Air Fryer For Healthy Cooking

What is an Air Fryer?

One new cooking appliance to help you prepare healthy meals is an air fryer. Cook healthy food with less grease and in quicker times.

Air Fryers make dishes healthier and less fattening while still making them crispy and reducing the cooking time. It is up to you to decide what type of healthy food to put in your air fryer. If you are frying unhealthy food then you do not gain much by using an air fryer compared to traditional frying methods.

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How Do Air Fryers Work?

Before we talk about the benefits of cooking with air fryers we can take a look at how they work.

The reason they cook crispy and crunchy fried foods without oil is due to the circulating air at a rapid pace. It does that along with heating your food at high degrees.

The temperature of an air fryer is 200 degrees Celcius or 392 Fahrenheit. Cooking at such high temperatures produces crispness that you get from traditional fried food.

It does it in faster than with traditional frying. This is similar to how quickly a pressure cooker works compared to traditional devices.

The Process Is Similar To A Deep Fryer

Do you know what it is like to use a deep fryer? If you have used a deep fryer then you know the basics of air frying chicken, fries, and other food.

Air fryers are similar in size to deep fryers. They have a basket for keeping your food in while they are cooked at high temperatures.

They include a timer and thermometer to keep the air circulating at the perfect temperature for your fried shrimp and other seafood. It also makes perfect fried chicken and mushrooms.

Fried mozzarella sticks and fried cheese balls turn out crispier and with much less oil than with traditional frying methods.

Do Air Fryers Make Food Healthier?

There are many reasons to use an air fryer but the main reason is the fact that they are a healthier cooking method. You get crispy fried foods without using a drop of oil.

The only oil is from whatever you add in your meat or veggies.

You and your family can eat your favorite fast food without leaving your home. You no longer need to use an unhealthy deep fryer either.

Air Fryers Cook Foods Quickly

By using an air fryer your food is cooked quickly and conveniently. This is different than with baking vegetables. Also, deep fryers give you a crispy edge and roasted vegetable flavor in almost half the time.

Nearly all the food you cook will take less time. This means less time in the kitchen preparing dinner, lunch or breakfast.

Similar to a pressure cooker and slow cooker, you are not heating the entire kitchen. The heat pretty much stays in the air fryer. This is a great option for cooler cooking in the hot summer.

How do Air Fryers Help With Healthy Cooking

Is air fried food healthy? The main reason air fried food is healthier is by not using excessive oil to coat your food.

This is much healthier than with deep-fried food.

You get faster cooking times with a crispy, crunchy texture. The air is frying your food instead of fattening unhealthy oil.

Does Air Fryer Reduce Calories

Switching to an air fryer helps to reduce calories and fat that you normally get from oil. Air fryers produce healthier dishes while cutting down on the fat substantially.

One tablespoon of oil has over 100 calories alone. With traditional frying of food uses a lot more to fry your food. Air fryers do not use any oil. Instead of oil is you are relying on the circulating air to perfectly fry your food, and give it a tasty crispness without the oil.

Cook up your fries without the greasiness and fat. Make fried chicken that is tender and crispy. Mozzarella sticks will no longer be wrapped in layers of oil that increase the overall calorie count.

Eating Less Processed Food

Another benefit of using an air fryer is that you eat less processed food. Most people eat processed food due to it being quick and convenient.

Not having time or the difficulty of cooking at home is what prevents many people from eating healthy. With an air fryer, you can easily cook whole, fresh foods.

An air fryer is a low-cost appliance that might be perfect for your kitchen.

You can make all your favorite foods right in your kitchen. This helps to save money while making cooking easy and fast. It encourages you to cook at home more often.

You no longer will be driving through fast-food restaurants eating unhealthy deep-fried food. You get the same fried foods made at home, with a higher quality taste.

You end up eating whole foods and lose the need for eating process food.

Air Fryers do not Require a Lot of Space

Some people do not have a proper amount of kitchen space. Many people live in an apartment or have tiny kitchens. They have little room for cooking appliances.

Many people prefer to go out to eat or order their favorite food online.

With air fryers, you are using a small appliance that is no larger than standard slow cookers.

Air fryers fir easily on your countertop and is small enough to fit in smaller cabinets. Even with a small kitchen, you can use your air fryer to cook fast, healthy meals.

Top 10 Air Fryer Tips

Decide to purchase an air fryer to cook healthier food. Follow the tips we are going to share with you to know what are the best things to cook in an air fryer, and how to cook food in an air fryer in less time.

These helpful tips will guide you through the basics while helping you to avoid common mistakes of using an air fryer.

How To Prepare Your Food For Cooking In An Air Fryer

The first tip for using your air fryer to its maximum potential is to be thorough while preparing your food. Watch how you prepare your breading. Preheat the air cooker properly at the right temperature.

Those are two main tips to make sure your food comes out exactly right.

