My focus has always been on preparing healthy home-cooked meals that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together, chatting about their day. I don’t eliminate the foods I love or impose restrictions. Instead, I aim to cook those foods in a healthier way to create well-balanced meals.
Air fryers have been growing in popularity for multiple reasons: they are inexpensive to buy, cheap to run and cook foods rapidly. Before I started on my latest book, my air fryer had been used for warming things up or cooking very basic dishes such as seasoned chicken, potatoes or fish. Could I use it, I wondered, to create varied and delicious recipes that would save people time and money – as well as being low in calories?
The answer is a resounding yes. From fakeaways to family favourites, I’ve included them all. Here, I’ve selected five dishes that I hope you’ll return to time and again.
Choosing an air fryer
I always recommend going for the biggest size you can afford that can fit in your kitchen. A single person or small family may manage with a one-basket air fryer of around three litres capacity, though a bigger family might want to invest in a large-capacity model or a dual-basket air fryer of nine litres. With a dual fryer, you can cook two different things at once so you can pretty much make a complete meal without even having to turn on the oven or hob.
Adapting your own recipes
The great news is that almost anything you can cook in an oven can also be done in an air fryer with a few modifications, and vice versa. As a basic rule, reduce the oven temperature of a recipe by 15C and decrease the cooking time by 20 per cent. Conversely, when adapting an air fryer recipe for a conventional oven, increase the temperature by 15C and add 25 per cent extra cooking time.
Cooking oils
While it’s possible to cook oil-free in an air fryer, using a small amount of oil can make a significant difference in achieving optimal results and the extra calories are well worth it. Typically, just one tablespoon of oil is sufficient for a recipe intended to serve four people and can greatly enhance the flavour and texture of the finished dish. Mostly I like to use olive oil spray, and choose one that doesn’t contain emulsifiers.
Recipes from Slimming Eats Made in the Air Fryer, by Siobhan Wightman (Yellow Kite, £20)
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