All the reasons you should get an air fryer today

Quick, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the ongoing festive season? Parties? Bingo!

And what do parties translate into? Snacks and fried food. Lots and lots of it. Mouth-watering but unnecessarily unhealthy. So, what's the cure? An air fryer! Loads of recipes to try with a discount on calories... but here's the million-dollar question - does it taste good?
Watch Masterchef India runner-up, Neha Deepak Shah help us find out!

An air fryer can be used to air fry, obviously. But you can also use it to bake, grill & roast! It works like a mini convection oven that cooks your food faster and more uniformly without drying it out. If there's any food you can bake, grill or fry - you can just as easily air fry it.

Keep 3 things in mind before using your air fryer:

1. Always wash your air fryer basket before use.

2. Run the air fryer without anything in it before using it with food. This will get rid of that 'newness' smell.

3. Never run the air fryer without its tray.

Too many settings can get confusing, so opting for an air fryer with just the temperature and timer settings will be your saving grace! Keep cooking straightforward and swift. If you want to get a little more creative, opt for an air fryer with more features.

2 tips before we get cooking (how else do we find out if it tastes good):

1. Use parchment paper to keep your air fryer clean, and prevent food from sticking.

2. Make sure to preheat beforehand for faster cooking and a tastier end product!

Now, everyone's favourite munchie:

French Fries

You can slice potatoes yourself or opt for frozen french fries. Toss them in about a tablespoon of oil. Add it to the basket and fry it at 200°C for 15-18 minutes.

#BorosilTip: Shake the french fries at the halfway mark to ensure even cooking.

The fries should look perfectly golden and crunchy. You can even go ahead and dab it with tissue to test if there's excess oil like there would be if you'd regularly deep-fried them.

Frozen or Regular Samosas

You can make your own samosas or add frozen samosas in a single layer and brush them with some oil. And repeat, fry it at 200°C for 15-18 minutes.

Again, the samosas are sure to pass the tissue paper dab test. You can even tell the difference between air-fried samosas and deep-fried samosas just by holding them. The excess oil on your fingertips will help you identify which is which.

Cheesy Jalapeno Sticks

Add the frozen jalapeno sticks, brush them with little oil and air fry at 200°C for 10-12 minutes. Quickly and cleanly fry them without compromising on the cheese pull!

Everything tastes incredible, so you can satiate yourself without sacrificing your health!

If you're sick of frozen food, here's an additional recipe for you:

Kurkuri Bhindi

Chop up 250g of bhindi into fine strips.

Add 2 tbsp of besan, 1.5 tbsp of corn flour, and 1 tsp of rice flour to a big mixing bowl. Further add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp coriander seed powder, 1 tsp green chilly ginger paste, salt as per taste, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1.5 tbsp of oil.

Mix everything well to form a thick paste. Add your strips of bhindi to this mixture. Use your hand to mix the bhindi, or else the mixture won't stick to the strips!

Then, you know the drill.

Wash the basket, set the tray in place, line the tray with parchment and preheat the air fryer. Add the strips of bhindi, lay it as flat as possible and brush it with some oil if needed. Cook it at 200°C for 15-18 minutes. Halfway through, give your bhindi a shake and then continue to air-fry it!

If you're looking to try other unique recipes, check out our beetroot tikkis!