How I Do Cooking

Tag: air fryer

  • Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

    If you’re just looking for the times and temperature, it’s twelve minutes at 375°F /190°C. Gerne!

    SERVES: 4
    PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
    COOK TIME: 12 MINUTES

    Ingredients

    8 chicken tenders
    2 large eggs
    1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
    Olive oil spray

    Method

    Preheat your air fryer to 375°F /190°C.

    Rinse the tenders in cold water and pat dry.

    Beat the eggs in a bowl until they’re ready to confess, then continue to beat until they’ve convinced you they’re telling the truth.

    Place the eggs in a shallow bowl, spread the breadcrumbs on a plate.

    Roll each tender in the egg, then the breadcrumbs, and set aside without stacking. I used 4C Panko Seasoned Bread Crumbs for this go-around.

    Spray the chicken on both sides with a little bit of olive oil.

    Cook for 12 minutes, turning once. You don’t want to overcrowd your fryer, so cook in batches.

    Notes

    If you have time, brine the chicken first.

    There’s enough salt in the panko mix, so you don’t really need to season the chicken.

    The oil is optional, so don’t sweat it. I helps the chicken to crisp and brown evenly. Without it, they’ll look odd but will still be edible.

    Temperature-wise, I’ve tried this a couple of ways. At 350°F, the chicken was slightly undercooked; at 400°F, it was drier than I like. Your mileage may vary, but to me, 375°F was proper Goldilocks.

  • Salmon and Eggs

    SERVES:2
    PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
    COOKTIME: 12 MINUTES

    Ingredients

    2 salmon fillets
    4 eggs
    2 tbsps of olive oil
    1 tbsp of milk
    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Salmon

    Preheat your air fryer to 400°F/200°C.

    Pat the salmon dry and season with salt, pepper, and (if you’re me) paprika.

    When the oven is ready, place the salmon skin-side down in the basket on a sheet of parchment paper or tinfoil.

    Cook for eight to ten minutes.

    Check for doneness with a fork. If it forks apart easily, it’s done. If it doesn’t, leave it in for an additional minute or two.

    Eggs

    While the salmon is minding its own business, beat four eggs in a bowl. Add a capful of milk, or a little water to the bowl. Beat that in.

    Heat the pan (medium high) and chuck in the olive oil.

    Eggs in.

    Sure, you know the next bit.

    Alright, in case you don’t:

    The eggs go in the frying pan.

    As they start to set, pull the edges toward the middle with a rubber spatula. When the eggs set again, repeat, and repeat until you think the eggs are nearly ready. When they’re nearly ready, they’re done. Get them off the heat and slide them onto a plate. Season with salt and pepper.

    Assembly

    Sure, you’re way ahead of me: serve the eggs and the salmon on a plate.

    Sin é!

    Notes

    Give more time to the thicker cuts of salmon, and check in on it as it cooks. You can, and probably should, use a meat thermometer. If you have one, good for you, the ideal internal temperature for salmon is 145°F/63°.

    I love the fryer for meals where I’m in a hurry, or more typically, have NO patience for cooking. The only thing to keep in mind when you’re using one is to avoid overcrowding the basket. If you’re doubling or quadrupling down on this recipe, cook the salmon in batches.

  • Air Fryer Asparagus

    If you just want the cook time, it’s three minutes at 400°F/200°C. You’re welcome.

    SERVES: 2
    PREP TIME: 2 MINUTES
    COOK TIME: 3 MINUTES

    Ingredients

    A bundle of supermarket asparagus.
    1 tbsp olive oil
    Salt & pepper

    Method

    Take the air fryer your mother-in-law bought you for Christmas down from the attic. With a boxcutter, carefully peel off the box the fryer came in, discard the box, along with the instruction booklet.

    Wash, rinse, and dry the fiddly bits.

    When the air fryer bits are dry, assemble the gadget and preheat to 400°F/200°C.

    Get the asparagus out. Cut off the elastic band and spread the spears out over a clean, flat surface. 

    Have a good long think about everyone who’s pawed since it was picked, packed, shipped to, and sat in the supermarket. Let your verminophobia be your guide on how meticulously it needs to be washed.

    Cut the woodiest bits off the bottom of each spear of asparagus with a sharp knife, or you can do what I do:  Hold each tree penis where it was cut from the plant, then pull the bell end back towards the bottom of the shaft until it snaps. Repeat for each spear.

    Fong the lot into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add a splash of olive oil. Shake the bowl until all the spears are lightly coated in oil. You really want the oil to just wave at the asparagus. Less is more.

    All that goes into the air fryer for three minutes. Pull the basket out halfway through cooking, and give it a good shake. 

    That’s it.

    Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

    Notes