It's that time again: mid-January, when willpower is fading and the resolutions we so soberly made a few weeks ago have become difficult to maintain.
If eating healthy (and cheaply) has been on your list, now is the time to harness the power of your air fryer to stay motivated.
An air fryer may not seem like a natural choice for eating well. In fact, many people consider it the enemy of good food and good cooking. This is partly due to the word “fryer” in the appliance's name and partly due to its association with beige frozen foods.
But remember that air fryers don't fry food at all. They cook in the same way as a convection oven – by circulating hot air around the food – except they do it faster and more efficiently, saving you time and money when cooking. cooking.
Try an Effortless Dinner
When it gets dark early and it's still cold, it's hard to find the motivation to cook a meal. This is when delivery apps start to look extremely tempting.
But throwing the ingredients for a quick, healthy dinner into the fryer, then hiding under a blanket for 20 minutes while it cooks is a much better option.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
There are hundreds of healthy and quick air fryer recipes you can search online and you don't need a load of complicated ingredients to make them, nor do you need a lot of prep time.
Here are four easy air fryer recipes to try:
If you regularly prepare a meal that includes a protein like chicken breast, fish fillet or steak and a side of vegetables, you will find that a double drawer air fryer is the quickest and easiest way to cook it.
The sync feature on most two-drawer models will allow you to add food to both drawers, choose different cooking times and methods, and prepare everything at once.
Ninja
You can see our top recommendations in our roundup of the best double drawer air fryers we've tested.
Prepare your own snacks
During the winter, you might well turn to snacks to give you a quick energy boost or when you need something to mindlessly chew to stay focused. But processed snacks probably won't get you any closer to your healthy eating goals.
Instead, you can use your air fryer to make your own healthy snacks.
Most air fryers have a dehydration setting and you can use it to prepare jerky or dried fruits. You can even make your own raisins. If your air fryer does not have a dedicated dehydration setting, cut the meat or fruit into thin, even strips and arrange them on the crisper plate in a single layer, set your air fryer to approximately 60°C and timer up to 6 hours.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
As you experiment, set it for an hour at a time and check the jerky or fruit regularly to make sure it isn't too dry.
Give leftovers a second life
It's fine to batch cook or try to use your leftovers to make another meal, but if the food isn't appetizing when you come to eat it, your thoughts will once again turn to a cooking app. delivery.
You won't need as much willpower to avoid less healthy choices if the food you prepare tastes good.
Microwaving leftovers or pre-cooked meals can often leave foods watery or soggy and an air fryer is a better option because it will crisp foods while cooking.
You can put food in baking pans or stoneware pots in the air fryer, but you may also find that silicone air fryer liners are helpful to keep. You can buy them very cheaply on Amazon.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
If you're looking to upgrade your air fryer, check out our top recommendations. We also have lists for the Best Ninja Air Fryer, Best Double Drawer Air Fryer, and Best Air Fryer Oven.
