How to Use an Air Fryer

All of my easy-to-follow tips and tricks for air fryer cooking- including the air fryer brand I love, helpful accessories, a printable, and some of my favorite air fryer recipes! 

Check out my many air fryer recipes, like this Salmon Bowl, Breakfast Potatoes, or Calzones!

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Air fryers are fantastic kitchen appliances that can help you cook up delicious and healthier meals without sacrificing flavor or texture! Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or a kitchen newbie, an air fryer can help you achieve that perfect golden brown crispness in your favorite foods. 

What I love about the Air Fryer:

• Healthier – Enjoy your favorite crispy fried foods in a healthy way without the added oils and fats!
• Doesn’t Heat My House – Especially living in Arizona, I don’t like to turn on my oven in the summer! Using an air fryer let’s me make my favorite Baked Potatoes without heating up the house.
• Hosting – The air fryer comes in handy when hosting and prepping a big meal for guests, and especially when you don’t have multiple oven.

My Favorite Air Fryer:

There are TONS of air fryers on the market, but the GoWISE 5.8 QT 8-in-1 Air Fryer is my favorite because its large enough to cook meals for my whole family, and it has multiple cooking settings to make sure your food comes out just the way you like it.

• Built-in touchscreen menu
• 8 cooking presets for fries, pork, chicken, steak, shrimp, cake, fish, and pizza
• Wide temperature range 
• Built-in alarm function that reminds you to shake your ingredients in 5, 10, and 15-minute increments

Need a smaller air fryer? I recommend the 4 Quart Ninja AF101. 

Want an air fryer that does more than one job? You gotta check out this 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer! This thing will air fry, steam, slow cook, saute, dehydrate, and more! 

PRO TIP: Everything in the kitchen is more manageable when I’m meal planning – a little bit of prep on paper really makes everything else work better!

Don’t miss the FREE PRINTABLE at the bottom of this post! Print it off and store it with your air fryer recipes to have this great reference at your fingertips. 

Air Fryer Accessories

I have a few products I can’t live without when cooking with my air fryer. They make cooking and cleanup a breeze!

• Oil Sprayer: Did you know you can’t use aerosol cooking sprays on most air fryer models? It destroys the coating of your basket. After trying many different oil misters, I highly recommend this one.
• Kitchen tongs: Let’s keep protecting that basket with silicone-tipped tongs. Tongs also allow you to easily flip and move your food around in the basket without burning your hands. I also recommend a silicone spatula. 
• Air Fryer Liners: I didn’t have liners when I first got my air fryer, and wow, I was missing out! Air fryer liners prevent sticking and help distribute heat evenly– which improves the cooking performance of your air fryer! (Quick tip: It’s best to use products specifically made for the air fryer to avoid problems!)
• Digital Meat Thermometer: Like ovens, every air fryer cooks a little differently, so a reliable digital meat thermometer is a must for getting our Air Fryer Steak and Air Fryer Whole Chicken perfect!
• Vegetable Chopper or Mandoline Slicer: Food cooks more evenly in the air fryer if it’s uniformly cut or sliced. It makes all the difference with our Air Fryer French Fries!

Air Fryer Tips & Tricks!

• Tip #1: Don’t overcrowd your basket: That’s why I love my GoWISE 5.8 QT 8-in-1 Air Fryer because it’s big enough to only do one batch!
• Tip #2: Reheat your leftovers in the air fryer! I’ve fooled my family into eating leftovers many times by reheating them in the air fryer! Much better than the microwave. French Toast Roll-Ups and Crispy Southwest Wrap are especially good reheated in the air fryer the next day!
• Tip #3: Thaw your meat. For the best results, meat must be thawed before cooking in the air fryer for recipes like our Air Fryer Meatballs and Air Fryer Chicken Wings. 
• Tip #4: Be careful with cheese! Don’t smother your recipe with cheese– you’ll have a burnt, gooey mess on your hands! (Although with the air fryer liners, it wasn’t as big of a deal!)
• Tip #5: Hand Wash: The dishwasher damages the non-stick basket. (See more cleaning tips below!)

Cleaning Your Air Fryer: My Simple 5 Step Process:

1. Unplug: Make sure you unplug your air fryer and that it’s completely cooled down before you clean it.
2. Clean Basket and Tray: The basket and tray are the most important parts of your air fryer, so keeping them clean is essential. Remove any excess food particles with a soft sponge or cloth, then wash the basket and tray with warm, soapy water. (Remember to avoid using abrasive products or steel wool because it can scratch the surface)
3. Clean Heating Element: use a soft-bristled brush to remove any debris and wipe it down with a damp cloth. I can’t say enough about these microfiber cleaning cloths. I have them in every room in my house!
4. Wipe: Give the outside of your air fryer a quick wipe down with your damp cloth too!
5. Store Properly: When not using your air fryer, store it in a cool, dry place with plenty of ventilation. It’s best not to stack heavy objects on top of it because that can damage the heating element.

My Top Air Fryer Recipes: 

Calzones– so easily adapted for the Air Fryer!

Air Fryer Tofu

Whole Chicken

Chick-Fil-A Crispy Chicken Sandwich Copycat

Air Fryer Steak

Roasted Vegetables (Adapted for Air Fryer)

Air Fryer French Toast

Breakfast Taquitos

Breakfast Potatoes

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Air Fryer Pizza

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Toasted Ravioli

Air Fryer Meatballs

Easy Homemade Crab Cakes

Air Fryer Chicken Wings – My most popular air fryer recipe

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