How To Convert Your Favorite Recipes For An Air Fryer

Air fryers are all the rage right now. They promise to deliver crisp "dry-fried" foods, juicy proteins, and crave-worthy vegetables but are also easy to use.

Following the surge in its use, there has been a flurry of air fryer cookbooks generated for fans of the equipment. But what if you are craving some of your favorite recipes in your air fryer?

It will make you wonder if you can convert recipes that were not originally designed with the air fryer in mind and the answer to that is yes but with some caveats.

Remember that every air fryer is different and will work differently, especially with recipes that are not written specifically for your unit.

As such, it is advised that you check the foods frequently for doneness, getting proper internal temperatures on proteins to ensure foods are fully cooked as you experiment with conversions.

Below we examine three kinds of recipes and discuss how they can be adapted for your air fryer.

How to Convert Deep-Fried Recipes for Your Air fryer

There are three things to consider.

• Temperature: Standard deep fryer recipes are usually done in 350°–375°F oil: the perfect temp to make things crispy and thoroughly cooked and hot enough to prevent greasiness. Since the circulating air of an air fryer will be in less intense contact with your food than hot oil, you'll need to compensate by increasing your temperature a bit to around 390°F for anything that is traditionally deep fried.
• Oil: To get that crisp right, use only a small amount of oil. Start with a light spray of a high-temperature cooking oil, then halfway through cooking, flip over or toss and add a second light spritz.
• Timing: Start checking for doneness about 2/3 of the way through the standard time in your original recipe. Make sure protein internal temperatures are safe before removing them from the air fryer.

How to Convert Shallow or Pan-Fried Recipes for Your Air Fryer

• Oil: If you're making a battered item like onion rings or tempura, arrange them in a single layer in the greased pan and lightly spray before flipping halfway through cooking.
• Timing: ensure you stir it well every couple of minutes to keep things cooking thoroughly and evenly. Begin checking for doneness 2/3 of the way through the standard time in your original recipe. Make sure protein internal temperatures are safe before removing them from the air fryer.

How to Convert Standard Oven Recipes for Your Air Fryer

All You have to do is remember the number 25. Reduce the heat from your standard oven recipe by 25 degrees and reduce the time by 25%. You will still need to start checking for doneness about 2/3 of the way through the standard time in your original recipe and make sure protein internal temperatures are safe before removing them from the air fryer.

Happy cooking!