for Tasty, Crispy (And Healthy!) Food. The air fryer has revolutionized our kitchens, making creating crispy, tasty, and healthy meals easier than ever. If you haven’t jumped on the air fryer trend yet, the time is now. This revolutionary counter-friendly gadget can make food perfectly crisp without needing tons of oil; that alone is enough to try it for yourself.
Air fryers not only make traditional fried food such as potato chips but can also be used to make decadent, easy and healthy desserts. You can even use them to give your vegetables that deep roasted flavor, in a fraction of the time it would take you to do it in an oven.
At DNA Health, we not only believe food should be healthy but delicious as well. That’s why we created this list of five ways you can use your air fryer to create tasty, crispy and healthy cooked meals.
1. Spray Your Food With a Bit of Oil
A little oil goes a long way, and it helps bring out the flavor in your food and make it crispier. If your food contains fat (dark meat, chicken, ground beef, fatty pieces of meat, etc.), you generally don’t need the oil. However, your veggies might benefit from a spritz, or two, of oil for that perfect roasted taste.
Although oil sprays are available in cans, some of the aerosol agents in those cans have the potential to damage the non-stick coating on your air fryer basket. Instead, purchase a hand-pumped kitchen spray bottle if you want to spray oil directly into the basket or on your food.
2. Don’t Overload Your Basket / Pan
Make sure not to overcrowd your air fryer basket if you want your fried foods to come out crispy. Overfilling the basket will prevent your food from crisping up and cooking through. Rather cook your food in batches or invest in a larger air fryer to prevent this from happening.
Overcrowding your air fryer will prevent airflow from reaching the exterior of your food, thus sacrificing the crispy texture we’re all looking for.
3. Flip or Toss Your Food Halfway Through Cooking
To ensure even cooking when air frying smaller foods, such as chicken wings, french fries, and similar items, shake the basket every few minutes.
Remember to flip them for larger pieces of food so both sides crisp up. To turn over larger items, we advise using kitchen tongs.
Note: The air fryer will temporarily halt your cooking once you remove the basket to shake it, but it will resume cooking your food at the same temperature once you return it.
4. Adjust the Temperature for Certain Foods
It can be tempting to set the Air Fryer’s heat to the highest setting and let it run, but you should exercise caution because this can cause some foods to dry out very quickly. As a general rule, adjust the temperature and duration from what you normally cook in the oven.
5. Invest in the Right Size Air Fryer for You
Making sure you have the right size air fryer also plays a vital role in crispy your food cooks, after all, you don’t want to overcrowd your basket or pan. Make sure you invest in an air fryer that’s big enough to cook your food. A 3.7L is typically a standard size and can easily make enough for four people; however, you may need one bigger or smaller, depending on how many servings you need.
Take a look at our available air fryers if you need a little help choosing the right one for you.