I must admit, as a longtime air fryer hater, I’ve found myself recently leaning towards a surprising retort. These little ovens have completely changed my perspective. Initially skeptical, I’ve eaten my words after experimenting with everything from kale rolls to lasagna in my air fryer. Baking in this gadget is a revelation.
Using tins perfectly sized for two, I’ve baked cookies so fresh and delightful, it’s become a late-night habit. Imagine pulling out small squares of fast, homemade focaccia, made in mere minutes. The air fryer, once my kitchen adversary, is now an irreplaceable ally in my culinary adventures.
Initially, I thought the air fryer was just another gimmick appliance, but it turns out its greatest strengths lie in baking. Essentially, it’s a small convection oven, making it a great tool for small-batch cooking. There’s no need to turn on the conventional oven and make it hot, especially for quick bakes. I’ve given less attention to my regular oven since translating my favorite recipes to this compact marvel.
In my journey, I learned it’s not always a one-for-one swap when baking. Trying Hetty McKinnon’s broccoli forest loaf, I ended up with singed broccoli trees on my first air fryer attempt. But the trade-off is worth it. It’s fast, doesn’t heat up the home, and produces heat from both top and bottom, making the bread crispy in a way a traditional oven can’t. To troubleshoot problems, I encourage others to embrace the air fryer not as “just an oven” but as a unique quality cooking tool. I’ve even asked experts for advice to refine my techniques.
When is it Worth Using the Air Fryer Instead of the Oven?
Worth considering, especially when baking small batches or when it’s hot outside, the air fryer truly excels. Experts like Rebecca Abbott and Jennifer West, co-creators of the Air Frying Foodie website and authors of the forthcoming cookbook “Air Fryer All Day”, know this well. Living in Arizona and Louisiana, where conditions make heating a kitchen to 350 degrees for an hour impractical, they highlight how the air fryer uses less energy and gives off less heat. This is particularly handy when the weather is oppressive.
For those who live alone, like Heather Johnson, blogger at The Food Hussy and author of “The ‘I like My Air Fryer’ Cooking for One Recipe Book”, the air fryer is a boon. Instead of waiting to bake a large cake that may go stale, she opts for baking individual portions. It makes cooking for one or two not just nice but convenient. Compared to mug cakes in the microwave, the air fryer bakes better and tastes like a real cake you just took out of the oven.
When relying on a recipe meant for ovens, it’s crucial to convert both time and temperature for the air fryer. Samantha Erb, a recipe developer for the blog Everyday Family Cooking, suggests decreasing the temperature by 25 degrees and the cooking time by about 20 percent. This general principle, similar to a convection oven, can simplify your life. Consider using an air fryer conversion calculator for precise adjustments.
Finally, when worth using the air fryer instead of the oven for attempting a traditional recipe for the first time, Abbott offers a general rule of thumb: Check your food at about 30 percent of the cooking time. For example, if something is supposed to cook for an hour, check it at about 20 minutes. It’s important to see how different styles, models, fan speeds, and wattages can affect the cooking process.
Where Should I Start?
When you’re ready to start baking in your air fryer, begin with an easy recipe. Abbott advises choosing something simple and few-ingredients to test out your air fryer. Start with biscuits, bread rolls, or even frozen cookie dough.
Store-bought biscuit dough can be particularly fun; try transforming it into doughnuts and bake for just five minutes. As you get the hang of it, move on to more complex items like cheesecakes and pies. Just a note: remember to blind-bake the bake shell before adding your filling, and then put the filling on top. With these basics, you can’t get your crust wrong!
What Kind of Bakeware Should I Use?
When it comes to air fryer-sized bakeware, muffin pans and springform pans are ideal to bake smaller batches of lasagna, focaccia, cakes, or cornbread. It’s crucial to measure the size of your air fryer to find a small, deep baking dish that fits, like a 6-inch square or a round one.
Brands like Wilton come with a warning: when baking buttery baked eggs, make sure they don’t stick to the pan; a nonstick option is best. Erb recommends a cake pan from Fat Daddio’s. Depending on what you’re looking to bake, consider purchasing new items like silicone cupcake liners or ramekins that can do double duty.
