Golden crispy air fryer fries served in a wooden bowl, showing the healthy cooking results achievable with an air fryer

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  • AirFryer Roast Chicken

    AirFryer Roast Chicken

    Yes! You can roast a chicken in your air fryer (if you can fit it in there).

    A 5.7L typical air fryer will take a small to medium chicken, and this can serve two people at half a chicken each. If you have an excellent shape air fryer basket, you can even fit in some potatoes for roasting.

    Roasting Chickens

    There is no need to add extra fat to the chicken’s air fryer, but the potatoes will definitely need it.

    Top Tips for Roasting a Chicken in the AirFryer

    • Initially, place the chicken upside down in the air fryer. Place the bird with its breasts down and touching the lower air fryer tray. This will keep the breast meat moist as it cooks. Flip the bird over five minutes before the final cook to brown the skin.
    • Use a wooden spoon handle to insert into the body of the chicken to assist in turning it over to brown the skin.
    • Rest the air fryer basket on the cooling rack to free up your hands to turn the chicken over; the chicken will try to resist.
    • After cooking, remove the bird and cover it with tin foil and clean tea towels to keep it warm as the meat rests while you add Yorkshire pudding mix, frozen Yorkshires or turn up the heat for browning the roasties.
    • Reduce the cooking time from the label if it specifies an oven. More product labelling includes times for the air fryer, but if not, you can reduce 10 to 15 minutes per hour for an air fryer. Always check the chicken is cooked; if not, pop it back in for more time.
    • Also, consider reducing the cooking temperature by 10°C (50°F) from the cooking instructions label, as the chicken will need less heat in the air fryer.
    • Will it fit? You have to try to see. We pick a small chicken (now labelled – medium chicken) that fits perfectly in a 5.7L air fryer. Your main problem can be the height of the chicken, as the cooking element is just above the top of the basket.
    • Don’t Panic! If your Chicken is too high, you may have to spatchcock it (read about spatchcocking a chicken to make it fit).

    Roasted

    With your chicken roasted, potatoes cooked, and Yorkshires done, it’s time to slice the meat and not forget the gravy. A cheap way to cook a chicken midweek style with some special optional extras if you like.

  • AirFryer Nachos

    AirFryer Nachos

    A speedy and easy treat from the air fryer. Full of all the things you like covered with cheese. What is there not to love?

    Nachos

    Nachos are easy to make the way you like them. If you don’t like chillies, don’t add them. If you want olives, add them (sliced)—more cheese, less cheese, and reduced-fat cheese all work. You can easily make them precisely to your tastes, which takes little time in the air fryer.

    Tortilla Chips

    All the nachos start with Tortilla chips. The cheapest is the best for this recipe, and Tesco does an Aldi price matched for 48p for 200g. These are perfect for homemade nachos.

    Cheese

    Cheddar grated. Be it a block, you have grated some off or bought pre-grated. Pick the cheese you like, extra mature, mild, lower in fat; they are all good.

    Extras

    This is your time to shine. Add slices or chopped extras: supermarket chillies, seeds removed and sliced. Red and green slices of chillies look good, and if you like the heat, they are perfect in air fryer nachos. Olives are a polarising choice, but sliced hotdogs, salami, pepperoni and sliced meats like ham work well.

    Whatever you add, make it small, diced, sliced or tear the pepperoni or ham into smaller chunks. No bigger than a tortilla chip, preferably half the size, and this will allow more flavours per mouthful of nacho to get the best experience.

    Recipe

    • Spread a third of a pack of value tortilla chips on the bottom of your air fryer.
    • Sprinkle a third of the grated cheese over the tortilla chips
    • Add a third of your mixture (excluding the chillies, they go on top)
    • Another third of the pack of tortilla chips over the first layer
    • Add another third of the cheese as an evenly sprinkled layer,
    • Add another third of your extras as a layer, saving the chillies for the top
    • Add the rest of the pack of tortilla chips on top as a layer
    • Place your extras with more purpose, so they look good and are evenly distributed
    • Sprinkle over the last of the cheese; grate more if it looks a bit sparse
    • Add your sliced red and green de-seeded (or go hot) chillies on top of the cheese as little crowns of hotness on the cheese.

    Bake

    Based on the time for a typical 5.7L air fryer. You can check the meltiness of the cheese part way through by opening the air fryer drawer. It’s safe to do this; just be aware it is hot.

    You can let the air fryer heat up with the nachos; you don’t need to preheat the air fryer.

    Cook in the air fryer at 160°C (320°F) for 8 minutes.

