Venison is one of the leanest meats you can cook, which means it dries out fast if you push it even slightly past medium. The air fryer is actually well-suited for venison because the circulating heat cooks it evenly and fast, which minimizes the time the meat spends at high temperature. Get the technique right…
A great soft pretzel has a mahogany-brown, slightly chewy crust with big flakes of salt, and a pillowy, doughy interior. Mall pretzels have gotten people hooked on this combination for decades. The air fryer produces a better pretzel than the oven for one key reason: the intense circulating heat creates a crispier exterior crust while…
Snap peas are one of the best vegetables for the air fryer because they start with a natural crunch and the air fryer amplifies it. The outside blisters and crisps while the inside stays bright, slightly sweet, and tender. You end up with something that falls somewhere between a roasted vegetable and a snack. They…
Cooking sausage patties on the stovetop means grease splattering, one pan to wash, and standing there watching so they do not burn on one side while staying raw on the other. The air fryer solves all of this. You get sausage patties with crispy, well-browned edges and a fully cooked interior in exactly 10 minutes,…
Potato skins are an appetizer that somehow always gets eaten down to the last one. The combination of crispy potato shell, melted cheese, sour cream, and bacon hits every flavor and texture note at once. Restaurant potato skins are deep-fried to get that crunchy exterior, which is why home versions made in the oven often…
Pita chips are one of the easiest things you can make in the air fryer and one of the most satisfying once you realize how much better homemade versions are than the bag. You control the seasoning, you control the thickness, and you get chips that are warm and just-made rather than stale from sitting…
Fried mac and cheese bites are one of the better ideas in the entire universe of party food. Crispy, golden breadcrumb exterior. Molten, cheesy, pasta-filled interior. The kind of thing that gets devoured at parties before most people have even filled their plates. Deep-fried mac and cheese bites require a pot of oil and about…
Chocolate lava cake has been on restaurant menus since the 1980s and has never really gone out of style. The reason is obvious: a warm chocolate cake with a molten, flowing center is one of the most universally beloved desserts that exists. The air fryer version is genuinely impressive and easier than it looks. You…
A rack of lamb looks like something that requires professional training and a proper kitchen. The truth is it is one of the more forgiving large cuts you can cook because it is small, uniform in thickness, and beautifully tender when cooked to medium-rare. The air fryer does something remarkable with rack of lamb: it…
Jalapeno poppers are one of the best bar snacks ever invented: spicy, creamy, crispy, and completely addictive. They are also one of the messiest things to deep fry at home. The air fryer eliminates the oil entirely and produces poppers with a crackling breadcrumb crust, molten cream cheese interior, and just enough heat from the…