. However, with the cost-of-living crisis continuing, air fryers have a renewed appeal as an efficient alternative to oven cooking.”

Households are shelving their air fryers in favour of another kitchen appliance that is cheaper to run, and just as healthy.

The toaster oven is the original multitasker

Instead of having multiple appliances crowding my countertop, the countertop oven does the work of many. It toasts bread and bagels, sure, but it also has the capability to do convection baking, air frying, dehydrating and dough proofing.

Anything that significantly reduces the litres of oil required for deep-fat frying is still an attractive prospect. Although air fryers have been around for more than a decade, Google Trends data shows interest climbed vertiginously in 2020, with little sign of slowing. Sales at John Lewis were up 400% in 2021.