- 6 minutes ago
Need more from your air fryer than just crispy fries and chicken wings? In this video, Nicole shares 14 clever air fryer hacks that prove this countertop appliance can do so much more. From perfectly roasting meats and cooking frozen seafood to making popcorn, hard-boiled eggs, and even cookies, these unexpected tips will help you get more out of your air fryer every day.
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00:00Did you know air fryers can boil eggs with no water,
00:03bake cookies, and make juicy burgers?
00:04Well, I'm sharing those tricks, plus more,
00:07to show you that air fryers are worth
00:08taking up that counter space.
00:10One of my favorite things to do in an air fryer
00:12is roast meats.
00:13It can do everything from chicken and pork chops
00:16to pork tenderloin, steak, and even a whole chicken,
00:20which we're about to do.
00:21The skin gets crispy on the outside,
00:23it cooks in less time, and it stays juicy on the inside.
00:27Simply coat with a little oil,
00:29adding just a little oil to coat really helps get crispy,
00:32and it helps the seasoning stick.
00:34Seasonings are customizable, you can do whatever you want.
00:37I do suggest you add salt,
00:38because that's what's gonna help form a crust.
00:40You can take your favorite roasted chicken recipe,
00:42whatever seasonings you use, and do that here.
00:45Don't forget the cavity.
00:46I've marinated a pork tenderloin,
00:48and I'm gonna put that in another air fryer,
00:50just to show you.
00:51It's one of my favorite ways to cook a pork tenderloin.
00:53I don't ever do it in my oven anymore.
00:55A lot of times when I'm cooking smaller sized foods,
00:57the goal is to get it crispy.
00:59So almost always, I have that air fryer turned up
01:02to at least 390 or 400.
01:04When we are cooking something so large,
01:05we want the inside to be able to cook
01:08at the same time the outside does.
01:09If it's too high, the outside's gonna cook,
01:11and the inside's gonna be raw.
01:13So we're gonna go a little bit lower, 360 degrees.
01:16And just to prevent the top burning on our roasted chicken,
01:21I'm gonna start with it breast side down
01:22for the first 20 minutes or so,
01:24and then I'll flip it and let it finish roasting.
01:26This one might not save you a ton of time
01:28versus doing it in the oven,
01:30but your end product is going to have crispier skin,
01:33which I love.
01:34You ready for this?
01:37We did it.
01:37I don't even know if I expected it to look that good.
01:42Crispy skin, that's what I like.
01:44And you can wait till you slice it,
01:46or even at this point,
01:47it has all this little liquid gold
01:49that's accumulated at the bottom.
01:51We did that.
01:52We did that.
01:54Oh, see that juice in there?
01:59It's a perfectly roasted chicken.
02:03That's delicious.
02:04Look at this.
02:06I told you, it makes the most perfect pork tenderloin.
02:10While it did come out of the air fryer,
02:12taste like it came off the grill.
02:15For your first lesson, you must understand
02:17that an air fryer is perfect for roasting meats.
02:21Perfectly cooked, caramelized on the outside,
02:23that flavor, so tender.
02:27On the inside, mm, you still get all this good juice.
02:32Roasting whole cuts of meat is such a valuable lesson
02:35that you could stop here,
02:37but I've got way more to show you.
02:39Your air fryer makes delicious salsa,
02:42and the reason why is because an air fryer
02:44can kind of char your veggies.
02:46Any recipe where you want kind of a smokier flavor,
02:50break out the air fryer and crank it up.
02:53So I'm gonna start by just putting in the tomatoes,
02:55some onion, and jalapeno.
02:57I'll give those a head start,
02:58and then I'll add in some garlic and oil.
03:00Recipe says 390.
03:02I'm going to 400 just to maximize that char.
03:05And unlike doing this over a flame or in the oven
03:08or on the stove, it's gonna happen a lot faster.
03:11The browning will start to happen after about five minutes.
03:14The whole thing should take about 10.
03:16Look at those blistered roasted veggies.
03:19I'm just gonna take it out
03:22and let them cool off just a little bit,
03:24and we can just easily peel the skin off of the tomatoes now.
03:28You don't have to, though.
03:29If you just wanna puree it all together, you totally can.