For cookies, bread, and biscuits, using parchment paper can prevent sticking and keep your baking from falling through the openings in the air fryer basket. This allows the air to go through, unlike a baking sheet. It’s a cheaper option, and as Erb points out, Precut liners with holes for circulation are available, so you don’t have to worry about blowing or burning your baked goods. Just weigh down the paper lightly.
Related Article: How to Bake a Cake in Microwave?
Do I Need to Preheat the Air Fryer?
To preheat or not to preheat your air fryer before you bake can impact how efficiently your food cooks. Erb recommends preheating especially if the recipe calls for baking powder, as it needs a certain temperature to activate. However, experts have a different take on items like cakes; it never hurts to try without preheating.
Just give it a couple of minutes more. On the other hand, Abbott and West caution against skipping preheating for cookies, as they turn out worse in a preheated air fryer. They recommend putting parchment in, turning on the device, and letting it set for a few minutes before taking out the parchment and adding your food.
Do I Need to Cover My Food with Foil?
When it comes to deciding whether to cover your food with foil in the basket of air fryers, it depends on what you’re cooking. Given their heating elements on the top and the circulating hot air like convection ovens, there’s always a risk of getting burned when baking or cooking. Johnson points out that for thin, runny batters like quiche, foil can prevent them from blowing around in the bakeware and full covering helps in preventing burning or splattering.
Continuing on whether to cover food with foil, Johnson and Abbott find it particularly helpful. While testing a carrot cake recipe, Abbott noticed the top browned while the center remained soupy. Encountering this problem can be mitigated when the food is cooked in air frying with a clean-toothpick test, indicating it’s done.
Finally, Johnson notes that for baked dishes like lasagna, which require even browning, she recommends covering the dish until it’s cooked through, then removing the foil in the last few minutes so the top can brown without burning. When you decide to use foil, consider wrapping it underneath the baking dish too. This prevents it from blowing off as the air circulates, which can cause it to touch and get sucked into the heating element, leading to a burn.
How Much Should I Adjust My Expectations?
When baking with an air fryer, it’s essential to adjust your expectations. For instance, focaccia in an air fryer doesn’t produce the same results as in an oven; you need to temper your hopes. Erb notes that cookies might be crunchier on the top and bottom compared to oven-baked ones. Similarly, pizza turns out crispy yet mostly gooey. The color and texture can vary, but the speed at which they bake is often perfect, depending on your mood.
The bottom line is, playing around with what you bake in the air fryer is key. Many people think of it as a device “just for chicken nuggets and french fries”, but there’s so much more you can do. Johnson says it won’t always be perfect, but for making small batches quickly, this appliance has a lower barrier to entry. If your first cookie turns out badly, you only have to wait a few more minutes for another one to be ready.
Related Article: How to Preheat Air Fryer?
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
Air fryers are designed to make “fried” foods without the added oil, fat, or calories. The process that occurs within an air fryer is far from traditional frying. It has a heating element inside and a fan that promotes hot air circulation within the cooking chamber.
This cooking process is similar to a convection oven, where the fan-forced setting of the air fryer circulates the air quickly, allowing it to come into contact with the entire surface of the food efficiently, thereby giving the food a crunchy exterior.
When you examine an air fryer closely, you’ll notice holes in the basket. These are designed to maximize the contact between the food and hot air, allowing the food to cook quickly and evenly. While some air fryers cook food more evenly than others, a few might produce unevenly cooked things.
It’s essential to take note: always preheat the air fryer before using it for cooking, and stop halfway to flip or rotate the food inside, much like you would rotate a pan in an oven while baking.
What You Can and Cannot Bake Using an Air Fryer?
What You Can Bake?
Cookies in the Air Fryer
Baking cookies in the air fryer can be a game-changer. You can bake a small batch of cookies in just 5 minutes. Remember to coat the air fryer basket with butter or cooking spray to prevent sticking, or line the base with foil or parchment paper. Make slight adjustments to the baking time and temperature as covered in our article; it’s pretty much the same as in the oven. However, stay away from toppings that might melt or get burnt.
