What to cook in an 8 qt air fryer?
In this article, we will answer the question “What to cook in an 8 qt air fryer?”, and how to find the right size of air fryer for your cooking needs?
What to cook in an 8 qt air fryer?
The possibilities are endless. Some of the best 8 qt air fryer recipes are given below.
Crispy air fryer baked potatoes: The air fryer cooks the potatoes at high temperatures coupled with a high fan speed that makes the perfect crispy-on-the-outside and soft and creamy on the inside baked potatoes.
Air fryer grilled cheese: Air fryer makes the perfect crispy and gooey grilled cheese sandwiches.
Air fryer green beans: Fresh or frozen, green beans are best cooked in an air fryer.
Air fryer tater tots: With an air fryer, you can make hot and crispy tater tots at home.
Crispy air fryer bacon: The air fryer makes the crispiest bacon with the minimum cleanup to do afterward.
Air fryer sweet potato: Air fried sweet potato is the simplest recipe yet the most delicious. Play around with the toppings to make this dish exciting.
Perfect air fryer salmon: Air fryer leaves your salmon filets crispy on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside, just like everyone likes them.
Air fryer cinnamon rolls: Air frying is the quickest way to curb your cinnamon roll cravings.
Skip the battered foods
Coated or battered dishes are not made to be air-fried. The batter will come off your food during air frying. However, if you wish to make fish fry in the air fryer, you can look up the specially formulated fried fish recipe for the air fryer.
Don’t forget to preheat
It only takes a couple of minutes to preheat the air fryer due to its small size but it gets the food cooking the minute you put it in the basket. This is important as it reduces the cooking time.
Get golden brown food every time
Due to the lack of oil, your favorite frozen fries or air-fryer appetizers may not turn out to have the best color when cooked in an air fryer. To avoid this problem, spray your food with a cooking oil mist.
Don’t overcrowd the basket
Place your food in a single layer in the air fryer basket and refrain from overcrowding. When you stuff too much food inside the basket, you are blocking the hot air from circulating efficiently around the food. This prevents even cooking and a crispy exterior.
Give it a shake or a flip
Shake the basket or flip your french fries, fish filets, or chicken tenders halfway through the recommended air frying time. Just like in the oven, hacking or flipping promotes even cooking.
Skip greasing the basket and trays
Lightly spray your food with some oil and that’s all you need to do about greasing during air frying. Greasing the trays or the baskets is unnecessary especially if you are making something like Air-Fryer Ravioli and frozen foods.
Use a thermometer when cooking meat
This food safety step applies to both fresh and frozen meat. A thermometer is used because it gives you an accurate reading. This step is important because meat tends to cook quickly from the outside while being uncooked in the center.
How to find the best air fryer size for you?
When cooking for 1
You do not need larger than a 2-quart air fryer when cooking for two. You can easily roast chicken tenders with a side of Brussels sprouts in a 2-quart air fryer. Opt for a larger size if you intend to make appetizers for all your friends or cook a meal with plenty of leftovers.
When cooking for a family of two
Go for a 2-3 quart air fryer if you will if you are looking to cook for yourself and your beau. A 2-3 quart air fryer will provide enough capacity for you to make six chicken wings at a time or enough vegetables for two people.
When cooking for families up to 6
Get an air fryer and a large basket when making food for 3 or more people. Usually, a 6-quart air fryer is enough to fulfill the needs of a 3-person family. The same capacity air fryer can also work for a 6-person family, depending on what you are cooking. For example, if you are making something like Nashville hot chicken, complete the recipe in batches.
When cooking for parties of 8 or more
If it is a large gathering with lots of guests pouring in, you will need an extra-large basket size or an oven model air fryer to meet the food demands. An air fryer that lies within the 6- to 10-quart size range is sufficient to roast a whole chicken, a whole pizza, and pounds of finger foods.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “What to cook in an 8 qt air fryer?”, and how to find the right size of air fryer for your cooking needs.