Make sure the back of your air fryer vent has enough space away from the wall. If you have shallow countertops then get a smaller air fryer to match the area.

Make sure that when you are coating your food to be fried. Start with flour, then egg, then bread or bread substitute. For low-carb foods, you can use almond flour. Combine that with egg, and crushed pork rinds or even cheese as the breading.

Make sure your air fryer is preheated properly until the food goes in after the timer goes off.

How to Load Food Into the Air Fryer

When it comes time to fry your food, know the basic techniques for dropping it inside. Similar to a deep fryer, the air fryer has a basket to hold the food in the place.

Make sure there is enough space in the basket for each food item to be cooked thoroughly. Do not overcrowd it, or your food items might not be as crispy and crunchy as you want.

Your food should be flipped halfway through cooking. Shake the basket when you flip the food to make sure the seasoning spreads throughout for the remainder of the cooking time.

Clean Your Air Fryer After Each Use

To keep your air fryer in good use, it requires regular cleaning. When you are done using it, clean your air fryer and the basket thoroughly.

This helps keep your air fryer sanitary and prolongs the overall lifespan.

It is not any more complicated than other cooking appliances. Wait until the fryer has been cooled off for long enough before cleaning it.

Easy Air Fryer Recipes

Here are some super simple air fryer recipes, all of which are healthy and contain nutrients and health.

Stuffed Peppers

This recipe has ingredients that are easy to put together. You can have stuffed peppers in a matter of minutes if you prepare it properly.

It is a healthy option since the majority of the dish is a vegetable. There is lean tasty protein on the inside. Cook your bell peppers in boiling water for a couple of minutes to soften them after removing the seeds and stems.

Preheat the air fryer. Saute your onions and garlic in oil. Cook the beef and other ingredients with Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and fresh tomato sauce.

Fill the peppers with the mixture, and then pop them in your air fryer.

Air Fryer Banana Chips

If you have been looking for a healthy snack that is easy to prepare ahead of time, why not make some banana chips? You can buy these in bags at the store, but they often contain preservatives to keep them fresh.

You can reduce the additives and save money by making them yourself. The important thing to keep in mind is that you need to use raw or barely ripe bananas so they aren’t too mushy.

Slice the bananas into thin slices and coat them with salt and any seasonings you want to use. Add some olive oil to the chips and place them in the air fryer basket for about 15 minutes.

‘Fried’ Green Beans

A good way to get the kids to eat more vegetables is to make them appear fried. This is much healthier to do when you have an air fryer, plus it makes it super simple. You will prepare the green beans just like most of the fried food for the air fryer.

You want to season the green beans first, then create a coating with egg, flour, and breading of your choice. If you want them to be lower carbs, use grated cheese instead of regular breading, or you can use pork rinds.

There are many things you can do with an air fryer, these are just some easy recipes to help get you started.

Use the Air Fryer For Low-Carb Recipes

One of the top benefits to an air fryer is that you can make food that resembles fried food but doesn’t contain the breading on the outside. This is great not only for general health but especially for people who are on a low carb diet.

If you are on a low carb diet like Atkins or Keto, you might be missing that fried chicken or fish sticks; but you can still make them with the air fryer.

Mozzarella Sticks

A great low-carb recipe to try with your air fryer is to make mozzarella sticks, something you probably thought would never be an option while following this lifestyle. To prepare mozzarella sticks, you are not going to use any breading for the outside, but grated parmesan.

This is hard to do in a deep fryer because the cheese melts quickly off the mozzarella sticks, then drops in the fryer. However, with an air fryer, it gives you more freedom to make these.

All you do is cut mozzarella cheese sticks in half, dip them in egg, then roll them around in grated parmesan. You can repeat this twice for a thicker breading, then put them in the air fryer.

Crispy Fried Broccoli

If you are looking for ways to get your kids to eat their broccoli, why not make a healthier version of deep-fried broccoli? This gives it a nice crispy edge on the outside, making it yummy whether eating it on the side of chicken or having the crispy broccoli with some light ranch dip.

As always, preheat your air fryer while preparing the ingredients. You want to have small florets that are soaked in a bowl of water or washed, then drained and dried.

Season the broccoli how you want, then while it is still wet, roll it in the flour of your choice and drop it in the air fryer basket. It should cook in about 10 minutes. For a low-carb diet, use almond flour.

Healthier Fish Sticks

You may be missing your favorite deep-fried fish sticks, but now you can make a much healthier version of them that is also low-carb. You need cod or tilapia filets, along with some pork rinds, seasoning of choice, and mayonnaise.

Put some pork rinds in a bag and crush them until they look like bread crumbs. Combine the bread crumbs and seasoning in a bowl, then add mayonnaise to each side of your filet.

This allows the pork rinds to stick to them. Place each filet in the bag of crushed pork rinds to coat them, then drop in the basket of the air fryer until cooked through and crispy on the outside.