Try some of these simple yet satisfying recipes from Louise Kenney’s Foolproof Air Fryer cookbook, which will help you make the most of this popular appliance.
Air fryers offer versatility, energy and time efficiency. They preheat in minutes, making cooking dinner after a long day at the office and school quick and convenient. With these foolproof air fryer recipes, you can knock up dinner with ease. And because air fryers offer you mostly hands-off cooking – you only need to turn food occasionally to ensure it cooks evenly – you may even get a few minutes to sit back and relax while the air fryer does the work. This appliance is great for baking too – everything from scones and pastries to meringues.
Here is our pick of the best of the foolproof air fryer recipes to tempt children’s tastebuds, but that are loved by all ages, from this book.
Loaded Nachos
Serves 4 – you will need a deep baking dish that fits your air fryer for this recipe, along with a parchment cake tin liner
Ingredients:
- 250g cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 red onion and 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil
- Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
- 200g tortilla chips
- 250g Gouda cheese, sliced
- 2 tbsp jalapenos from a jar, drained
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sour cream to serve
Method:
- In a small bowl, mix together the cherry tomatoes, red onion, red chilli, red wine vinegar, olive oil and half the coriander.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C and line a deep baking tin with the parchment cake liner (this will make removing the nachos easier.
- Tip half the tortilla chips into the lined tin, then top with half the tomato mixture, half the cheese and half the jalapenos.
- Air fry for 8 mins.
- Carefully remove the nachos from the baking dish, holding the exposed bits of parchment, and transfer to the serving dish.
- Sprinkle over the remaining coriander and spring onions and serve immediately with a good dollop of sour cream.
Chicken Schnitzel
Serves 2 – you can double the recipes, but will need to cook the schnitzel in two batches and you will need two racks
Ingredients:
- 2 skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp cold water
- 50g medium matzo meal (if you can’t find matzo meal, use fine breadcrumbs)
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon; ½ lemon cut into wedges to serve
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Layer the chicken breasts between 2 large pieces of greaseproof paper. Bash with a rolling pin to flatten the breasts (they should be bout 5mm thick all over).
- Place the flour and some salt and pepper onto a plate. Pour the beaten egg into a wide bowl and, in a separate bowl, mix the matzo meal/breadcrumbs with the Parmesan, lemon zest, olive oil and some salt and pepper.
- Dust each chicken breast in the flour, then dip into the egg and finally, cover in the matzo/breadcrumb mix.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°
- Place the chicken breast into the air fryer, spray generously with the cooking spray and cook for 15 mins, turning it halfway through.
- Serve the schnitzel immediately with the lemon wedges.
Sweet Potato Wedges
Serves 4 – these are best made with long wedges as they look beautiful once cooked.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg sweet potatoes, washed and cut into 2cm wedges
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Yoghurt to serve
Method:
- Mix the sweet potato wedges with the olive oil and salt.
- Preheat the air fryer to 190°
- Roast for 25 mins, shaking the basket halfway through, or turn the wedges with tongs if using an oven-style air fryer.
- Serve immediately with yoghurt spooned over the top.
Giant Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Serves 8 – crisp on top and gooey in the middle. These giant cookies can be cut into wedges to serve. You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it, then bake the cookies to order.
Ingredients:
- 60g crunchy peanut butter
- 75g unsalted butter
- 90g light soft brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 110g self-raising flour, sifted
- 90g dark chocolate chips
- Sea salt
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Method:
- In a saucepan, melt together the peanut butter and butter. Stir well to combine.
- In a large bowl, mix the melted butters with the sugar, using a wooden spoon, then crack in the egg and mix again.
- Next, add the flour, chocolate chips and a pinch of salt, then mix briefly until you have a very soft mixture.
- Preheat the air fryer to 190°
- Line the air fryer with a sheet of perforated baking parchment and spoon half the mixture on top. Flatten it with a spatula, spreading the mixture out to make a 20cm cookie.
- Bake for 10 mins, then carefully remove from the air fryer and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Cut each cookie into quarters and serve with some vanilla ice cream.
Find more quick-to-prepare recipes here.
About the book
Foolproof Air Fryer contains over 60 recipes that make cooking quick and easy. The author has included some important information on air fryers, some dos and don’ts as well as a list and explanation of essential items. There are also recipes for suitable accompaniments. (Jonathan Ball Publishers, R340)