03:32I'm gonna leave the skin on the jalapeno
03:33to kind of add that charred flavor to my salsa.
03:36But if you wanted to blanch your tomatoes and peel them,
03:39this is definitely a faster way.
03:41Everything's gonna go into the food processor.
03:43I'm gonna roughly chop the jalapeno and onion.
03:46It's like fire-roasted salsa.
03:48Okay, I'm gonna pulse this,
03:49and then I'll add in the rest of the ingredients.
03:51Cilantro, lime juice, and a little salt.
03:55You can go as smooth or as chunky as you like.
03:58Does the best salsa you've ever made come out of the air fryer?
04:00Let's see if our minimal effort produced maximum flavor.
04:09That's a good salsa.
04:10Tastes super fresh, and what I really notice
04:12is heating up the tomatoes like that
04:15really brings out their natural sweetness.
04:17You can even kick it up more with more jalapeno
04:19if you want, but this right here is delicious.
04:22If you've got an air fryer sitting out,
04:23taking up counter space, make it earn it to keep
04:25by preparing some snacks, like homemade popcorn.
04:28This is going to taste more like
04:30the stovetop classic version.
04:33First step is to preheat the air fryer.
04:35That way the kernels can start in a hot pot.
04:38400 degrees.
04:39So you're just gonna go straight into your air fryer basket.
04:42I've taken this out so that the kernels
04:44can actually sit in the oil.
04:46This is ideal for a single serving,
04:48maybe a double serving.
04:49About a quarter cup of kernels.
04:51I'm doing avocado oil because it can withstand
04:54that higher temperature.
04:55And you wanna be sure the kernels are coated in the oil.
04:58I'm also gonna go ahead and add in some salt now.
05:01And then it air fries 400 degrees for about five minutes.
05:04Maybe toss it and go a few minutes more.
05:07And then you wanna give it a little shake.
05:09Don't be scared to shake the air fryer.
05:11I think like the microwave, you want to listen
05:14for when it kind of stops popping so that it doesn't hurt.
05:18We have popcorn.
05:22Mm-mm.
05:23Simple as it gets right there.
05:24Most of the kernels popped.
05:26There's still a few in there, but that's the same
05:28that you get when you pop a bag in the microwave.
05:31A little more salt.
05:32So, did you know your air fryer can make popcorn?
05:35You know what else comes out great in the air fryer?
05:38Bacon.
05:38It makes some better bacon.
05:40It's kind of like the roasted meat.
05:42Something about air frying the bacon
05:43helps it get extra crunchy.
05:45And it just kind of cooks in its own fat,
05:48as it does on the skillet,
05:50but it's surrounded by the air.
05:52Kind of like in a convection oven, but still better.
05:56And this is a time where it definitely saves you time.
05:59If you like making your bacon in the oven,
06:02this is definitely at least half the time.
06:05Even if your bacon is a little bit longer
06:07than your air fryer basket,
06:09you know it will shrink up a little bit.
06:11It's gonna fit perfectly.
06:13You can even crowd it in.
06:14I mean, heck, I've cooked bacon in a pot,
06:17all thrown in there, and it works.
06:19It will work in here just like this.
06:22You can go 375, you can go 390.
06:24Definitely want it kind of
06:25in that upper temperature category.
06:28Some good looking bacon.
06:30And my stove is still clean.
06:32And you're also gonna get a bonus
06:33in the bottom of the air fryer.
06:35Air fried bacon fat,
06:37ready to cook in any of your favorite recipes.
06:39This can cool off.
06:41This can go straight in the dishwasher.
06:42It is one of the cleaner ways to cook bacon.
06:45If you haven't been cooking your bacon in the air fryer,
06:48what have you been doing?
06:51Yes, sir, you guessed that air fryers
06:54make delicious burgers.
06:56They are going to be crusty on the outside,
06:59juicy on the inside.
07:01Going 400, place them in, and let them cook.
07:06Woo, those are some big, juicy burgers.
07:10Look at that, honka, honka.
07:15Mm, juicy.
07:16See all the browning that happens on the edges?
07:21That's what I was talking about.
07:22You'd still get kind of that char taste
07:23as if it came off the grill.