Cakes, cupcakes, and quick breads
When it comes to batters for cakes, cupcakes, and quick breads, these dense, fuss-free baked goods find their place in the air fryer. Since the surface of these items comes in close contact with the air fryer’s heating element, the baking results in caramelized and crisp tops while keeping the centers soft and fluffy, much like in a traditional oven.
Cinnamon Rolls in the Air Fryer
Cinnamon rolls are surprisingly one of the best items to bake in an air fryer. To do it the right way, make sure to cut them into smaller pieces and don’t bake too many at a time. When using frozen cinnamon roll dough, it takes around 9 to 11 minutes to bake them to perfection.
Doughnuts in the Air Fryer
Doughnuts, conventionally cooked by deep-frying and often coated with a large amount of sugar, can be a challenge when you’re trying to cut down on oil and calories. But using an air fryer, you can yield delicious treats without the extra fat and calories. By adjusting the time and temperature and making sure there’s enough space between them, you can churn out healthier doughnuts at home.
Chiffon and Sponge Cakes
Baking Chiffon and Sponge Cakes in an air fryer can be a bit tricky. Their batter is thin and can easily be scattered and create a mess in the fryer. To prevent this from happening, try baking them in a tall, sturdy, metallic pan, and cover the batter-filled pan with aluminum foil, poking a few holes in it. Once the cake is done, remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. The result is a fluffy cake, much like one made using an oven.
What You Shouldn’t Bake?
Smaller Baked Goods
When it comes to smaller baked goods, it’s recommended to downsize regular-sized items to fit the air fryer. It’s not ideal to bake very small items like choux pastry, cream puffs, or madeleines. Even mini-sized cupcakes should be baked as an individual item, small and baked separately, to ensure sufficient space. Baking many batches carries risks like leaving out the remaining batter for too long, which can affect the rising power.
Leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda only act for a short time, and their effect can be reduced significantly in the last few batches. Additionally, mini cakes that require meringues, where volume is key from beaten egg whites, find that the batter starts to deflate over time if not baked immediately, resulting in flatter, denser cakes.Top of Form
Anything with Cheese
When baking anything with cheese in an air fryer, you’re dealing with a potential mess. It’s recommended to avoid using it as a topping, otherwise, if it touches the hot surface, it will melt and cause a hard-to-clean-up mess. Instead, try baking stuff where the cheese is not exposed, like a muffin filling.
How to Tweak Any Recipe for Baking in an Air Fryer?
Most recipes you find online, including ours, are for a conventional oven, but converting them for an air fryer is very simple. The key is understanding how oven-cooked recipes can be adapted to air-fryer settings.
Here are some points to consider if you are baking with an air fryer instead of an oven.
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Reduce the Suggested Temperature By 25°F/14°C
A key formula to successfully convert a regular recipe for an air fryer is the first step to reduce the temperature by 25°F (approximately 14°C). This will help make the use of an Oven-to-Air Fryer Converter for tweaking oven recipes easier.
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Reduce the Baking Time By 20%
Due to the compact interior of an air fryer, hot air reaches the food faster and gets it done in less time. To prevent overbaking, it’s suggested to reduce the baking time by approximately 20%, or one-fifth of the original time. For instance, 20 minutes in the oven suggests 16 minutes might be enough in the air fryer.
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Check for Doneness Periodically
It’s essential to check for doneness periodically when you bake items in the oven. Utilize the pause button on the air fryer to ensure even cooking. Rotate the food occasionally so it cooks evenly and gets done at the same time.
Related Article: How to Cook Chicken Sausage in Air Fryer?
Important Things to remember when you’re using an Air Fryer to Bake
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Always Preheat your Air Fryer Before Using It
Always preheat your air fryer, just like you would an oven. This is crucial for it to function at its best and reach the proper temperature for baking or cooking. Optimum cooking conditions are reached once the air fryer is preheated, ensuring your food is cooked evenly. Spending a few extra minutes on this step can help avoid underbaked cakes or cookies.