    Pull out the drawer and see how well melted the cheese is. You can take it out now or put it back in for another 5 minutes.

    Some like their cheese just melted, while others like it more well done. Some smaller air fryers will take longer because the layers are thicker. Your extras can make a difference; wetter ingredients will take more time, and smaller portions will take less time. Just pull out the air fryer drawer to see how it’s doing. Add more time if you think it needs to.

    Take the hot and messy nachos from the air fryer, put them on the serving plate, and add sauces or toppings like guacamole, sour cream or salsa to compliment your tastes.

    Serve and enjoy.

    Cooking Time

    airfryer nachos cooking time is 8 minutes at 160°C / 320°F
  • Airfryer simple tool

    Airfryer simple tool

    I’ve had one of these simple tools for many years. It was initially purchased for cooling cakes that came directly from the oven. But it also got used to protecting the kitchen worktop of any hot dishes or pans I need to place there.

    Old tool, New use

    The old tool has found a new user with my air fryer. I still use it to rest the air fryer cakes on while they cool, but it gets used for something much more important.

    I use the round cooling rack (Amazon) to rest the air fryer basket as I turn the food at the turn time or during the dishing-up stage. Of course, I could hold the basket with the handle in one hand and the tongs in the other, but sometimes it is nice to have a free hand.

    The cooling rack gives me that free hand without worrying that I could damage the kitchen worktop.

    Simple yet effective

    Every air fryer should have one. Available for delivery on Amazon.

    AirFryer basket worktop protection
  • AirFryer Cake Baskets

    AirFryer Cake Baskets

    Cooking a cake in the air fryer is fun. But baking in the air fryer requires a cheap yet indispensable extra.

    The air fryer baking basket.

    It’s a tall cake tin with a handle for easy air fryer removal. The drawer-style air fryers make removing the classic cake tin difficult due to the 4 hot sides. You can find a cake tin in the tiny air fryer space.

    New

    A new baking item is made small enough to fit in the air fryer, tall enough that the contents won’t over-spill and has a handy basket-style handle on top. Available in several sizes with square or circular options that best suit your air fryer.

    Sizes

    Be aware that the sizes measured are not like a traditional cake tin. The size sold with a classic cake tin is the size of the cake it will make. This is useful for cake bakers to know. But, the air fryer baskets are measured by the external maximum size, allowing you to know if the tin will fit inside your air fryer.

    For example, the 7″ air fryer cake tin with a handle will make a 6″ cake. So it is just a case of realising the sizing difference to avoid confusion. The new air fryer baskets are measured on their external, largest dimensions, which can be a good inch less than the internal dimensions.

    Round and Square

    Find the best shape that fits your air fryer.

    Circular air fryer cake tin

    Square airfryer baking

    Square airfryer cake tin

    Find yourself a suitable air fryer cake tin on eBay or Amazon.

    Being universal, they will fit Cosori, InstantPot (Instant Vortex), Ninja, Chefman and all the unbranded/rebranded models.

    The baking tins are made from metal, and the handle is chrome-plated steel, while the whole tin has a nonstick coating inside and out for easy cleaning.

    Follow our tips for nonstick baking in the air fryer as these are nonstick for easy cleaning, not easy baked cake removal.

    It is often possible to find these air fryer optional extras for a reasonable price on AliExpress, but there can be a long wait for the delivery as they are often shipped from China.

  • Airfryer Quick Cake

    Airfryer Quick Cake

    Yes, you can cook a cake in the air fryer; it just needs one extra to make it happen.

    The air fryer cake basket

    The basket is a tall cake tin with a small handle to fit in your air fryer. This simple and cheap optional extra expands your air fryer’s capabilities into a cake baker. Please look at the various cake-baking baskets for the air fryers in our article here.

    Quick Cake

    The fast heat-up time and small capacity make the air fryer more economical to make a quick cake for a teatime treat or a delicious pudding. For an alternative cake, you can add any additional ingredients to the recipe, like raisins, glace cherries, or lemon zest. All based on the same basic recipe can give you plenty of compliments. It’s light and spongy without any frills or icing, a lovely, any-day cake boost.

    And all done in the air fryer.

    Basic ingredients

    The primary store cupboard ingredients make this air fryer cake a cheap and easy treat that will impress. It has four main everyday kitchen cupboard staples ideal for using up the odd eggs or margarine.

    Eggs, Butter, Flour and Sugar
    Eggs, Baking Block, Castor Sugar and Self Raising Flour

    Recipe

    The small 7″ square cake basket (makes 6″ cakes, see our sizing guide) will make a small cake that will give around 6 decent-sized portions (slices).

