Dinner Time? To the Air Fryer We Go!

I was skeptical when air fryers first came out, and I tend to wait for a new product's bugs to be fixed before purchasing the lastest in kitchen equipment. But when my daughter saw this model on sale, and the fact that it can be divided into two baskets or kept as one large basket, I was up for trying something a little different.

The first item we tried to cook was steak, and my husband thought it was delicious. We surprised him with it, after he tasted the food of course, and he briefly showed hesitation before telling us that we should make up a variety of different food items that night. Mozerella sticks, pizza rolls, and even cinnamon rolls like in the above image, all do extremely well in the air fryer. And here is a sample of our air fryer journey, as well as a few tips we have learned by trial and error.

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Disclaimer: Any and all companies mentioned in this post are owned by their respective people and are not affliated with me in any way, as I do not claim ownership. And the opinions expressed in this blog post are mine alone, not of the companies nor their employees.

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1. Glass Pans need to be short - I know that every air fryer is different in what it can do, and how large the basket is. With our fryer, the 7 qt capacity (when used as a large single basket) can make a cake. However, when we tried to do eggs in a glass container, rather than doing it straight in the basket for cleaning reasons, we realized that the glass dish cannot be over a certain height. Ours takes no more than 2 inch walls, as anything higher will not allow it to close properly.

2. Liners make everything SO much easier - My daughter did a lot of comparing of the various models in the search of which one that would right for us. During her internet browsing, she came upon these wonderful liners by Reynolds Wrap that make cleaning a breeze, and aid in the removal of the food when smaller items, such as pizza rolls, are done in the air fryer. Click Here to be taken to the liners, that work in both square and rounded baskets, per their claim on the front of the packaging. And the best part is how affordable they are!

3. Things turn out a LOT crispier - We like to make up frozen taquitos for a quick dinner some evenings, especially whenever it is chilly out and perfect for hot food to warm the stomach. However, it takes a good amount of electric power to get the oven at the right temperature of 400 degrees. That was part of the reasoning behind us trying an air fryer, because the microwave does well on reheating, but not on really crisping up certain foods. We used the same temperature and time incriments as described on the outside of the box for the oven, and they were DELICIOUS! This is our go-to method for making them now. If you would like to try the taquitos we use, click here.

4. Some things are better the tradtional way - Now, I am not saying that this will replace the oven and the stove completely. While it is great for making food, it does not save you a lot of time. There are a few items where it shaves two minutes off in meal prep, or perhaps even five, but a lot of the items still take their usual amount or longer, such as eggs. If you know of another way to do the eggs better, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments below, because it took us twice as long to make them compared to doing them on the skillet over our stovetop. And the oven can still take on the large sheet cakes, pans filled of bacon, and casserole dishes that an air fryer cannot do purely out of size.

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To give you reference as to the air fryer we have, it is the Ninja® Foodi® FlexBasket™ Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone™. If you would like to view it, click here to be taken to their website. And no, this is not a paid advertisement. We just like the product very much, and have spread the word to friends and family. Two of whom, have purchased one for themselves as well.

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Here is what is called the "Flexbasket," divided into two separate compartments, and the image above shows what the pizza rolls and taquitos look like when they are done.

This plate shows the scrambled eggs we did in the air fryer. (And no, this is my daughter's picture because I don't eat ketchup)

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Here are some basic times and temperatures that we have discovered through our food experiments, and from other people's experiences posted on their blogs: (please note that each fryer is different and foods can take longer or shorter, depending on thickness and other factors. This is merely a guideline, and not absolute. You should do what is best for your food and fryer model)

Steaks (Frozen): temperature at 400 degrees, for 6 mins. Flip meat, and then re-enter for another 6 mins.

Scrambled Eggs: temperature at 300 degrees for 12 mins in total. Stir mixture half way through.

Hamburgers: temperature at 370 degrees for 6 mins. Flip meat and repeat for another 6 mins like steaks.

Cookies from Refrigerator: temperature at 300 degrees for 10 mins.

The model we have, can do six different operations. The above settings are for "air fryer" mode.

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Different companies, such as Pillsbury, are adding air fryer instructions to their items, so there is a good chance that the instructions you need will be listed on the packaging. But if not, there are plenty of sites online that can help you with the right settings.

Have a recipe you would like to share using an air fryer? Let me know in the comments.

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