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Don’t Overcrowd the Pan/Basket
Don’t overcrowd the pan or basket when cooking a big batch of food to save time; this is a risk of ruining the entire batch. Overcrowding can lead to uneven cooking; imagine a batch of cupcakes with burnt tops and gooey centers. Providing ideal space ensures that hot air circulates properly, getting the entire batch done at the same time.
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Clean your Air Fryer Properly after Usage
Cleaning after cooking is crucial. To keep your air fryer in the best condition, don’t forget to clean it after you’re done baking or cooking. Crumbs left behind in the basket, if not cleaned out, can burn the next time you use it and produce an unpleasant smell. Check newer models for removable parts, making cleaning up easier.
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You Still Need Some Oil/Butter
Even in an air fryer, you still need some oil or butter. Avoid skipping the step in recipes that call for greasing pans or racks. This prevents baked goods from sticking, and adding a bit also adds flavor. Spread it on the baking sheet or pan to prevent your food from getting stuck. This rule applies whether you bake or cook.
So You Just Got An Air Fryer? Here’s How to Bake with It
If you’ve just got an air fryer and are eager to bake, you’re in for a treat! This wonderfully versatile and incredibly efficient gadget is great for baking everything from cakes and cookies to cheesecake and more. Get ready to explore our quick-start guide to the basics of air fryer baking.
Related Article: How Long to Cook Meatloaf in Air Fryer?
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies in an Air Fryer?
Pastry chef Zoe Kanan made a life-changing discovery: chocolate chip cookies are even better when baked in an air fryer. She writes that they bake with a crispy cookie shell that is deceivingly bitten into to yield a molten, gooey magic middle.
The close proximity of air circulation and the intense dryness of the heat cooks and crisps the exterior in a way a standard oven can’t achieve. In an air fryer’s chamber, which is larger and the heating elements are farther away, the edges crisp up while the tops and middles stay soft.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies in an Air Fryer?
Pastry chef Zoe Kanan made an exciting discovery: chocolate chip cookies are even better when baked in an air fryer. She writes about how they bake with a crispy cookie shell that, when deceivingly bitten into, reveals a molten, gooey magic middle.
This effect is achieved through the close proximity of air circulation and the intense dryness of the heat, which cooks and crisps the exterior, unlike a standard oven. The air fryer’s chamber is larger, and with heating elements farther away, it allows the edges to crisp while the tops and middles stay soft.
Conclusion
The journey of baking with an air fryer reveals a world of culinary possibilities that extend far beyond the traditional oven. This compact yet mighty appliance has revolutionized the way we approach baking, offering a quicker, more energy-efficient method without compromising on taste or texture. From crispy, gooey chocolate chip cookies to perfectly baked cakes and breads, the air fryer proves its versatility and convenience, especially for small-batch cooking and those living alone. Its ability to transform conventional baking recipes with simple adjustments in temperature and time makes it an invaluable tool for any modern kitchen. Embrace the air fryer’s unique cooking style, and you’ll find it’s not just an alternative to the oven but a gateway to creative, delightful baking adventures.
FAQs about Bake in an Air Fryer
Can I bake a cake in an air fryer?
Can I bake a cake in an air fryer? Absolutely! Baking a cake in an air fryer, as opposed to a regular oven, has its reasons. One of them is that it's quicker since the air fryer preheats in just a couple of minutes, compared to the 25 to 30 minutes in a regular oven.
Is baking in an air fryer the same as baking in an oven?
Can I use foil in air fryer?
The great news is yes, along with parchment paper. Using foil to cook food in an air fryer is safe and effective, much like in a conventional oven, and should work fine.
Is air fry or bake faster?
Air frying is indeed faster. Thanks to its smaller cooking chamber and superconvection (an intense fan blowing heat), the air fryer can cook foods much faster than a traditional gas or electric stove, often in half the time for a similar recipe in a full oven.