Let me let you in on a dirty little secret that I’ve been keeping. I hate to admit it, but I bought an air fryer nine months ago and it has yet to see the outside of its box. I know, I know. Why purchase something if you aren’t going to use it. Well, the plan was always to use it, but then one thing led to another and here I am at the bottom of a shame spiral looking at an air fryer I purchased at Sam’s Club for more than I would like to admit.
With the initial shame behind me, I have decided that I will no longer feel guilty. Instead, I am going to crack this bad boy out of its box and see exactly what it is capable of doing.
Here are the first few items that I attempted in the Air Fryer:
Bacon
So the one thing that I have heard mentioned over and over that people love to cook in their air fryer is bacon. As an avid pork lover, this was an absolute must on my quest to try out the air fryer. I read up on a few blog posts but really found the helpful tips over at A Pinch of Healthy to be super beneficial. If you like bacon even a fraction as much as I do, this is a must try. My helpful tip on this one is to adjust the cooking time if you prefer your bacon to not be so crisp.
Veggies Galore
Next on deck to try were vegetables. There were several vegetables that I wanted to try, but none more so than potatoes. So I decided to “go big or go home” and try the Copycat KFC Potato Wedges highlighted on My Forking Life.
After the success of the potatoes, I knew the other “vegetable” that I really wanted to try. Well, it wasn’t just one vegetable, but rather a group. I love roasted vegetables, but don’t love the time that it usually requires to cook them in the oven. Especially in the middle of the summer when running an oven at 350° for the better part of an hour can make a kitchen start to feel like an inferno. So I gave the recipe on Love Food Not Cooking my full attention and was thoroughly pleased with the results. I did change the vegetables that I used compared to the vegetables used by the original poster, but I think that it is all a matter of what you like.
Family Friendly Food
Now I’m not saying that the previous foods aren’t things that your family will or won’t eat. But the next few items were things that I knew my husband and kids love and wanted to give a shot.
Grilled Cheese
On hot summer days, I am often trying to think of something that is easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. So this scrumptious grilled cheese at Berry & Maple was definitely a win. It only takes 5 minutes and a flip in the middle and you are left with this cheesy goodness.
Hot Dogs
Another fabulous find at Berry & Maple is their air fryer hot dogs. Accompanied with a video, this recipe truly was made with mom in mind. If you have five minutes, then you have time to throw these together for your littles.
Boxed Cake
Don’t feel bad if you are shocked by the two words I just wrote. I was astonished when I found out that you can bake a boxed cake in an air fryer. I’ll admit I think I did this one just to prove that it couldn’t be done. Well guess what? I was wrong. I followed the helpful tips on Fork to Spoon and will forever be a believer. The top of the cake won’t be the prettiest, but that is easily taken care of by flipping it over.
Next Ones To Try…
Decadent Dessert
This isn’t just any cake. The recipe at the top of my “to try list” is Molten Lava Cake that I located on Momma Told Me. With its ooey gooey center, there is only one question, is it wrong to lick the bowl when I’m done?
Apple Turnovers
Who doesn’t love an apple turnover? I know we sure do. When I found this recipe I knew I had struck pay dirt. If your family is a fan of the idea of handheld apple pies, give the recipe over at Mum Central a try. I know I sure plan to.
Fried Okra
As a GRITS (Girl Raised In The South), I completely adore some fried okra. And these bad boys hopefully will not disappoint. I found an excellent recipe that looks super easy to follow over at The Healthy Kitchen Shop. But as the writer was quick to point out, the recipe was originally penned for The Air Fryer Bible. I am chomping at the bit to try this one soon.
Why did I wait so long?
So at the end of my experiment was one simple question, “Why had I waited so long to give my air fryer a try?” Like the answer to, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop”, the world may never know why I waited. But what I can say is that it will make regular appearances in my kitchen from now on. I truly have found the happy medium between wanting to eat healthy, while still wanting to indulge without massive amounts of guilt.
Have you ever used an air fryer? Do you use it regularly or did you decide it wasn’t right for you? If you have any recipes that you have found to be winners or useful tips for a newbie to the air fryer world like me, please drop them down in the comments below.
