The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the lives of millions of people worldwide. It has affected millions in terms of health, business, and economy. Lockdown is an excellent opportunity for people to spend time with loved ones, enjoy delicious and healthy food at home while staying safe from SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Here are the ten food items you can prepare using an air fryer.
1. Steaks
Steaks are beefy, fatty, juicy, and salty, and delicious. If you want to prepare steaks healthily, use an air fryer. Use a small amount of olive oil to rub the steak and some salt and pepper before transferring it to the basket of your fryer.
The olive oil provides the steak with an excellent sear, while the salt and pepper keep it simple and flavorful. Flip the steak over halfway during cooking to ensure it cooks evenly. That way, both sides of the meat will get enough hot air, leading to crispiness and deliciousness.
2. Chickpeas
Chickpeas are another best food item you can prepare using an air fryer during the lockdown. You can use chickpeas as a salad topping or eat them as a healthy and delicious snake. Your children and other family members will love the fresh chickpeas.
In addition, air-fried chickpeas are delicious and crispy. You can toss in some seasonings and spices with a small amount of oil. Professional chefs recommend curry powder or chili powder for extra flavor.
3. Air-fried doughnuts
Many people love to eat doughnuts, but they don’t how to make them at home. Air fryer offers an easy way to make doughnuts at home during the lockdown. Instead of using a deep fryer for preparing doughnuts, use an air fryer to reduce calories.
Avoid putting the wet batter in the basket to ensure crispiness on the outside and tenderness on the inside. Make sure you make the batter-like bread dough to achieve cake-like consistency. We recommend using more flour than eggs.
4. Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Everyone will love eating homemade chicken nuggets during the lockdown. Visiting a store to buy chicken nuggets can put your life in danger and increase the risk of getting infected with the virus, especially if you have not received your Covid-19 vaccine.
Therefore, it is a much better idea to make your own batch at home using an air fryer. The air frying machine does an excellent job of preparing crunchy, crispy, and juicy chicken nuggets. Make sure you moisten the chicken using mustard or olive oil.
Avoid too much crumbing because it may blow off the coating due to strong airflow in the air fryer. Air-fried chicken nuggets contain fewer calories, which helps with weight management and reduces the risk of cardiovascular conditions.
5. Chicken Breasts
You can prepare chicken breasts in an oven or stovetop, but you won’t achieve the desired crispiness, juiciness, and deliciousness. That’s why using an air fryer is an effective way to cook a much juicier and delicious chicken beast than the oven.
The air fryer has a compact design and limited space, preventing the juices from evaporating, leading to more crispiness and brownness. At the same time, you will enjoy the food without worrying about your weight due to fewer fat content.
6. Single-serve pizzas
An air fryer is a perfect appliance to prepare single-serve pizzas during the lockdown. You can use an air fryer to make a small frozen or homemade pizza. Because the machine has a smaller cavity and limited space, you can make a delicious pizza with bubbly cheese and toasted bread quickly and efficiently without pre-heating the equipment. Make sure you use tomato sauce and mozzarella for cooking a tasty pizza.
7. Savory Baby Carrots
Lockdown prevents people from getting outside and exercise in the open air. Likewise, when you eat deep-fried foods without performing physical activity, you can risk your health. Besides eating air-fried chicken nuggets and breasts, you must also make vegetables using your air frying machine.
Baby carrots are one of the favorite foods to prepare during the lockdown and improve your heat. Because an air fryer uses a specific temperature range, you can achieve the caramelization of baby carrots within a few minutes.
So, it is a much better way to prepare healthy food than the traditional oven. Make sure you use extra virgin olive oil, fresh thyme, toasted fennel seeds, sea salt, and pepper to prepare perfectly caramelized carrots.
8. Kale Chips
Air fryers use hot air circulation technology to cook food. The intense heat cook removes surface moisture from vegetables like kale, allowing you to make perfect kale chips. We suggest tossing kale with coconut oil or olive oil and sea salt before adding the leaves to the basket of your air frying machine. Coconut oil has an excellent aroma and keeps the chips light.
9. Air-Fried Zucchini
Air-fried zucchini is another best recipe you must include in your lockdown menu. Coat fresh zucchini slices in bread crumbs and put them in the basket to prepare crunchy and crispy food. You can eat air-fried zucchini as a vegan snack in the afternoon.
It is a healthy food item that offers essential nutrients to improve your health and body functions during the lockdown. Dress up the food with your desired spices, or use some olive oil, salt, and pepper to keep the dish simple.
10.Crunchy Chicken Wings
Battering and cooking chicken wings in oil contain higher levels of fast content and increased number of calories, making the food greasy and unhealthy. However, the good news is that you can use your air fryer to prepare a light alternative.
You can eat air-fried chicken wings as a whole meal or a snack. Air frying is an effective way to eat your favorite food, such as chicken wings, without compromising your health. That is due to consuming fewer calories and less fat content.