    Ingredients

    • 2 eggs (weighed in the shells) – mine were 155g
    • Self Raising Flour – the same weight as the eggs were (plus some for dusting the tin)
    • Castor Sugar – – the same weight as the eggs were
    • Margarine or baking fat – – the same weight as the eggs were (plus some for the tin)
    • Baking powder – half a teaspoon
    • Vanilla Essence – a teaspoon

    Instructions

    Weigh the two eggs in their shells and note their weight. We used two small eggs, and these weighed 155g. Yours will vary, so note down the weight of your two eggs.

    • Weigh out the Flour, Butter and Sugar and add them to a stand mixer or food processor.
    • Add half a teaspoon of baking powder.
    • Mix the 3 ingredients with the K mixing paddle or whatever you have for a food processor.
    • Crack the eggs into a cup, and with the machine running slowly, pour them into the mix and let them run for a minute. (Cracking the eggs into a cup can allow you to rescue any shell that shouldn’t be there).
    • Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence to the mix.
    • After a minute of mixing, you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl down and mix for a few more seconds.
    Airfryer cake batter mix

    Cooking

    Take the cake tin basket out of the air fryer and set the air fryer to 160° C and 30 30-minute timer. Start the machine to allow it to preheat.

    Grease the cake tin with some cooking fat/margarine/butter
    Add 1 teaspoon of flour to the tin and shake and roll it so it sticks to the margarine. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the tin. Please don’t skip this step; it will help you a lot. There are step-by-step pictures of the cake tin preparation here.

    Transfer the cake mixture to the prepared cake basket and try not to mix it up in the cake basket. Just getting it in there is good enough. Too much moving around, and you may lift off the flour and margarine release agent.

    By now, the air fryer should be preheated; it may beep at you. When it has reached cooking temperature, remove the air fryer basket and carefully lower the cake tin into the basket using the handle. Close the air fryer basket and allow it to cook for 30 minutes.

    If your eggs were huge (heavy), you might want to add 4 minutes to the time for the extra ingredients will take a bit more time to cook through.

    Cooking Complete

    When the cooking is completed, you can remove the air fryer basket with the cake tin and place it on a cooling rack.

    Allow the whole lot to cool.

    Then turn out the cake onto the same cooling rack and put the air fryer basket back in the air fryer. The cake will fall easily out of the tin because it was adequately greased and floured before adding the mix.

    Allow the cake to cool further if necessary, and then slice to enjoy.

    Best Served

    The Air Fryer Quick Cake is best served with a cup of coffee for a teatime treat or covered with custard for a delicious pudding.

  • Air Fryer Cake Tin Preparation

    Air Fryer Cake Tin Preparation

    Yes, you can cook cakes in an air fryer.

    Cakes require the ever-useful optional extra ‘air fryer cake basket’, which requires quick preparation before adding the cake mixture. The lining of the cake tin means the cake won’t stick in the tin and will be very easy to remove when it has cooled slightly.

    Ingredients

    • Butter/Margarine/Cooking fat (whatever you are using as fat for the cake will suffice for this)
    • Flour (the same flour you are using for the cake)

    Tin Prep

    Prep the tin in these simple steps to ensure the cake is quickly released from the air fryer cake tin with minimal effort.

    Ensure your air fryer cake tin is clean:

    Airfryer cake baking tin

    Smear the fat over the inside surface of the tin:

    Prep the airfryer tin for cake baking

    Add a heaped teaspoon of flour to the tin. You can add more if needed or lose some on the way.

    Add flour to prep the cake baking in the air fryer
    Flour in the airfryer cake basket

    Shake and roll the tin so the flour coats all the fat. Add more flour if you need to. Tip away any excess flour that doesn’t stick to the spread.

    A prepped cake tin is ready for the cake mixture. Don’t try too hard with the mixture; moving it about will remove the flour coating you have just added. The cake mix doesn’t have to look perfect, as it will settle as it cooks.

  • Which air fryer to buy?

    Which air fryer to buy?

    We initially made the initial mistake of buying a smaller air fryer. But as we realised how much more the air fryer could do than just potatoes, we knew a bigger one was required.

    Go Big

    My advice is to go BIG.

    You can run the air fryer only half full, but not fitting everything in and having to cook in two batches is inconvenient and takes twice as long.

    Getting the largest capacity model you can fit in the space will mean you can cook larger meals, cook for more people and benefit from air frying with a broader range of food.

