5 Easy Airfryer Dishes (And Tips) for The Beginner

[Article Update: April 2016]

I often get this question from new airfryer users or those who are about to buy an airfryer: What should I first cook? I know you are excited, but remember that while an airfryer can fry/ bake/ cook, it works a little differently from normal deep-fryers or ovens. 

Most airfryers should come with some recipes, but here are my personal favourites and tips.


Tried-and-tested failproof recipes

1) Potato wedges (recipe here): So this is likely why you bought the airfryer - to fry something with 80% less oil, as claimed by advertisements. Airfry some potato wedges to convince anyone who thought that you were crazy to buy another kitchen equipment, and they will retract their words. Use fresh potatoes instead of frozen packs, since you have decided to start a healthy lifestyle anyway.

Home-made potato wedges

2) Scrambled eggs (recipe here): Eggs are really cheap, so you won't really feel the pinch if the dish fails. Scrambled eggs make wonderful breakfast/  brunch dishes and are fast to prepare!

Scrambled eggs on toast

(PS: You can use the airfryer to toast bread too!)

3) Lemon rosemary chicken (recipe here): Here's another of my favourite and most often-used recipe, as we cook this weekly. It's fast and healthy, and the family loves the tangy lemon tinge too!

Juicy lemon rosemary chicken

4) Chicken nuggets (recipe here): If you are really stretched for time, of course you can fall back on frozen foods (our other recipes here). After all, if the dish turns out really nice and crispy, who cares?

Chicken nuggets

5) Banana cake (recipe here): Bananas are nutrition-packed and easily available, so why not try a banana cake? I know some people found success in banana cakes as these could end up being overly-moist if wrongly done. But my 2 simple secrets are to (a) fold the mixture and not overmix; and (b) not add more bananas than prescribed in the recipe.

Banana cake

Final tips

1) Follow the airfryer recipe closely: Airfyer recipes you find online are often tried-and-tested, so for first-timers, I would recommend that you use the same temperature and timing settings. This is especially true if you have found a recipe from someone using the same airfryer model as you. You can adjust the settings in your subsequent trials to suit your machine and preference.

2) Cook in smaller portions: I dislike feeding the bin, so I tend to cook smaller portions for "experiments". A good rule of thumb is to prepare half a serving for each person who will be trying your food. This way, you also get a balanced mix of feedback, so you know how to improve next time.

3) If you are using your favourite oven recipe for the airfryer, lower the temperature by 20 degrees Celsius.

4) If you are feeling brave and want to create your own recipe, start off in lower temperatures or shorter timings: The worst thing is to end up with a burnt item and you can no longer reverse the cooking process! (Unless you are baking a cake and need to bake it for a minimum time period so that the cake can rise.)

Cooking is sometimes like a science, but really an art too. Remember to have fun :) Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions!

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