Budget Air-Fryer Cookbook – I do love my air-fryer! I use it so often, and hardly ever need to use our main oven now. So, any book that gives additional usage ideas is always welcome. I reviewed Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny Tschiesche’s first book on air-fryers in the 10 February issue of the Tribune this year (click here if you’d like to read it – page 14) and she has just published a follow up title. As so many of us are now having to tighten our belts financially, this is a must-have, especially when you consider the energy savings when using an air-fryer.
Jenny’s new book – Budget Air-Fryer Cookbook – offers nutritious and budget-friendly recipes by using the air fryer instead of the oven and/or grill. The recipes cater for a wide range of tastes and needs, exploring ideas for using tins, jars and cartons, cooking from frozen, using up leftovers, using cheaper cuts of meat, grains and pulses, vegetable-based dishes and much more. Jenny Tschiesche is the founder of LunchboxDoctor, which provides a whole range of resources, menu plans, recipes and nutrition advice. She has a Degree and Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from Bedfordshire University & Institute of Optimum Nutrition. She is the author of five books, four of those recipe books, and is known for creating healthy and delicious one-pot and one-pan recipes. The book is published by Ryland Peters & Small, at £16.99 for a lovely hardback book, with over 100 tried and tested recipes.
Did you know you can cook eggs in your air-fryer? I hadn’t tried it, but I have now. Here are some recipes to whet your appetite. And also, a lovely recipe for Taquitos.
Eggs in Toast – A delicious, all-in-one way to enjoy eggs and toast together.SERVES 2
2 thick slices of day-old wholemeal bread
1–2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 medium eggs
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons hard cheese shavings, e.g., Grana Padano
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Brush both sides of the bread with melted butter. Put the bread side by side in a dish that fits in your air-fryer.
Preheat the air-fryer to 200ºC/400ºF. Add the dish to the preheated air-fryer and cook for 2 minutes, then turn the bread over and use the base of a glass to make an indentation in the bread. Crack an egg into each indentation.
Cook for a further 6–8 minutes, until the whites have just set but the yolks are runny. Serve with chopped parsley, cheese shavings, and salt and pepper scattered over.
Hard-Boiled Eggs – There’s something so simple and yet satisfying about making hard-boiled/cooked eggs in an air-fryer. The lack of saucepans to wash is particularly welcome! SERVES 4
4 eggs, at room temperature
Place the eggs in the air-fryer. Set the air-fryer to 180ºC/350ºF and cook for 10 minutes (no need to preheat the air-fryer).
Place the cooked eggs in an ice bath or extremely cold water immediately after removing them from the air-fryer. Once cooled, peel the eggs if eating straight away. I like to keep these in the fridge, then peel and roll in a little salt before eating.
Jess’s Taquitos
Jess Levin is an inspiring chef who shares the most enticing recipes under the handle @the_culinary_cartel. When I saw this recipe on her Instagram page, I knew it would make a great addition to this book and Jess very kindly allowed me to include it. SERVES 2–3
140 g cream cheese
80 g mozzarella
40 g kale, stalks discarded, leaves finely sliced.
2 garlic cloves finely chopped.
1 green chilli finely chopped.
150 g cooked chicken or cooked/canned kidney beans (or a mixture)
4 corn and flour tortillas
1–2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
TO SERVE
sour cream
tomato salsa
guacamole or sliced avocado
pickled red onions.
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and mozzarella with the kale, garlic, chilli, salt and pepper, then stir in the cooked chicken and/or kidney beans (drain and rinse the beans if using canned ones).
Lay the tortillas out flat and place the filling in the middle, dividing it equally between the tortillas. Roll the tortillas into a sausage shape, folding in the ends to secure the filling inside. Brush the outside of the taquitos with oil.
Preheat the air-fryer to 200ºC/400ºF. Place the taquitos in the preheated air-fryer and cook for 4–6 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the exterior is golden and crispy. Serve with your favourite toppings, such as sour cream, salsa, guacamole or sliced avocado and pickled red onions.
Bacon & Blue Cheese Mini Jacket Potatoes
Is the ideal flavour combination just the right mixture of salt, sweet and fat? These mini potatoes filled with candied bacon and blue cheese provide all these flavours in one mouthful.
4 slices of back bacon
2 teaspoons brown sugar
10 new potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
50 g blue cheese, crumbled.
crisp salad leaves and slices.
cucumber, to serve.
SERVES 2
Lay the bacon in the air-fryer and sprinkle with the sugar. Set the air-fryer to 180ºC/350ºF and cook for 7 minutes (no need to preheat the air-fryer). Allow the bacon to cool while you prepare the new potatoes.
In a bowl, toss the potatoes in the oil and salt and stir to ensure each potato is covered. Add these to the preheated air-fryer once the bacon has fi nished cooking and cook at 180ºC/350ºF for 20–25 minutes until golden on the outside and soft on the inside.
Slice each potato down the centre to open it up. Break the bacon into small pieces. Fill each potato with a teaspoon of the crumbled blue cheese and some of the candied bacon pieces. Serve slightly cooled with a crisp side salad.
Salmon with Ginger & Lime
This way of cooking salmon from frozen is ideal for both texture and flavour. It just flakes apart once cooked. This can be served alongside air-fried potatoes and some steamed green vegetables for a simple supper.
1 lime, cut into 4–6 slices.
2 frozen salmon fillets (no need to defrost)
1 teaspoon frozen chopped root ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
SERVES 2
Cut 2 pieces of foil, each large enough to enclose the salmon.
Lay a salmon fillet on each piece of foil and top each with half the lime, half the ginger and half the salt, then drizzle over a teaspoon of oil. Wrap the foil around each salmon fillet to enclose it like a parcel.
Follow the cooking instructions on the packet – the air-fryer should be preheated and set to the same temperature as stated for conventional oven cooking but reduce the cooking time by half.
For example, if the packet states cook in the oven at 200ºC/400ºF for 30 minutes, this converts to preheat the air-fryer to 200ºC/400ºF, then cook in the preheated air-fryer for 15 minutes.
The Seasoned Gastronome