November 4, 2024 · 2 min · 300 words · Kermit Evans
In my air fryer cookbook I have a helpful time conversion chart for cooking in an air fryer vs an oven, including recommended cooking times and temperatures. As a rule, your air fryer will usually cook things in roughly 60% of the time it would take in your oven, so I recommend using a meat thermometer until you perfect your timings.
Using a low-calorie spray to coat your food is absolutely key to keeping food delicious and crispy. If you don’t have or use oil sprays you can just use a tablespoon of oil and a pastry brush to glaze the food instead.
To save yourself some extra clean-up time and keep your air fryer clean, it can be helpful to purchase some cheap silicone liners and trays or use baking paper to cook your food on. This will be easier to clean than if you place the food straight into the air fryer basket.
When making fakeaways, like one of my favourite recipes, Honey Chilli Chicken, it’s important to preheat the air fryer for around 2 minutes (much less time than it takes to preheat an oven). This will ensure you get ultra-crispy coatings or batters as when the food instantly hits the heat, it produces a much crispier result.
When purchasing an air fryer, it’s good to know that those that have a basket give the best result. Some air fryers have a rotating option which moves the food but in my experience, this often removes some of the coating from the food while cooking, whereas with a basket you can lightly shake the food throughout the cooking time, ensuring a perfectly even cooking result.
Ready to start your air frying journey? Discover some of our favourite recipes from Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book now.