07:25But, I mean, the inside is just pouring juice.
07:29Also helps when you use that 80-20
07:32or that good ground beef.
07:34The air fryer's just ideal when you want to just make
07:36a couple burgers or smaller portions
07:38instead of putting on the whole show outside.
07:41So when you don't feel like firing up the grill,
07:43but you want something like a cheeseburger,
07:46break out the air fryer and thank me later.
07:48I feel like you know this one by now,
07:50but maybe you need a reminder that the air fryer
07:52makes the best baked potatoes.
07:54I like to pierce them just two or three times with a fork.
07:58This is exactly how I would make them in the oven,
08:00just in the air fryer.
08:01That skin gets just a little bit crispier,
08:03and it saves you about 15-20 minutes.
08:06Coat them with a little oil
08:08and then season with a little salt, pepper,
08:11and garlic powder or whatever you want to do.
08:13But I eat the skin and I want it to have extra flavor.
08:16Okay, that's it.
08:18Then you just pop them into the air fryer,
08:20400 degrees for about 40 minutes.
08:23What's good is you don't have to heat up your whole kitchen
08:25with the oven when you're just cooking a few potatoes.
08:28I'm gonna go 45 minutes just in case
08:30so it doesn't go off before I'm ready.
08:31Get those toppings ready.
08:33Potatoes are done.
08:34See how good the skin looks?
08:37If you like the skin on a potato, this is the way to go.
08:41Hot potato.
08:43Fluffy.
08:43Add on some butter, a little salt and pepper,
08:46a little sour cream and some fresh chives.
08:49A perfect potato.
08:50I mean, we know what a baked potato tastes like,
08:53but I just need to make sure it's perfect.
08:57And it is.
08:58Give me a bite of the skin.
09:03Next time you're making a baked potato, skip the oven.
09:06You won't regret it.
09:07Remember when I roasted those meats and how delicious they were?
09:10Same rules apply when it comes to roasted veggies.
09:13Air fryer makes delicious roasted veggies, and this is a kind of a staple.
09:18Whether it be this combination of vegetables or any vegetable,
09:20we love to just roast them in the oven usually, putting them in the air fryer.
09:26Delicious.
09:27I do Brussels sprouts all the time, green beans, asparagus.
09:31I'm going to do just some mixed summer veggies here.
09:33So we do want to really prepare them the same way you do in the oven.
09:39Even the same temperature or as high as your air fryer will go.
09:42Why then would you do it in the air fryer?
09:44Because they will cook faster and they will get slightly crispier.
09:48I'm just going to keep it simple, just some oil, salt and pepper.
09:52I'm going to let it preheat and then I'll dump them in.
09:54Now listen, this is a rule when you're cooking things like this in your air fryer.
09:58Don't forget to shake the basket halfway through or even twice or three times throughout the
10:04cooking process.
10:05It keeps things cooking evenly and that way they get browned on all sides, not just on
10:09one.
10:09So it doesn't do it any harm to open it during cooking, give it a little shake and back in.
10:18You can do that all the time.
10:19People are kind of scared to open it in the middle of the process.
10:21Don't be scared.
10:23Don't be scared.
10:23Now these are roasted veggies with color.
10:26Check that out.
10:28I mean, I really feel like they get, they do better in the air fryer than in the oven.
10:32You can see all those little brown bits, that is texture.
10:35And if color equals flavor, you've heard me say that, these are some flavorful veggies.
10:39And you saw all I did, oil, salt and pepper.
10:42These are going to be some of the better veggies you've ever had.
10:47And there's still a slight crunch inside.
10:51They still have some texture.
10:54Lots of flavor.
10:55That was almost magical, actually, what just happened in there.
10:58To turn something so simple into something so flavorful.
11:04Thank you very much.
11:05Your air fryer can bake cookies.
11:07You might have done this one before, but why would you?
11:10Well, A, it's the fastest way to get a warm chocolate chip cookie in your mouth.
11:15But also it's ideal if you're just wanting a snack for one or two people.
11:18Because maybe you don't want to heat up your oven and make a big old tray of cookies.
11:21You can just make as many as you want.
