It's the latest way to make healthy and affordable food.
Air fryers are a fast, lower fat method of cooking so it’s little surprise the Mirror reported this week that nine million households have bought one in the past two years. If you’ve invested in the energy efficient gadget, which cooks in about half the time of a conventional oven, here are five fab recipes from The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook...
Sausage & Red Pepper Bake
PREP 15 minutes - COOK 35 minutes - SERVES 2 - KIT Heatproof baking dish that fits in your air fryer
This is a wonderfully warming dish that’s perfect for chilly autumn days. I love to serve this with big hunks of crusty bread for mopping up all the lovely sauce, but you could also serve it with mash if you prefer. To make a veggie or vegan version, simply substitute the sausages for a plant-based alternative and leave out the Worcestershire sauce.
6 chipolata sausages
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion
1 red pepper
1 bulb garlic
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve
1. Place your sausages into your dish and drizzle them with the oil. Cook in the air fryer at 190ºC for 10 minutes.
2. While the sausages are cooking, slice your onion and pepper and peel and finely chop your garlic. After 10 minutes give the sausages a shake and add the onion, pepper, garlic and tinned tomatoes. Finish with a good shake of Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Return the dish to the air fryer for a further 10–15 minutes, until the sausages are cooked through and you have a nice thick sauce. Remove the dish and serve with crusty bread to soak up the delicious tomato gravy!
All-in-One Weekend Brunch
PREP 5 minutes - COOK 10–15 minutes - SERVES 1 - KIT Heatproof dish that fits in your air fryer
This is a brilliantly simple brunch that is all built and cooked in one go in the air fryer. It makes a generous breakfast or brunch for one person, but can also be bulked out with toast and split happily between two.
1 medium potato, peeled and finely sliced into discs
1 tsp English mustard powder
4 tbsp milk
100g fresh spinach, washed
130g diced chorizo
80g Cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
Olive oil, for spraying
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Spray your dish with a little olive oil, then arrange the potato discs in a single layer in the base of the dish. Sprinkle over the mustard powder and pour over the milk. Cover the potatoes with the spinach in an even layer, then scatter over the chopped chorizo. Top with the grated Cheddar, then crack both eggs over and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer the dish to the air fryer and cook at 180°C for 10–15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes, until everything is cooked through and the cheese is bubbling. Serve hot.
Banana & Salted Caramel Cupcakes
PREP 5 minutes - COOK 15–30 minutes - SERVES 8 - KIT 8 silicone cupcake cases
Some air fryers have a special bake function, which reduces the speed of the fan, but these will turn out brilliantly even if your fryer doesn’t.
100g salted caramel and milk chocolate
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
140g self-raising flour
140g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Large eggs, beaten
2 ripe bananas, sliced
2 tbsp Biscoff spread
For the buttercream:
175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g Biscoff spread
350g icing sugar
1. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently boiling water to create a bain-marie. Snap the chocolate into the bowl and stir on the heat until melted.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the butter, self-raising flour, caster sugar, baking powder, eggs, sliced bananas and Biscoff spread and beat with an electric whisk or wooden spoon to combine. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir again until everything has come together.
3. Divide the mixture between the silicone moulds, being careful not to over fill, and carefully place them in the air fryer. Cookat 180°C for 15 minutes, until well-risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to cook the cakes in 2 batches of 4.
4. While the cakes are cooking, make the buttercream by beating together the softened butter, Biscoff spread and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Once your cupcakes have cooled, pipe or spoon on your buttercream and enjoy your tasty treats.
Chicken & Back-of-the-Fridge Veg Kebabs
PREP 5 minutes - COOK 15–20 minutes - SERVES 2 - KIT 4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
I’ve suggested tomatoes and peppers but mushrooms, cauliflower or broccoli florets or chunks of courgette or aubergine would work just as well.
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cherry tomatoes
Olive oil, for spraying (optional) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Green salad leaves of your choice, to serve
For the sriracha mayo:
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp sriracha sauce, or to taste
1. Thread the pieces of chicken, yellow pepper and whole tomatoes onto the skewers, alternating the chicken and vegetables as you do. Season with salt and pepper and spray with a little olive oil, if using.
2. Lay the skewers in the base of the air fryer in a single layer and cook at 180°C for 15–20 minutes, turning halfway, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
3. While the skewers are cooking, make the sriracha mayo by combining the ingredients in small bowl.
4. Once the kebabs are cooked, divide the skewers between serving plates and serve with your choice of salad and the sriracha mayo alongside.
Broccoli & Cauliflower Bites
PREP 10 minutes - COOK 10 minutes - SERVES 4–6 as a snack
A simple way to use up any vegetables you may have left over from your Sunday roast.
1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
100g plain flour
1 tsp paprika
2 eggs
100g panko breadcrumbs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mango chutney or mint raita, to serve
1. Wash your broccoli and cauliflower florets and pat dry with some kitchen roll.
2. Set up a production line: put your flour in a shallow bowl or on a plate and stir in the paprika. Gently beat the eggs in another shallow bowl and tip the panko breadcrumbs on to a plate. One at a time, dip your florets into the flour to coat fully, then into the beaten egg and finally give them a good covering of breadcrumbs.
3. Put the coated florets into the air fryer and set to 180ºC. Cook for 8–10 minutes, depending on size, until golden and crisp. Serve with a mango chutney or a creamy mint raita.
