11 Clever And Versatile Uses of Air Fryer

These clever and versatile air fryer uses will certainly make you fall in love with this wonder appliance.

An air fryer is a magical device that does a whole lot of jobs. In a way, it’s like a one-man army. Though the name air fryer gives an impression that it’s a substitute for deep frying only but actually it does many other functions along with air frying.

I have a Philips air fryer and all these multiple uses are on the basis of this appliance only.

1. Air Fry

• Instead of deep-frying, you can easily air fry your cutlets, koftas, Falafel, French fries, Masala Peanuts, Kurkuri Bhindi, and many other such things.
• Though preheating is not necessary but if you do so, it will fasten the cooking process. So, better to preheat it at the highest temperature for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Most of the things can be easily air fried, however, exceptions are there. Like you cannot air fry anything with wet batter like Pakoras. If you wish to air fry Pakoras then you need to keep the batter thick so that it doesn’t drip from the holes of the air fryer basket.
• While air frying, some things can be easily done without using any oil like Falafel, Koftas, Peanuts, etc.
• In some cases, you need to brush oil like in kebabs, cutlets, etc.
• Whereas in others you need to toss the veggies in a spoon of oil like French fries, Sauteed Vegetables, etc.
• In order to prevent sticking on the air fryer basket, it’s better to brush oil on the basket.

2. Grilling/ Toasting

• Making Paneer Tikka, Pizza, etc in the air fryer not only gives excellent results but they get ready quickly too.
• You can toast bread, make Bread Pizza, Cheese toast, etc easily in the air fryer.
• Again preheating is not necessary but is still advisable.

Read: Bread Pizza Without Cheese in Air Fryer

3. Roasting

One thing I roast almost every other day is peanuts.  I add roasted peanuts in my Poha, Upma, etc. So, by the time these get ready before that peanuts also get roasted. Similarly, roasting Paneer for Pulao or making its vegetable is done every now n then.

• You can roast nuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Paneer,  Poha, semolina, seeds, and many other things.
• Potatoes etc can be simply put in the air fryer basket.
• Poha, semolina, coconut etc can be put in a steel or glass bowl and then kept on the air fryer basket.

Read: Poha Namkeen in Air Fryer

Tips for Roasting Nuts

• You can put the nuts straightaway on the air fryer basket without using any plate.
• Preheating is not necessary but you can do it just to save time.
• No need of tossing in oil before roasting them.
• Time is inversely proportional to the temperature. If roast at a higher temperature then the nuts will be roasted in just 3 to 4 minutes. The lower the temperature, the more time they will take.
• Pull the air fryer basket and check for the doneness after 3 minutes only.

Read: Masala Peanuts in Air Fryer

• Honey Roasted Almonds in Air Fryer

Tips for Roasting Vegetables

• Paneer can be air fried by directly putting it on the air fryer basket. No need of tossing in oil. Air fry these at 180 degrees C for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Roast Brinjal in it and make Baingan Bharta easily without jamming your gas burner. Put the brinjal on the air fryer basket and roast it for 15 minutes at 180 degrees C. Just ensure that your brinjal fits into your air fryer.

• For roasting vegetables like cauliflower, jack fruit, ladyfinger, etc, chop these and toss in little oil. Thereafter put them directly on the air fryer basket and then roast at 180 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes.
• For roasting seeds, semolina, Poha etc, it’s the same as nuts but put them in a bowl or plate first and then keep that plate in the air fryer basket. This is because otherwise, the seeds etc will pass through the basket. Also, switch off the air fryer before pulling the basket to check for doneness otherwise these light food items will fly off due to the air of the air fryer.

4. Baking

• You will be surprised but yes, you can make cakes, bread, cookies, pies, etc easily in the air fryer.
• Baking is done almost in half the time as compared to that in an oven.
• For baking purposes, you may follow any recipe but reduce the temperature by 20 degrees and cut the baking time also by half. For example, if the recipe says bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 40 minutes then for the air fryer, consider this as 160 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Before you start preparations, ensure that your baking pan fits into the air fryer. This is the only limitation. Like in my air fryer, a 6” round pan fits in it but bigger than that doesn’t. So, you check what fits in yours.

