— Keen to find out more about airfryers? The documentary is streaming at SBS On Demand —
There are many reasons to love the airfryer, but beyond the convenience and speed, among other practical pluses, there’s this: the pretty-in-pink delight of Katy Greenwood’s .
Rhubarb crumble slice. Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Ant Duncan
Quite aside from the uplifting, colour therapy-infused look and taste of it, this recipe, from her new book , illustrates another truth about the air-fryer: you can make almost anything in it.
What can you cook in an airfryer?
If you haven’t used an airfryer, you might think that it is mostly about cooking things that are traditionally fried – crispy potatoes or fried chicken, say. And while you can indeed find delicious and airfryer recipes, often using less oil than traditional recipes, you can also do so much more. Think , bread, brownies, roasting meat and vegetables, even pasta and falafel. Australia, there’s an airfryer recipe for almost everything!
Louise Kenney, author of , was surprised at how many things she could make in one. “I am a cook-from-scratch kind of person and I have to admit I was sceptical at first (we don’t even own a microwave!) but the more I got to know my airfryer, the more I enjoyed experimenting with it. Now I always ask myself, ‘Can I cook this in the airfryer?’ With a few exceptions, the answer is usually ‘yes’,” she writes in the introduction to her book, a great one both for those new to this kitchen appliance and those just looking for more ideas – such as her root veg peel crisps, which are a great way to use carrot, parsnip, potato or beetroot peel that might otherwise end up in the bin or the compost.
Root veg crisps. Credit: Quadrille / Rita Platts
“They are a brilliant and handy addition to any kitchen simply because they are so fast to heat up (typically they take 3 minutes to reach your desired temperature, versus 10–15 minutes for a conventional oven) and they cook food more quickly,” Kenney says.
Her recipe for , for example, is ready in about half an hour, making it a great midweek meal.
Air fryer Spanish chicken thighs. Credit: Quadrille / Rita Platts
Lemon and rosemary roast potatoes. Credit: Quadrille / Rita Platts
Becky Excell’s , from her book , is super faster: you can have this flavour-packed dinner for two, where the air-fryer even creates crunchy toasted pine nuts at the end, ready in around 15 minutes.
Air fryer 15-minute pesto and pea gnocchi. Credit: Quadrille / Hannah Hughes
Denise van Outen in 'Air Fryers: Are They Worth it?'. Credit: Channel 4.
Prompted by sky-rocketing sales of airfryers in recent years, the documentary looks at the technology behind them, the potential cost savings, whether there can be health benefits, and what can be cooked in them. “You can definitely cook more in them than I’d have thought,” she says. Over the space of several weeks, she takes on the challenge of cooking as much of her food as possible in the airfryer, from a veg-packed egg bake to crisp-skinned airfryer pork belly and a chicken tikka masala (verdict? the curry is great, the rice she cooks to go with it a bit undercooked; more water next time, she says.)
How an airfryer can help with cost savings
“One of the other benefits of using the airfryer is of course that it is typically cheaper to run than a large oven. My airfryer, according to the manufacturer, uses 80 per cent less energy than a traditional oven. I also love that the air fryer turns itself off when the time is up. So, if for some reason you don’t hear the beep to say it has finished, it doesn’t matter as your bakes won’t be overdone – exactly what we all need when we are juggling a few different tasks!,” Greenwood says.
Kenney agrees. “At the time of writing, we are in a cost-of-living crisis, with all households making a concerted effort to cook more economically. Our family of six have found an airfryer to be really useful, not just for making our energy consumption more efficient, but also for helping to feed ourselves nutritious food in very little time.”
Brilliant baking with an airfryer
Airfryers are great for baking. They are perfect for small batch baking; and cooking cakes, biscuits, brownies and breads in your air fryer is often faster than firing up the oven, too. Case in point: if you have a hankering for a choc-chip cookie, you can make in half an hour - and even better, you can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it, then bake the cookies to order, which means you can have a warm, crisp-edged, gooey in the middle coookie under 10 minutes.
Giant peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. Credit: Quadrille / Rita Platts
Malted milk blondies. Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Ant Duncan
Bread lovers will find a lot to enjoy about an airfryer too. You can use them for all kinds of flatbreads and loaves – including this from Greenwood’s book.
Airfryer cheese and garlic tear and share. Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Ant Duncan
For Becky Excell, who's been sharing gluten-free recipes and tips at her since 2013 (and on social – check out her for turning tinned potatoes into what she calls “crispy little babes of spud joy”!), using an air fryer helps makes it a lot easier to eat gluten-free.
“Being on a gluten-free diet often means a whole lot more cooking and baking from scratch. Why? Simply put, it’s because so many of the convenient options that we’ve likely relied upon for years suddenly become off limits. That includes everything from supermarket ready meals, packet spice mixes and ordering last-minute takeaways, right up to nipping to the bakery for a sausage roll or your favourite sweet treat,” she writes in her book, Gluten Free Air Fryer. With the airfryer, she says “I can now make gluten-free versions of my favourite foods in less time, using a boatload less oil compared to deep-frying, all while still achieving that unmistakable crispy, golden finish.”
Air-fryer haloumi popcorn. Credit: Quadrille / Hannah Hughes
Gluten-free mozzarella-stuffed flatbreads. Credit: Quadrille / Hannah Hughes
Top tips for cooking with an airfryer
Kenney shares these tips for making the most of your airfryer:
DO preheat your air fryer (this takes about 3 minutes).
DON’T preheat your air fryer with baking parchment inside, otherwise the paper will get sucked up to the heating element and could cause a kitchen fire!
DON’T overload your air fryer, otherwise the food won’t crisp up.
DO use tongs to lift food out of the air fryer, and use an oven mitt if you have to reach in to remove a baking tin.
DO read the manual of your air fryer as all models differ.
DO make use of the timer on your air fryer to remind you when you shake
the basket/turn food/check if the food is cooked.
DO clean your air fryer between uses as the fats can build up.
DO Shake it up: Many recipes ask you to shake the basket halfway through cooking, as this encourages the air to circulate and all the food to cook evenly. You can also use tongs to turn the food, if you prefer.
Recipe images from: by Louise Kenney (Quadrille). Photography by Rita Platts; by Becky Excell (Quadrille). Photography by Hannah Hughes; by Katy Greenwood (Hardie Grant Books). Photography by Ant Duncan.
More airfryer recipes
Crispy air-fryer chicken wings and ranch dressing
