My parents got me one of them fancy countertop air fryer/oven things and idk what to cook first when I get it set up. According to the box, it does everything a normal oven does as well as air fries. It can hold two whole chickens or 1 frozen pizza. It came with a rack for things like toast and a baking sheet. I also have a bunch of pans and stuff that I was given when I got my house that I’ve never used.
I don’t know much about actually cooking food other than chicken should not be medium rare and that the cereal goes before the milk.
Brussels sprouts in the airfryer are amazing - but pretty much any vegetables go well, are quick, easy and healthy. If healthy is not your thing, anything in the frozen aisle (chips, hash browns, onion rings, chicken nuggets and fish fingers, etc) are also incredibly easy and always work.
I’ll second this. Try veggies, esp. brussels sprouts for sure. A little salt and pepper is all you need when they’re roasted properly.
Then if you think you can safely live with the knowledge that you can make fast food restaurant onion rings at home, try that next. It’s kinda amazing.
Reheating fried food in the air fryer changed how I view leftovers. Also, love roasted veggies or air fryer whole chicken. I use my air fryer a lot more than I thought I would.
How do you usually make your chickens? Like spices and stuff. Idk how to cook a chicken lol
https://therecipecritic.com/air-fryer-whole-chicken/ is the last recipe I used. I recommend it!
Tip to keep your air fryer/oven in top condition: do NOT use oil sprays with propellants, like PAM. They will accumulate on your air fryer and get burnt and nasty and generally be a lot harder to clean off than a pure oil. I use a sprayer with pure avocado oil and no propellants. Also, give it a good wipe down after every use. You’ll thank yourself later when it’s not a disgusting mess.
Is a wipe down all they really take? I’ve been considering getting one, but fussy clean up put me off (in the regular oven I’ll coat the tray in foil and then just bin that, but in an air fryer I assume that would interfere with circulation)…
Specifically talking about the inside walls and glass door, if the wire racks or other accessories look like they need it I take them out and go at them with soap and water. If the wipe down isn’t sufficient for the inside then a wet sponge and a tiny bit of dish soap should be enough, just wipe it with a wet paper towel or something afterwards to make sure all the soap is removed.
It’s incredibly easy to clean up if you do it before using it again. It’s only repeated exposures to heat* that will cause oil to polymerize and become nigh impossible to clean off.
*or temps significantly above what you’re cooking at in an air fryer
Thanks for the informative reply! That doesn’t sound too bad, I had pictured having to soak bits like you might with an oven roaster, and that’s kind of hassle I don’t need lol
I think after an imminent house move I might take the plunge and try one, everyone who has seems to only have good things to say (I have used a really old fashioned halogen one before they became trendy, so I know they can cook well, but I never had to clean that one haha)…
It does a way better job at most frozen food and leftovers than a microwave does, but takes longer.
Almost anything you’d deep fry can be lightly spritzed with oil and done in an air fryer instead.
If it’s big enough for a pizza, you can make one from scratch instead of frozen. It’s cheaper than anything but the cheapest frozen crap and a lot better.
