(Photo : Canva) Air fryers are great for cooking perfectly crispy fries and chicken.
Did you get an air fryer for Christmas? If you did, you're probably either resenting the human that bought you an appliance as a "gift" - eh um, husbands, I'm looking at you - or you're literally air frying everything in your kitchen like a science experiment on steroids. Although I seriously advocate against appliance gift giving, I'll just put it out there and admit that I bought my husband one for Christmas a few years ago. He asked for it, okay?! I'll also be the first to admit that it upped our cooking game by well, A LOT. What I mean by that is that it's made the quality of some foods what they should be - crispy on the outside and luscious on the inside - without having to actually fry them in oil, resulting in more mess, fat, and calories.
Admittedly, I've been on the side of air fry experimentation, and let me tell you, there's pretty much nothing this monster can't do. If you're on the fence about an air fryer or haven't mastered the one sitting idly in your pantry, read on for my favorite items to whip up in this genius appliance that pretty much does it all.
(Photo : Canva) A delicious looking plate of crispy chicken wings.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Wings are a favorite among all residents in my house, but my husband and I especially love them when they are really crispy. Ain't nobody got time to mess with a wing with floppy, chewy chicken skin. It's gross, and I don't want any part of it. And because none of our local wing spots can seem to master "well done" wings, we make them ourselves. I can only fit about six good-sized wings at a time without overcrowding the basket, so it takes a few rounds to cook enough for the three of us. The good news? We've never had a bad batch of wings out of the air fryer. And it's fun to make various sauces or dry rubs to create a little variety and culinary adventure in my kitchen.
The air fryer will also do amazing things with chicken breasts and thighs. I've perfectly baked chicken breasts from frozen in our air fryer in under 30 minutes and they turned out to be quite tasty, if I do say so myself.
(Photo : Canva) French fries are made even more magical at home with an air fryer.
Potatoes In The Air Fryer
'What kind of potatoes?' you ask. All of them. Seriously. I've even seen people do au gratin in the air fryer. The magic here is that potatoes, in many forms, are meant to be deliciously crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. I've cooked up baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, hash browns, and several styles of French fries in our air fryer. But my favorite potato to cook in this magical little machine is hash brown patties. You know, the kind that you get at McDonald's for breakfast. This perfectly browned, crispy little patty reigns supreme in my house, and with the air fryer, we can eliminate the need for oil, and they still come out perfectly crispy.
(Photo : Canva) You can achieve perfectly crispy bacon in an air fryer.
Air Fryer Bacon
We don't go through bacon very quickly in my house and end up freezing half of it once the package is open, but whether cooking from fresh or frozen, bacon is literally the perfect meat to put in the air fryer. With all of its fat and grease, it can splatter in your frying pan, make a mess in your microwave, and pop all over your oven. With an air fryer, all of that popping and spattering is contained in its drawer, which is removable and cleans up in a flash. You can adjust the cooking time to make it a little chewier or extra crispy (just the way I like it), and it's done in just about eight minutes.
(Photo : Canva) Wontons and other Asian side dishes are wonderful in the air fryer.
Mini Wontons In The Air Fryer
Asian flavors are a big hit in our house, and a nice crispy egg roll or wonton as a side can be a real treat, but we don't tend to have a lot of time to make these delicious delights from scratch. So when I found a big bag of frozen mini wontons at Costco, I knew we had to try 'em out. Instead of steaming them in the microwave - which usually tends to dry out the skins - or pan-frying them with extra oil, I popped them in the air fryer, and they've become a staple as a side to homemade ramen, fried rice, teriyaki chicken, beef stir fry and more.
(Photo : Canva) Pizza cooks very evenly in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Pizza
Yes, pizza. Look, the air fryer's versatility is what makes it such a wondrous kitchen tool. I love to heat up pizza leftovers in the air fryer to give them a crispy crust and gooey, delicious cheese pull, but you can also make frozen pizza or pizza from scratch in the air fryer. It's perfect for individual pizzas. When that one family member famous for making slightly questionable choices demands pineapple on their pizza, you can enjoy a juice-free pie with pepperoni and olives.
These items are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using your air fryer - it's a highly versatile kitchen item that can do just about anything. If you're a person who likes to cook at home a lot or just cooks out of bare necessity, this little gadget will make your life a helluva lot easier. Let me tell you, the experimentation can be fun - and it's kind of hard to mess it up. If you haven't embraced the magic of the air fryer yet, what are you waiting for? Do it now. I'll wait here. Seriously. Go. Now.
