Air fryers seem almost too good to be true. They give your food that delicious crunch we associate with fried foods, but without all those extra fat grams and calories.
For the uninitiated, these buzzworthy countertop convection ovens don’t actually fry your food because you’re not dousing anything in oil. Rather, air fryers use extremely hot air to make your food crispy.
Just like Instant Pots and slow cookers, your air fryer is a hard-working, versatile appliance, and you can use it for way more than just healthy French fries. You might be surprised by these five things your air fryer can make.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Gooey cheese sandwiched in between crispy, golden bread? Yes, please, with a side of tomato soup! Berry & Maple has a tutorial on how to make perfect grilled cheese sandwiches in just five minutes in the air fryer.
Sushi
Do you gravitate toward the crunch rolls on sushi menus? If so, check out this air fryer sushi recipe courtesy of Glue and Glitter. The rolls are stuffed with creamy avocado and toasted sesame kale salad and then rolled in sriracha mayo and dusted with panko breadcrumbs before making their way into the air fryer.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs pack protein, and they can be part of an on-the-go breakfast for a busy morning, tossed in a salad to help prevent blood sugar crashes or eaten as a snack. Instead of waiting for a pot of water to boil, you can actually pop hard-boiled eggs in your air fryer for about 15 minutes. Here are some instructions from Skinnytaste.
Corn On The Cob
Go ahead, save the grill for the burgers and dogs. You can make crisped corn on the cob in the air fryer. To do so, cut the ears of corn in half, spray them with cooking oil, season them with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook them for about eight minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. About midway through, turn the ears. For a street corn twist, I like to season mine with a little Tajin, a squeeze of lime and cotija cheese.
Avocado Fries
Obsessed with avocado? You won’t be able to get enough of these air-fried avocado slices from Skinnytaste, which are coated with panko breading and lime-chile seasoning. Of course, skip the ketchup and instead dunk them in the lime sauce.
Do you have an air fryer? What are some of the best things you’ve made using the kitchen appliance?
About the Author
Hi, I'm Brittany Anas (pronounced like the spice, anise ... see, that wasn't too embarrassing to say, now was it?) My professional writing career started when I was in elementary school and my grandma paid me $1 for each story I wrote for her. I'm a former newspaper reporter, with more than a decade of experience Hula-hooping at planning meetings and covering just about every beat from higher-education to crime to science for the Boulder Daily Camera and The Denver Post. Now, I'm a freelance writer, specializing in travel, health, food and adventure. I've contributed to publications including Men's Journal, Forbes, Women's Health, American Way, TripSavvy, Eat This, Not That!, Apartment Therapy, Denver Life Magazine, 5280, Livability, The Denver Post, Simplemost, USA Today Travel Tips, Make it Better, AAA publications, Reader's Digest, Discover Life and more. More.
