Dealing with an Air Fryer for the First Time? Know, How to Use an Air Fryer. |

Contents

1 Brief Introduction of an Air Fryer
2 Using an Air Fryer
3 First Time an Air Fryer user?
4 Does an Air Fryer Require Pre-Heating?
5 Touching the appliance

Human wants are unlimited. You have one thing, then you wish for something else, having achieved that, you wish for more, and more, the cycle goes on and on. When you go to your friend’s place and see something which you do not have, you feel the pinch. You immediately start making plans for where to buy it from. How much money would you have to have to invest?

Etc. Suppose we take an example of an air fryer that you saw at your relative’s place and wanted to buy it for yourself too. You came back home and started looking for the best place to buy an air fryer. Having found one, next you looked for the best air fryer to purchase and got it for yourself but unfortunately, you do not know how to use this appliance. What would you do?

Of course, the first thing to do which will cross your mind is to search for its uses on-line, and then you will come across some article, explaining all the uses of an air fryer, very much similar to what you are doing now. So, now that you are here, you will get to know how to use an air fryer. Enjoy reading and gaining new information about the appliance you just bought for yourself.

Brief Introduction of an Air Fryer

You know that an air fryer is a handy kitchen, electrical equipment, and uses very less amount of oil to cook meals. It has a technology of a fan which blows hot air which makes your food crispier than any of the other similar product or equipment would do. This is the basic thing which I assume you know because you would have at least researched about what exactly an air fryer is, before purchasing it. But if this is all you know about this amazing appliance, then I am sorry to say but you really have got a lot of knowledge to gain because this is not all that an air fryer is meant for.

An air fryer is a versatile appliance that can be used for cooking a variety of dishes. Let us enhance our knowledge about this appliance called- an air fryer. Undoubtedly, it is a healthy option over deep fryers. Air fryers also are greener equipment. Though they are electrically driven, they emit less heat than a convection oven does. So for this reason, they become your friend, especially in the summer season. Imagine an appliance’s heat along with the season’s heat. How terrible it sounds!

Using an Air Fryer

As mentioned above, this appliance is super handy thus, using it is not at all rocket science. It is easy, once you have understood it’s functioning and you have got a good hang of it. Before beginning with the uses of an air fryer, there is something you should know about them which is, they are not deep fryers. So, if you like the taste of your food when it is deep-fried then, unfortunately, this appliance is not for you. Coming on to the taste, your meal usually tastes the same whether cooked in an oven, an air fryer, or a deep fryer. But yes, there may be a little difference in taste, when deep-fried and the same meal if air fried. This is just because of the difference in the technologies on which these two appliances work. A deep fryer requires your meal to be soaked in oil or grease completely whereas an air fryer is built with such technology that requires no oil or less amount of oil to cook for you. So, if you have any kind of heart disease, for instance, high cholesterol or any disease related to the liver, then an air fryer is something that you should go for. Air fryers can do the work of a convection oven also. In convection cooking, when the heat rises, your top rack is the hottest spot leading to uneven cooking but in the case of an air fryer, a constant temperature is maintained, which helps in your meal getting cooked evenly.

First Time an Air Fryer user?

If you are using an air fryer for the first time, open the box and remove all its parts that are removable. The removable items could include a basket and a tray under this basket. You should wash them first and let them dry. Then put your appliance on a heat-resistant surface, at least eight inches away from the wall. By now, if the removable parts have dried-up put them back in place inside the air fryer. If they are not dry, dry them first with a clean cloth and then place them where they were initially. It is better not to place wet components inside the air fryer. Do read the manual well which you got with your appliance. Your manufacturer might tell you to run the air fryer empty for about ten minutes while doing this you might smell a chemical, do not worry there is nothing wrong with the equipment, it is the smell of a new appliance, just open your kitchen windows to let the smell out. Now your air fryer is ready for use. But if the smell persists every time you use your air fryer then there could possibly be something wrong with the appliance and you need to contact your manufacturer, dealer, or the shopkeeper from whom you purchased the air fryer.

Tips for You when Using an Air Fryer-

The grate should be in the basket- It allows the heat inside an air fryer to circulate well and prevents food from absorbing excess oil.

The sound- Using an air fryer can at times be annoying, and could be a real headache because of the constant whirring sounds they make. They are loud!

You can not just sit and let the equipment do its work- Even when you are browning meals, you have to remove the basket, shuffle food and put it back after every few minutes.

Need not to switch off the appliance time and again- Air fryers automatically shut-off when their basket is pulled out. So, if you need to check the condition of your food, just take out the basket, you need not to shut-off the air fryer, again and again, this it does on its own.

Put the basket back in place well- When you take out the basket to have a peek, be careful in placing it back well, if you do not put it back properly, it would not work, and the air fryer would suddenly go quiet. This if happens, now you know what to do, just place it back properly.

Air fryers are way more quick- Air fryers are very fast in doing their job. Be mindful of the temperatures and cooking time mentioned in the manual otherwise, you may end up overcooking your meal. If in the basket food is less, the cooking time would also be less. On the other hand, if in the basket food is more, the air fryer would take more time to cook.

An air fryer gets very hot- An important thing to know about these trendy appliances is, they heat up fast and remain hot for long. So, it is advisable to set the temperature to low when cooking your meal. If you do not cook at low temperature, your meal might become too dark on the outside and crispy, though it will be properly cooked inside, the food might not look good if it is too dark, and might not taste well if it is crispier than required.

Does an Air Fryer Require Pre-Heating?

This is a question that puzzles many people. The answer to this question is, while an oven requires around thirty minutes of pre-heating, an air fryer does not need that much time. Only a few minutes of pre-heating is enough for an air fryer to work well. There are few models of an air fryer in the market which have an indicator that tells you when the unit is preheated. Pre-heating is advisable but even if you skip this step, it would not be a problem. Only, it might take three to four minutes longer than if you would be cooking in a preheated air fryer. Most probably it would depend on the food being cooked and the recipe being followed. If you wish you may try both ways, and decide which method suits you the best.

Usual Mistakes that People Commit when Using an Air Fryer-

Forgetting pre-heating- You should at least pre-heat the air fryer for at least three minutes. This might be necessary for some dishes.

Forgetting cooking veggies in it- Among varieties of dishes that you can cook in an air fryer, veggies are also the ones one should try.

Cooking foods only that are fried already- Food like frozen French fries, fish sticks, and chicken fingers are already fried, an air fryer would make them extra crispy (more than required).

Overcrowding the basket- If you put a lot of food to cook in a compact unit like an air fryer, there would be no room for your food to breathe. People often commit this mistake in order to save time but they forget that by doing this they are ruining the taste of that delicacy. An air fryer cooks even when after every few minutes, you shake the basket and put it back in place.

The usage of oil- People often are confused with the amount of oil they need to use in an air fryer because of which they often end up putting either too much or too little oil. In most of the dishes, you need 1-2 tablespoons of oil.

Incorrect cleaning- People often are lazy and avoid cleaning their air fryers frequently. For your air fryers to last long, it is advisable to clean them after every use and properly. Do not use harsh detergents or soap. Also, do not scrub them a lot.

Dumping the contents of the basket directly into a plate- This is a common mistake that people do. The whole idea behind using an air fryer is to intake as less oil as possible but if you directly dump the contents into a plate after being cooked, the whole of the grease will be on your plate. Everything goes in vain!