    Dual Basket

    A note about comparing dual-basket air fryers with a single basket can be misleading. The dual basket capacities listed are split between the two baskets, while the single basket has that capacity in one. This is not normally an issue for cooking fries or small items but a single chicken to air-fry will need the largest basket to cook in.

    Convertible dual basket air fryers are a solution to the problem with a removable divider installed and dual heat controls it acts as a dual basket. Removing the basket divider transforms the air fryer into a large-capacity single basket.

    No Fat

    The name ‘Air Fryer’ tends to conjure up images of fries and chips, but you can use it as a mini oven if you don’t add fat. Unlike a deep-fat fryer that won’t work without fat, the air fryer doesn’t need fats to work. But if you want your food to taste fried, then you need to add some fat.

    Features

    Timer

    A digital timer with a turn or toss reminder is helpful in a busy kitchen. You need to shake some foods like fries part way through the cooking, and some food benefits from turning brown or crisp on the other side. The reminder beep helps you to stay on track.

    Modes

    Modes can change the way the air fryer operates. Buttons like Bake, Fry, Bacon, Roast and Re-Heat can appear on these machines. You don’t need a bacon button to cook bacon. I’ve not noticed any difference between Bake and Fry, but if it helps you, you may need to find one with more buttons.

    Shape

    The drawer-style air fryers that are very popular come in two distinct categories. No matter what their size, that is the shape of the basket. Some baskets are almost square or rectangular, and others are more circular. A square basket best uses the machine’s space to provide the largest cooking area. A larger cooking area is better because you can fit more food in. The food needs to allow air circulation around it, so spacing out the food can help it cook more evenly and crispy.

    Colour

    That’s all down to your personal choice. Black, White or Stainless Steel are popular.

    Suggested AirFryers

    See our suggestions for air fryers below based on their size, features and cost.

    Single

    Ideal for a single serving or just a side of chips.

    • Budget-friendly, small capacity
    • Simple manual controls
    • 30 Minute timer
    • 2 Year Guarantee
    Generic 2 – 2.5L

    Midi

    It will easily feed two hungry people.

    • It can fit a small chicken & roasties
    • 11 Presets makes it easy to use
    • Dishwasher Safe basket for easy clean-up
    COSORI XXL 5.5L

    Maxi

    Split baskets for greater flexibility and larger meals

    • Huge combined 9.5L Capacity (split over two baskets)
    • Cooks 2 different foods 2 ways, both are ready at the same time.
    • The Ultimate Oven Replacement
    Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone

    Here are some features of the 3 main groups of air fryers.

    • The small 2 – 2.5L capacity is very limited and ideal for just cooking fries.
    • 4.5L to 5.5L is more useful for one or two people to cook a larger variety of meals the the 2L. You can spread the food out to ensure an even crispy cook which is not possible in the small machines.
    • 9.5L and dual basket open up the possibilities of cooking two very different foods at the same time or giving the option to cook for many more people.
  • More than air frying.

    More than air frying.

    It is not just roasting.

    The air fryer is excellent at baking too…

    …and grilling.

    Most of them can be used as a mini oven and can cook anything from a Victoria sponge cake to a frozen pizza. We use ours to replace the oven when it’s just us. The Instant Pot Votrex 6 Quart / 5.7 Litre model is significant but not big enough for more than two hungry people.

    Victoria Sponge

    The Victoria sponge went down well. My Airfryer is a better baker than the large kitchen oven for smaller quantities as it cooks more delicately. The sponge came out lovely and moist and became a midweek treat with coffee. Here, you can find out how to bake a cake in the air fryer.

    Nachos

    I do like making nachos in My Airfryer. Making some tasty, cheesy chilli nachos in the air fryer is quick and straightforward. Using the cheapest corn chips brings the best results, and low but longer cooking time brings out the best. I share my air fryer nachos recipe here. But you can change the ingredients to suit your hungry guest’s preferences.

    Bacon

    Bacon cooks well in the air fryer; some models have a bacon programme button. You don’t need a bacon button to cook bacon in the air fryer; select the normal air frying mode for lovely grilled crispy bacon. It doesn’t fry the bacon if you don’t add any extra fat. See how we cook bacon in the air fryer here.

    Anything

    Well, virtually anything that will comfortably fit in the air fryer will cook there. Yorkshire puddings work, but I have yet to try a souffle. The fan effect is top, and being so small, the air is fanned with great force. This helps the chips to brown but will probably blow your souffle apart. If your food can hold up to the fan, you can cook it there, if it fits.