Read: How to Make Cake in Air Fryer

Garlic Bread in Air Fryer

5. Using As Dehydrator

Dehydrating Vegetables

• You can dehydrate vegetables like garlic, onion, beetroot,  etc in much less time as compared to an oven or a dehydrator.
• I do not have a dehydrator but dry vegetables in the sunlight. In peak summers, garlic etc gets dried in 2 to 3 days but in winters it may take weeks. In that case, the air fryer is a boon.
• With an air fryer, these are dried and turned into powder form in a few hours only. Time is directly proportional to the quantity used. So, the more the quantity more time it takes. Normally, 250 g garlic gets dehydrated in 40 minutes.

Read: How to Make Garlic Powder in Air Fryer

Dehydrating Green Leafy Vegetables

• Also dry your green leaves like spinach, mint, fenugreek leaves etc in just 5 to 15 minutes in your air fryer.
  • For drying, first, wash the leaves thoroughly.
  • Leave them in a colander for a few minutes to get rid of extra water.
  • If possible, lay these leaves on the kitchen towel and pat dry. If time permits leave them for few hours, otherwise just pat dry. Another benefit of leaving on a kitchen towel for a few hours is that you can accommodate more quantity in your AF.
  • Preheat AF for 2 to 3 minutes at 180 degrees C.
  • Put the leaves directly on the air fryer basket.
  • Cover with a steel mesh. I again used my Atta Chhalni only.
  • Start air frying.
  •  Different leaves take different time, ranging from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. More quantity, more time.
    9. After 3-4 minutes, toss the leaves. Very important otherwise leaves at the bottom are left undried.
    10. Once dried, you can crush them to make powder or store them as it is. I prefer storing mint, methi, etc just like this without crushing as it loses some of its aromas when kept in powdered form. But that’s your call, do it the way you prefer.

6. Using As Tandoor

7. Set Curd

• Now, this is something unique, right? I tried it recently and was amazed by the results.
• Setting curd in winter is a herculean task. Some people wrap it in a shawl whereas some put it in the flour container.
• I have already shared a post as to how to set curd in winter but along with that if you keep it in your air fryer then the curd will set even more quickly.
• For this, preheat your air fryer at 180 degrees C for just 2 to 3 minutes. Thereafter, switch it off and put your milk with the starter in it. The warmth of the air fryer will work wonders and curd will get ready quickly.

Tip: Do not preheat the air fryer for longer than 3 minutes otherwise your milk will curdle instead of setting into Dahi (curd).

• This can be done in an oven also, but preheating the oven takes 10 to 15 minutes.

8. Ferment Bread/ Bhatura/ Naan Dough

• This is similar to setting curd.
• Preheat the air fryer for just 2 to 3 minutes at 180 degrees C.
• Keep the dough in a bowl, cover it with a lid and then keep it in the air fryer.

9. Reheat leftover Pizza

If you have leftover Pizza or Samosa or Kachori then try heating it in the air fryer. It will be as crisp as freshly baked.

Reheating these in the microwave turns them soggy but in the air fryer, they get crisp.

For this, simply preheat the air fryer at 180 degrees C and then reheat pizza, etc for just a minute or two.

10. Crisp Biscuits etc that have become Soft

• At times, biscuits, chips, fries etc get soft and soggy, especially in the rainy season. With an air fryer, no worries at all!
• Preheat your air fryer at 160 degrees for 2 minutes and keep the biscuits etc in it for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Take them out and keep them on a wire rack.
• Once completely cool, they will be crisp.

11. Extract Oil from the Fried Items

This feature is amazing too.

Reheat any fried item like Samosa, Tikki, etc, and check the oil collected beneath the basket. An air fryer acts like a juicer in extracting all the oil from fried foods. So, you can have fried items without any guilt.

I have shared different uses of air fryers along with some of my recipes with you all. These Air fryer recipes are just to give you an idea of all that you can do in it. With this, you can start exploring what you can do in your air fryer like:

In some cases you need to brush oil on the basket, in others, you toss the ingredients in just a teaspoon of oil, some you lay directly on the basket whereas for others you may spread aluminum foil first and then keep the stuff on it. While laying butter paper/aluminum foil, remember that you do not cover the basket fully. Leave space around the edges so that hot air can move freely.

Let’s Connect

Thank you for reading this post. If you have liked this post then do let me know by leaving a comment below. Your feedback fuels my enthusiasm. You may share this post with your dear ones by clicking on the little buttons below. You may follow me on  Facebook   Pinterest  Instagram for the latest recipe updates.