11:24Normally when you bake your cookies, you typically do like 350 degrees.
11:28Well, the environment in the air fryer is smaller and it cooks faster.
11:34So you're going to want to cook these at a lower temperature.
11:36So you can do 300 or 325.
11:40You can put them directly on your air fryer basket, but a lot of them have the little holes in
11:44it.
11:44And sometimes the dough might go through the holes.
11:46So you can just tear a little piece of foil or parchment just to make it a little easier.
11:52That's it.
11:52I'm going to go 300 degrees for about seven or eight minutes.
11:56We have cookies.
11:57Lightly browned around the edges.
11:59I like them kind of gooey in the middle.
12:01You can do it however you like it.
12:02Just like all cookies, we have to let them sit for a second.
12:05Because if you go to pick it up right now, it's just going to be a gooey mess.
12:09Let it cool, let it set, and enjoy your little snack for one or two.
12:13Perfect.
12:13Soft in the middle, toasty around the edges.
12:18This is a little trick that can get a little dangerous because it shouldn't be this easy to bake cookies.
12:23Air fried apple pies are just healthier than deep fried apple pies, so you can have more.
12:29That's right.
12:30The air fryer makes delicious hand pies.
12:34You might have seen me do this on the cookout episode, but in case you missed it, here goes another
12:38version.
12:39You can choose any flavor pie filling.
12:42I'm doing apple today, but it's like a two-ingredient dessert.
12:45Pie filling and pie crust.
12:48Put a little water around the edges, put your filling inside, seal it, and then make it look cute with
12:55a little fork design.
12:56This is one of those times where we still want that fried experience, but without all the deep frying.
13:03I like to add a little fat for this, I'm going to do melted butter, just brushed over and around.
13:10You could also just hit them with cooking spray if you want to, but this is better.
13:13So it's going to help get that crispiness, but it's also going to act as a glue for some cinnamon
13:18sugar, so we get that like crunch.
13:19Cut some slits in it, sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar.
13:23All right, then these just bake in the air fryer, 360 degrees, about six, seven minutes.
13:30Remember, you can open it and check it throughout.
13:32Everybody's air fryer performs differently.
13:34I mean, if those aren't the cutest things you've ever seen, like this should have taken more effort, you know,
13:41but it didn't.
13:42This is the kind of baking I really like doing.
13:45Hot apple pie coming right up from your air fryer in less than 10 minutes.
13:54Mmm.
13:55If this is wrong, I don't want to be right.
13:59Surely you have made hard boiled eggs in your air fryer.
14:02If not, here's your sign.
14:04You're going to go 250 degrees for about 15 minutes, and then you just want to take them out and
14:08throw them in ice water.
14:09I'm going to do one minute more to give it time to preheat.
14:11I'm just going to do about six eggs, but it is great for meal prep because you can fit a
14:16whole dozen in here.
14:17As promised, we boiled eggs with no water.
14:19Into the ice bath.
14:21You can play around with the time because different times will give you different degrees of doneness in the yolk.
14:26If you like it a little jammier, you can go less.
14:28Some people have said in the air fryer it's harder for them to peel.
14:31Clearly not.
14:33Okay, let's see how we did.
14:34That was 15 minutes at 250.
14:36If you want a jammier egg, I would suggest going about 12 minutes.
14:40I mean, if you're making some deviled eggs, it's the way to go right there.
14:44I mean, what can't this thing do?
14:47Here's another one ideal for your after-school snack, your late-night snack.
14:52An air fryer makes the best grilled cheese.
14:55So just make your grilled cheese, assemble it ahead of time just how you normally would if you were going
15:01to cook it in the skillet.
15:02I'm just going to do butter.
15:04Sometimes I do mayonnaise.
15:05Do a combo of pepper jack and American.
15:07This goes about 375 or 380 if you have, you know, five degree increments.
15:13Some air fryers go in 10, some go in five.
15:15And the whole thing takes probably about five minutes.
15:19You'll want to get it toasty and then you want to give it like one flip towards the end just
15:23to be sure that it cooks evenly.
15:24It gets toasty, it gets gooey, and it is, you know, almost a little more indulgent because it does kind
15:31of give you that like fried flavor.
