Recipes

EasyAmerican

Candied Pickle Bacon

Sweet-and-spicy bacon strips, rolled in brown sugar and pork rub, then baked on a wire rack at 180°C (350°F) so the fat drips away while the sugar melts into a crackly candy glaze. Bacon baked flat on a tray stews in its own grease; the rack is what keeps the coating dry enough to caramelize. Sriracha and chopped pickled jalapeño go on before baking, so their heat and vinegar cook right into the shell. After about 20 minutes the strips still feel slightly soft; give them a minute to cool and the coating sets hard and glassy. For a milder batch, leave off the sriracha and jalapeño.

25 min4 servings

EasyAmerican

Viral Chicken Wings

These sticky air-fryer wings owe their crunch to one trick: standing the wings upright between the bars of a rack, so hot air reaches every side and none need flipping. Season 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of wings with salt right in the bag, then cook at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes, until the skin turns deep golden and crisp. The glaze of honey, ketchup, soy sauce and garlic powder goes on only after cooking; tossed over hot wings, it caramelizes as they rest instead of steaming the skin soft.

27 min4 servings

EasyAmerican

Air Fried BBQ Nuggets

A ketchup dip is the trick behind these barbecue-style air-fryer nuggets: it stands in for beaten egg, gluing the panko to the chicken while baking a tangy, faintly sweet note into the crust. Cut the breast into chunky pieces rather than thin strips; the extra thickness keeps the center juicy while the outside crisps at 180°C (350°F). There is no oil bath and no egg wash, just chicken, ketchup, panko, salt and pepper. Give them 15–20 minutes, until the crumbs have deepened to golden brown and the thickest piece is opaque all the way through.

28 min4 servings

EasyAmerican

Crispy Cheese Sticks

These air-fryer cheese sticks swap the usual batter for phyllo dough, which crisps into thin, shattering layers and seals the mozzarella in so it melts instead of leaking. Cut the block into sticks about 1–1.5 cm (½ in) thick, wrap each one snugly in phyllo, then dip in beaten egg and roll in panko before air-frying at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Watch for the panko to turn an even golden brown; that is your sign the cheese inside has gone soft and stretchy. Short on time later in the week? Assemble a batch, freeze, and cook straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes.

20 min4 servings

MediumAmerican

Crispiest Ever Homemade Fries

These air-fryer fries owe their crunch to three quick steps before they reach the basket: an ice-water soak that rinses off surface starch, a short microwave par-cook so the insides turn fluffy, and a shake in a jar with Italian herbs and mayonnaise. Mayo sounds odd on fries, but its fat and emulsifiers help every edge brown evenly with no pot of oil. Start at 160°C (325°F) for 5 minutes, shake the basket, then finish at 200°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes until the fries are deep golden with crisp skins. Salt while hot. No Italian herbs on hand? Thyme, rosemary, or garlic powder all work.

35 min4 servings

EasyEuropean

Crispy Schnitzel in Air Fryer

A thin pork or veal cutlet gets a panko crust in the air fryer, and it crisps up properly because panko crumbs are large and airy, so hot circulating air can brown every ridge without a pot of oil. The one step that decides everything happens before breading: pound the cutlet evenly thin under cling film, or thick spots will still be pink when the crust is done. A light brush of soy sauce seasons the meat right under the coating. After about 15 minutes at 180°C (350°F) with one flip, look for an even, deep golden crust on both sides. No panko? Coarse dry breadcrumbs work too.

25 min2 servings

MediumAmerican

Crispy Cheesy Onion Rings

These onion rings hide a pocket of cheddar between two nested rings, and a splash of tonic water in the batter is what keeps the panko shell from turning heavy: the fizz lightens the mix so the coating crisps properly in the air fryer. Choose pairs of rings that sit snugly inside each other and pack the cheese in firmly, or it will leak as it melts. Fifteen minutes at 200°C (400°F) is usually enough; look for deep golden panko all over before you pull them out. Cold sparkling water works in place of tonic if that is what you have.

30 min4 servings

EasyAmerican

KFC Popcorn Chicken

Bite-size chicken breast pieces get a KFC-style coating from egg and seasoned flour, then crisp up in the air fryer instead of a pot of oil. The seasoning does the heavy lifting: smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, oregano and a little ginger give that familiar fried-chicken flavour, while a teaspoon of baking powder in the flour puffs the crust so it dries crisp in the hot air. Cut the cubes evenly so they cook at the same rate, and keep them in a single layer with a light spray of olive oil. At 200°C (400°F) they need about 15 minutes; crowd the basket and they steam instead of crisping.

25 min4 servings

EasyItalian

Pizza Onion Rings

Here is a snack that treats frozen onion rings as ready-made pizza bases: crisp breaded rings under melted mozzarella and pepperoni, straight from a 180°C (350°F) oven in 20 minutes. Spread the rings in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray so hot air can crisp the breading instead of steaming it under the cheese. Grate the mozzarella yourself; it melts smoother and stretches better than pre-shredded. Check the timing on your onion ring bag, and if the rings need more than 20 minutes, bake them alone for a few minutes before adding the toppings. They are done when the cheese is bubbling across the tray.

25 min4 servings

EasyAsian

Ramlette

A ramlette turns a pack of instant noodles and two eggs into a folded, cheese-filled pan dinner in about 10 minutes. The trick is draining the noodles well before the egg goes in; wet noodles thin the egg and it never sets into a sliceable layer. Dill, dried onion and a splash of cream season the eggs, while crisscross-scored hot dogs fry up with far more browned surface than plain ones. Once folded over the cheddar, keep the lid on until the cheese pulls into strings when you lift the edge, then slide it onto a plate. No cheddar handy? Any good melting cheese works.

15 min2 servings

EasyAmerican

Sheet Pan Sandwich

One sheet pan turns seven eggs, salami, and sliced bread into four hot breakfast sandwiches at once. Crack the eggs straight into the greased pan and whisk with a fork right there; they spread into an even layer that bakes firm enough to cut and fold. Mozzarella and cream cheese melt in for richness, salami covers the surface, and bread brushed with garlic-oregano butter goes on top as the lid. After about 15 minutes at 180°C (350°F) the bread should be golden and the egg set, with no wobble in the middle. No salami in the fridge? Ham or bacon covers the pan just as well.

25 min4 servings

EasyItalian

Airfryer Breakfast Frittata

Five eggs, a splash of cream and a handful of vegetables set into a golden frittata right in the air fryer basket, with no oven to heat and no skillet to wash. Whisk the eggs with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, spinach and grated cheddar, then pour everything onto a sheet of parchment in the basket. The paper holds the loose egg so it cannot drip through the holes; leave a gap at the edges so hot air keeps circulating. Cook at 180°C (350°F) for 12–16 minutes, until the top is golden and the middle no longer wobbles. Milk can stand in for the cream if you want it lighter.

20 min2 servings