Air fryers have grown in popularity over the last couple of years, hailed as the healthier and cheaper way of cooking. However, they can seem overwhelming when you first buy one. So, if you’ve recently bought one of these nifty gadgets and are struggling to get your head round how it works, then we have some tips to help you get the most our of your air fryer.

Shake your air fryer basket

Shaking your air fryer basket a couple of times throughout the cooking process ensures your food cooks evenly. Equally, make sure you flip any items over to prevent soggy bottoms!

Cook things in a single layer

Lay your food items in your air fryer basket in a single layer in order to prevent them from steaming, rather than crisping up. No one wants a soggy chip! Cook your items in batches if necessary so as not to overcrowd your air fryer.

Don’t cook anything saucy

Cooking anything wet or saucy in your air fryer will cause it to drip through the basket and burn to the bottom of the air fryer. You also won’t gain the benefit or flavour that a batter or sauce would otherwise provide in other methods of cooking because it will drip off into a pool, getting wasted.

Re-heat your food in the air fryer

You can use your air fryer to re-heat any leftovers, rather than an oven or microwave. Leftovers that would benefit most would be food items that are intended to be crispy, such as fried items, rather than saucy dishes, like pasta bakes.

Line your air fryer basket with foil

One of the main concerns when it comes to using an air fryer, is the hassle of cleaning them. Most air fryers have detachable components that you hand wash separately (don’t be tempted to put them in the dishwasher), and we recommend you wash it after every use. However, if you want to reduce the amount you clean your air fryer basket, line it with foil and replace the foil each time. This doesn’t negate the need to wash it ever though!

Sliced bread is your friend

Some people swear by placing a piece of sliced bread in the base of your air fryer, between the inner and outer compartment of the air fryer basket in order to soak up the grease and help with the cleaning process.

Don’t use too much oil

Air fryers are designed, funnily enough, to fry by air and not fat. So, make sure not to over oil your food as this will create smoke, which is alarming!

Any ovenproof dish can be used

You can use any overproof dish that fits in your air fryer. This is particularly useful if you want to cook something that is saucy, as per the tip above. We find that silicone cookware is best, because they’re malleable to fit the shape of your air fryer basket more easily.

Line your tin properly when baking

Make sure to cut your baking parchment so that it’s flush to the edge of your baking tin when making a cake in the air fryer. Otherwise the bursts of air cause the excess paper around the top to flap around and result in a misshaped cake.

It takes time to get to know your air fryer

All air fryers cook differently so it’s best to check if things are cooked rather than relying on cooking time stated in a recipe. Over time you will get a better feel of what rate your air fryer cooks at, so stick at it!