Do you have an air fryer? I reviewed one last year, and it quickly became one of my favorite appliances. I was quite pleased with the way french fries, chicken tenders, BBQ drumsticks and much, much more cooked up fast and oil free. And delicious.
Thing is, I had trouble finding recipes that went beyond the basics, beyond those things mentioned above. So I don't use my air fryer as often as I would like, as often as I could and should.
Enter 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury, freelance food writer and author of more than 20 cookbooks (including this one I previously reviewed). I received a copy of the glossy cover paperback for review and instantly fell in love with it.
Inside the glossy cover of 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes the pages are primarily B&W with four eight-page, full-color sections featuring mouth-watering photos and the page numbers of the featured recipes. There are, as the title suggests, 175 recipes — specifically for an air fryer appliance — broken into the following chapter titles (followed by examples of the many goodies in each):
Top 20 Fried Favorites — fries, onion rings, mozzerella sticks
Breakfast and Brunch — frittatas, omelettes, muffins, scones
Appetizers and Snacks — poppers, dips, chips, air-fried edamame and more
Entrees — from oysters, salmon, cod and such to meatballs, chicken, burgers and even stuffed peppers
Vegetables and Sides — fries of all sorts (even avocado fries!) plus okra, stuffing, and air-fried green tomatoes
Desserts — poundcakes, molten cakes, donuts and donut holes, and churros, too
Sauces, Dips and More — Dipping sauces, hot dips, dressings, glazes and other goodies
There also are chapters on air fryer basics as well as one on "The Air Fryer Pantry," featuring ingredients to make it simple to air fry a tasty treat or meal with minimal visits to the grocery store.
My favorite recipe from the book so far has turned out to be the Hoisin Glaze (page 260) that accompanied a meatball recipe. A glaze that didn't require frying at all, air or otherwise. The meatballs were perfect but the glaze that coated them — which can go with all sorts of meats and Asian dishes of various sorts — was absolutely fabulous. Even my husband, who never says much of anything about food unless he doesn't like it, commented on how "flavorful" it was.
For a taste of some of the other flavorful fixins in 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes, here are a few I was given permisson by the publisher to share:
EGG ROLLS
Courtesy of 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury © 2016 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.
Makes 10 egg rolls
This master egg roll recipe has a lot of flexibility; feel free to use up leftover meat or chicken in place of the shrimp and vary the vegetables according to what you have in the crisper. One fundamental tip: Don’t overstuff! Egg roll wrappers are pliable, but they will tear if you stretch them too much.
1 tbsp cornstarch 15 mL
1 tsp granulated sugar 5 mL
1⁄2 tsp ground ginger 2 mL
21⁄2 tbsp soy sauce 37 mL
1 tsp white or cider vinegar 5 mL
2 tsp vegetable oil 10 mL
3 cups coleslaw mix 750 mL
1⁄3 cup drained canned water chestnuts, 75 mL, chopped
1⁄3 cup chopped green onions 75 mL
1 cup chopped cooked shrimp 250 mL
10 refrigerated or thawed frozen 6 1⁄2-inch (16 cm) square egg roll wrappers
Nonstick cooking spray
1. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, ginger, soy sauce and vinegar.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add coleslaw mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Cook, stirring, until cabbage is wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat air fryer to 390°F (200°C).
4. Place 1 wrapper on work surface, with an edge facing you. Spoon 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) cabbage mixture onto bottom third. Fold the sides in toward the center and roll tightly away from you, enclosing filling. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
5. Place 3 to 4 egg rolls, seam side down, in air fryer basket. Spray generously with cooking spray. Air-fry for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining egg rolls.
Tips
The egg rolls can be assembled up to 1 day in advance. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use. Increase the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes for chilled egg rolls.
While assembling the egg rolls, keep the stack of wrappers moist by covering them with a damp towel.
BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN
Courtesy of 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury © 2016 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.
In this lighter, simpler version of fried chicken, chicken drumsticks and thighs are marinated in spicy seasoned buttermilk before being tossed in a flavorful coating. A spritz of cooking spray is all it takes to deliver a crispy, crunchy “fried” texture.
Makes 2 servings
Tips
If you prefer, you can use 2 bone-in chicken breasts (totaling no more than 1 lb/500 g) in place of the thighs and drumsticks.
You can use all drumsticks or all thighs in place of a combination.
Air fryers become very hot. Use oven pads or mitts when touching the appliance and when opening and closing the basket.
2 chicken drumsticks (about 8 oz/2 - 250 g total), patted dry
2 small chicken thighs (about 8 oz/2 - 250 g total), patted dry
2⁄3 cup buttermilk 150 mL
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 tsp cayenne pepper 0.5 mL
2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour 150 mL
1 tsp garlic powder 5 mL
1 tsp paprika 5 mL
1 tsp baking powder 5 mL
Nonstick cooking spray
1. In a large sealable plastic bag, combine drumsticks, thighs, buttermilk, 1⁄4 tsp (1 mL) salt, 1⁄8 tsp (0.5 mL) black pepper and cayenne. Press out most of the air, seal and gently squeeze bag to combine. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or for up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat air fryer to 380°F (200°C).
3. In another large sealable plastic bag, combine flour, garlic powder, paprika, baking powder, 3⁄4 tsp (3 mL) salt and 3⁄4 tsp (3 mL) black pepper.
4. Remove 2 chicken pieces from buttermilk, shaking off excess, and place in bag with flour mixture. Seal and shake well, coating completely. Place in air fryer basket. Repeat with the remaining chicken and flour mixture, spacing chicken pieces evenly in a single layer in basket. Discard buttermilk marinade and any excess flour mixture. Spray chicken with cooking spray.
5. Air-fry for 20 minutes. Open basket and, using tongs or a spatula, carefully turn chicken over. Spray with cooking spray. Air-fry for 8 to 12 minutes or until coating is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a drumstick registers 165°F (74°C). Serve immediately.
Variation
Gluten-Free Fried Chicken: Replace the all-purpose flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
TOFFEE APPLE HAND PIES
Courtesy of 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury © 2016 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.
Offering a simple but ever-popular pairing, these toffee and apple hand pies are full of seasonal flavors.
Storage Tip
Store the cooled pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Makes 4 hand pies
Preheat air fryer to 360°F (180°C)
3 cups finely chopped peeled tart-sweet (750 mL) apples (such as Gala, Braeburn or Cortland)
3 tbsp granulated sugar, divided 45 mL
3⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon 3 mL
1 chocolate-covered English toffee candy bar (1.4 oz/40 g), chopped
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 15 mL
1 package (15 oz/425 g) refrigerated rolled pie crusts
1 large egg
1 tbsp water 15 mL
1. In a medium bowl, combine apples, 2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar, cinnamon, toffee and lemon juice.
2. On work surface, unroll 1 pie crust. Cut into 4 equal wedges. Spread 3⁄4 cup (175 mL) filling on each of 2 wedges, leaving a 1⁄2-inch (2 cm) border. Brush crust edges with water. Top with the 2 remaining wedges. Press edges firmly with a fork to seal. Cut three small slits in the top of each hand pie.
3. In a small cup or bowl, whisk together egg and water. Brush tops of pies with some of the egg wash and sprinkle with half of the remaining sugar.
4. Place pies in air fryer basket, spacing them evenly. Air-fry for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 with the remaining pie crust, filling, egg wash and sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
175 Best Air Fryer Recipes (Amazon affiliate link) by Camilla V. Saulsbury (MSRP $24.95) is published by Robert Rose Inc. Visit www.robertrose.ca to find out more about this cookbook as well as other titles from Robert Rose.
Discosure: I received this book free for review; opinions are my own.
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