13 Best Meals You Can Cook in a New Air Fryer
You’ve finally bought your first deep fryer. Let me start by saying that I am so happy for you. This small countertop convection oven will soon become your new favorite appliance. It won’t replace your other groceries—the oven, toaster, and stovetop all serve certain purposes—but it delivers speed and crispiness like no other. It can cook at speeds comparable to a microwave (some foods 50-75% faster) without sacrificing the quality of the finished dish, and it can also re-fry some leftovers to perhaps a state better than when they were fresh. So, what should you cook first? Here are the best things to put in your air fryer ASAP.
Potato. All of them.
Potatoes cook especially well in the air fryer. In fact, if you bought an air fryer solely to reheat restaurant leftovers or make French fries in the freezer, no one will blame you. This is very smart. But don’t stop there: make crispy fries in the air fryer, add canned chopped potatoes , mini Hasselbacks, or just any potato you like extra crunchy .
Leftover fried food
We save leftover roasts in hopes that they will be delicious the next day. No high expectations – even “just good” – will not work, because most often reheated fried food is dry, rubbery and greasy. This is no longer your destiny, new fryer owner. All leftover fried foods (I’ve never been disappointed) are reheated to crispy perfection after a short time in the strong wind of the fryer. French fries , onion rings, crab rangoon, egg rolls , arancini, chicken nuggets, you name it – it’s crunchy again. In fact, go into your refrigerator right now and air fry any cold, previously fried items you have left.
Gnocchi and meatballs
Your future meals don’t have to consist of potatoes and old fried foods (but there’s no shame in that); Air fryers can even cook an entire meal in one basket. You can cook packaged gnocchi and frozen meatballs in one batch because they cook at the same speed. Just toss them in the air fryer at 385℉ for about 10 minutes and add the delicious pieces to the warm tomato sauce for a great meal.
Pork tenderloin
Casual roasts usually have “long cooking times” written on them, but an air fryer can make quick work of a bulky cut of meat. Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite roasts because it’s an affordable cut and doesn’t take long to cook in a countertop convection oven. Simply marinate it a few hours before cooking, place it in the air fryer at 350℉ and bake for about 20 minutes. A juicy and impressive pork roast will be ready in the time it takes you to change from your “work clothes” to your “cold clothes.”
Fried bread
You shouldn’t make toast in the air fryer (unless you like dried out, dry, dusty bricks), but you can make a meager fry bread in it. It’s like quick Texas toast—crispy and buttery in the best possible way. To make delicious fried bread, generously butter both sides of a slice of bread. You can use butter, mayonnaise, bacon grease, schmaltz and whatever you have on hand and air fry at 400℉ for a few minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
pepper
I love roasted red peppers. They are great in sauces, salads or soups. Unfortunately, baking them in the oven for 40 minutes or blowing them over the flame of a gas stove was a complete chore. Luckily, the air fryer produces tender roasted peppers in no time. Throw a whole pepper or two into the air fryer basket (no need to add oil or anything) and air fry them for five to seven minutes. You will have perfectly peeled peppers, ready to use.
Leftover egg roll
One of my favorite ways to make leftovers fun again is to wrap them in an egg roll wrapper . Almost any leftover dish is a delicious egg roll filling, and with the help of an air fryer you can get a crispy, deep-fried crust. Simply fill and roll the egg rolls and apply a thin layer of butter to the outside of the shell. Air fry them at 375℉ for 12 to 15 minutes.
Hot dogs
I can’t say that hot dogs are difficult to cook. They’re already cooked, so they can be boiled or even microwaved, but air fried dogs are really the best option. My partner and I air fry both refrigerator-cold dogs and nearly frozen hot dogs, and they both take about the same amount of time to heat up—about three minutes. Three. I suggest making diagonal cuts down the sides of your dogs to brown the edges.
Most of the freezer
The freezer section of your grocery store is filled with snacks, large and small, designed to cook well in a regular oven. Well, now you essentially have a tiny oven on steroids. All the delicious late-night meals you love to cook better and faster in the air fryer, especially if it’s coated with breading or batter. Air fried fish fingers, mini pizzas, tater tots, jalepeno poppers, mozzarella sticks (honestly, any frozen food TGIFridays), garlic bread or tiny White Castle burgers.
Canned mushrooms
My favorite air fryer snack lately is mushroom chips . They are full of umami and crispy like pork rinds. You can make a bowl of this crunchy, salty snack using a simple jar of mushrooms. Simply drain them and toss with a thin layer of oil. Air fry them for a few minutes at 390℉ until crisp and brown.
Seafood
Seafood also cooks well in the air fryer, and I don’t just mean breaded shrimp (but breaded shrimp, of course). You can air fry frozen shrimp until perfectly tender and seasoned in just a few minutes. Air fry a lobster tail in under 10 minutes for a weeknight treat. The swirling heat cooks these sea creatures so quickly that they don’t have time to dry out. But this means you should set a timer and check them early because they’ll be gone before you know it.
Raw fried chicken
Technically, yes, raw fried chicken could fall into the “leftovers” category, but it could also be a special case. If you’ve ever gotten takeout or delivery from Popeye’s, then you know that the raw fried chicken didn’t stay and get cold. It’s humid. Luckily, the air fryer allows you to revive that nearly defeated chicken . Unwrap disappointingly bland fried chicken (including sandwiches, just remove the chicken from the bun first) and place it in the air fryer for five to ten minutes at 400℉. Your fried chicken will be better than ever.
meatloaf
Another inexpensive, satisfying, and convenient main dish is meatloaf , and (surprise!) an air fryer can get it on your plate in record time. Just make sure your meatloaf is a size that will fit in the size of your basket or air fryer. Set the air fryer temperature to 375℉ and bake for about 10 minutes (turning halfway through) or until the internal temperature matches the doneness of the meat mixture you used.