15:34It's a good grilled cheese.
15:36I'm telling you, just evenly toast gets gooey.
15:40Come on now.
15:41Come on now.
15:44This is one that I forget about and I'm glad to show you so that I can be reminded.
15:49I mean, it's all about this.
15:54Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm.
15:56The butter doesn't get lost in the pan like if you were cooking it in the skillet.
16:00It's all like sitting in the bread.
16:04It's the best grilled cheese ever.
16:07Just do that.
16:09I would say breakfast is probably when I use my air fryer the most, whether I'm just cooking bacon or
16:15sausage or heating up the kids some French toast sticks.
16:19It comes in handy, but never so much as it does with this little magic breakfast.
16:24The basically $1 breakfast taco.
16:28Could be the fastest breakfast you make.
16:30No excuses.
16:32No reason to go to the drive-thru when there's something this fast and easy.
16:35Take one tortilla, a slice of cheese.
16:38Kind of make like a little wall.
16:40Some jalapeno.
16:41Then I should have waited and put this in the air fryer first.
16:46Hold on.
16:47Pause.
16:48Put this in the air fryer first.
16:50And then you crack the egg inside the wall.
16:55In we go.
16:56375.
16:59Watch the magic happen.
17:01Mm-hmm.
17:03Told ya.
17:04Right?
17:05Yes, yes.
17:06Still want a little bit of runny then to make it the breakfast taco.
17:09Fold her over.
17:11And the yolk just does its thing.
17:18No excuses indeed when you can have breakfast like this in five minutes.
17:24We know air fryers love our frozen foods like frozen chicken nuggets and french fries and things.
17:29But one of the best tricks is that it also loves frozen seafood.
17:33The air fryer cooks frozen seafood perfectly from frozen.
17:37No thawing required.
17:39Salmon is our go-to when it comes to air frying fish.
17:41They sell these like pre-marinated frozen salmon calais.
17:46But even on the package it says air fryer ready.
17:49Because they know it makes a good fish.
17:52This one already came on a cedar plank.
17:55So what's gonna happen in the air fryer as it cooks, the sugars and everything is gonna caramelize.
17:59It's gonna have a nice crust on the outside.
18:01And then the fish is going to be tender and flaky.
18:04Ah, shoot.
18:05This plank doesn't fit.
18:06Well, I didn't choose the right air fryer for this one.
18:09One second.
18:10This one should work.
18:11Plus, this is what most people have.
18:14Ones like this.
18:15And we just place our frozen fish right in.
18:18Piece of the salmon is pretty thin.
18:19So it's gonna cook a lot faster than like a thicker cut.
18:22So I'm gonna go 400 for just about eight minutes or so.
18:26I'm loving the crispy bits around the edges.
18:29Serve it with some rice.
18:30A little sprinkle green onion.
18:33Just flakes.
18:34And it still does that little test.
18:36You know like when the white stuff comes out of the salmon.
18:38That really tells you it's done.
18:39And that's what's happened on the top.
18:44Perfect.
18:45Easy, fast way to get a delicious fish dinner on the table.
18:49It's from your air fryer.
18:51Speaking of breakfast.
18:52The way to get a freshly baked bagel is to start from frozen and literally toss it in the air
18:58fryer.
18:58It has to start frozen.
19:00That way as it cooks, it'll get toasty on the outside.
19:03But the inside is soft and steamy.
19:06Just like as if you got it hot off the streets in New York.
19:09Ideally you would start with a whole bagel that is unsliced.
19:13But since these come pre-sliced, they're still stuck together.
19:16I think it's gonna work just fine.
19:18Crank your air fryer up to 400 and literally toss it in.
19:21My friend Zoe's trick.
19:26Just takes a couple minutes.
19:30And how are we doing on the inside?
19:33Steamy on the inside.
19:35Let me show you what it's like before you even put cream cheese on it.
19:41No need to worry about your bagels going stale.
19:45Keep them in the freezer and do this.
19:47They just taste better this way.
19:51There you have it.
19:52Have I convinced you that the air fryer has earned its spot on your countertop?
19:56I think so.
19:58I think the air fryer really is the superhero in the kitchen.
20:01At least for now.
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