Want quick, easy and healthy snacks and meals? Buy an air fryer

Written by Nyomi Graef

Agh, I have an addiction! Air fried foods! My nifty little air fryer is getting a workout (or should I say getting burnout?)
 
Ever since I discovered the benefits of air fried food, my air fryer has become the next love of my life. (Even the brand name is the name of a man, no joke. It’s a sign...)
 
Why do I love my air fryer? It:

• does an awesome job of cooking.
• cooks food quicker than an oven.
• takes no time to heat up (unlike an oven).
• is only 1500 watts, so it uses less electricity than an oven.
• requires less oil than a deep fryer, yet I still get great tasting chips and more. (Just a light coating of olive oil on my potatoes etc. does the job.)
• is quicker and easier to clean than an oven (it takes only about 5 minutes to clean my non-stick air fryer).
• is cheaper than an oven. I bought my air fryer on sale for only $80, including postage and handling. Bargain! It is smaller (3.5 kilos) than air fryers costing (up to) hundreds of dollars, but I don’t need an air fryer this big, as I only cook for one to two people.
• makes some foods (such as chicken wings) crispier than oven-cooked foods. This is because the excess fat/oil drips off instead of having the food sit around in the fat while the food’s cooking.
• is portable. I can easily put my air fryer in my car and take it to people’s houses and use it there, if they don’t have an air fryer or they want to have two air fryers cooking at the same time (I’ve done both before).

 
Are there any downsides to air fryers?
 Air fryers aren’t as big as ovens, so ovens are better for bigger meals and larger families. (But my air fryer is more than big enough to cater for my cooking needs, so I’m happy.)
 
What foods do I recommend cooking in an air fryer?
 Veggies! My favourite air fried veggies are potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini and eggplant. With a little healthy oil (such as extra virgin olive oil), salt, herbs and spices, you can create healthy and amazing veggie delights! I recommend mixed herbs, rosemary, black pepper, garlic and allspice, in particular. Avoid boredom – have fun experimenting with different veggie recipes.
 
I also like cooking meat in my air fryer. Years ago I created a simple – yet very tasty – dish that I call Nyomi's Baked Chicken (NBC). It quickly became one of my favourites. I used to cook it in my oven, but for over a year I’ve been using my air fryer instead. I won’t go back! NBC is better air fried!
 
NBC is simply chicken wings with spicy crumbs (I love, and recommend, gluten-free rice crumbs). I add a little salt to the crumbs, and lots of herbs and spices including paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, chilli, lemon myrtle and mixed herbs/Italian herbs.* They are a friend and family favourite!
 
For healthy, quick and easy meals and snacks, check out air fryers. Save time, money and electricity compared to oven cooking. Enjoy amazing chips, meat and more. You might also have a hot (up to 200 degrees C hot, haha) love in your life too!
 
* (From the NBC info above): I used to coat my chicken wings in olive oil before rolling the wings in the spicy crumb mixture. I don’t bother adding the oil now, as I’ve found that chicken wings have enough fat in them for the crumbs to stick onto them without needing to use oil.​