50 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What 5 foods should you not put in an air fryer? ›

Lean into plant foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, legumes and nuts. You can use your air fryer to "sauté" greens like kale and Swiss chard, "roast" vegetables including carrots, asparagus and Brussels sprouts and "bake" lean cuts of protein like boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Summary. In conclusion, while air fryers offer certain benefits such as reduced calorie intake and faster cooking times, they are not without their limitations. Size constraints, limited cooking options, and concerns about crispiness are driving some people to look for alternatives.

Overall, air frying is healthier than deep-frying. But if you rarely deep-fry food and have a healthy fat intake, using an air fryer might not make much of a difference to your health.

Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.

While an air fryer can technically take a burger patty from raw to cooked, the exterior won't brown as quickly as it would on, say, a grill, which means medium-rare (and even medium) burgers are out of the question. You also won't get that irresistible char.

Make homemade sweetcorn and spring onion fritters in the air fryer for easy, energy-efficient cooking. These would be perfect as a veggie lunch, starter or side.

Their favorite dishes to make in this appliance include gnocchi, chicken, and crunchy chickpeas. It's also possible to make flavorful steak, bacon, and chicken nuggets in an air fryer.

Some of the popular things to make in the air fryer are potatoes (chips, roasted, baked), muffins, scones, and cakes. It's also great for getting dinner on the table fast – we love to use our air fryer to make fritters, rissoles, nuggets, and pork belly (yes, you can cook raw meat in an air fryer).

Air fryer health risks

COPs are linked to an increase in heart disease, cancer and other medical conditions. You may have also heard about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are carcinogens that are produced as fumes when foods are cooked at a high temperature.

Why do chefs hate air fryers? ›

Food in an air fryer must be spaced out in order to actually cook, and since these fryers' baskets aren't all that big, you sometimes have to cook your food in batches. Since each batch can take several minutes to cook, this means that the first few will likely be cold by the time the last few are ready.

Instead of having multiple appliances crowding my countertop, the countertop oven does the work of many. It toasts bread and bagels, sure, but it also has the capability to do convection baking, air frying, dehydrating and dough proofing.

Increased air fryer recalls since 2021

Faulty wiring or user error can cause air fryers to overheat, burn the food inside or melt the machine itself, leading to several reported cases of kitchen fires and burns.

Eggs in air fryer use a fraction of the oil, which saves on fat and calories for a healthy protein addition to any meal. If you love this recipe, be sure to try my tasty air fryer poached eggs—perfect for a fancy brunch at home!

Several air fryers have a non-stick coating that contains chemical polyfluorinated molecules, better known as PFAs and nicknamed “forever chemicals,” due to the decades they take to break down in the environment, as explained by Joseph G.

Anything with a wet batter

Recipes that use a wet batter, including fried chicken, will end up being very messy if cooked in an air fryer. This is because there won't be enough hot oil to set the batter, and it will likely drip everywhere rather than forming a crunchy coating.

Putting a damp basket back into the air fryer can cause damage, such as affecting the time it takes for your air fryer to heat up or damaging the internal components. It is no secret that water and electricity do not go hand-in-hand.

“When using an air fryer, exercise caution as bacon contains high levels of fat, which can lead to smoking or even flames in certain air fryer models," according to the pro. "To prevent this, you can work in smaller batches and ensure to drain the grease regularly during cooking in an airfryer.”