Airfryer newbie - what can I cook if I don't like potatoes or meat or ultraprocessed stuff?

[Mariannany]

I'd like to make myself some quick healthy meals but much of what I read about airfryers is focussed on meat and chips etc. Is an airfryer just not geared towards healthy non meat meals? I'd like to understand how I could use it to cook the healthy diet I enjoy

Fish cooked at a very low temperature
Roasted vegetables/crispy cabbage etc
Roasted crunchy chickpeas with flavourings
Baked things like lasagne, slow cooking down the ragu (or a veggie version of it), fish pie, gratins
Quiche, souffle etc

Airfryers are just very small ovens that run hot with a fan, so cook whatever you would cook in the oven normally or under the grill.

I roast veg in them - root veg like beetroot, carrots, parsnips with some garlic cloves a little oil and some thyme and add a little vinegar and sugar towards the end and toss through some feta for the last few minutes. Or, med veg like peppers, onions, tomatoes and add halloumi towards the end. Or roast cauliflower and, as pp said, roast seasoned chickpeas. I use it like a roasting tray really, although you have to toss / turn the veg and do them on a lower temp.

Baked tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms are great in an airfryer (add peppers first, mushrooms last). Also roasting veg to have as a meal or add to stock and blend for soup. I use silicone trays or foil if roasting veg with a topping (e.g. figs with feta on top, mixed veg roasted then add passata and cheese on top.).

Fish, but unlike previous poster I cook it on highest setting for a short time skin side up so the skin goes crispy. I like salmon steaks, sliced onions and ginger and soy sauce to marinade, into the air fryer with the bits for 6 mins then spread teriyaki sauce on top and give it another minute. Delicious on rice with a cucumber salad or mange tout.

Grilled cheese sandwich, spread the outside of the cheese and switch which mayonnaise and mustard, air fry for 3 mins flip over and do the other side.

Garlic bread in minutes for emergency hummus dippping

samosas…make a mint and yoghurt dip while you zap them

I have a very small cake tin that fits so I can make one of those cakes that looks like a cupcake on steroids that are so disappointingly small when you get them out of the box from M&S. Homemade they make the children very happy after school for little effort.

toasting nuts is easy

We cook tofu, broccoli, salmon and new potatoes.

Crispy tofu - press it, marinade it, roll in cornflour, into the air fryer.

All sort of veg - great for peppers, blast them then put in a container with a lid to steam until cool enough to handle, then peel off the loosened skin for delicious deli style. Aubergines can be roasted too to turn them into lovely smokey pulp for dips & curries.

Fish is great. Like PP I cook it on a high heat - fillets & whole fish both come out perfectly. Prawns in sizzling garlic & chilli oil are excellent.

Essentially, if you would barbecue/oven bake/grill/griddle it, the air fryer is a really convenient alternative.

Of course it's geared to healthy eating as it uses less oil or other fat. You can do any vegetable tray bake in the airfryer.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegetarian-air-fryer-recipes

Ignore the air fryer label and use it as a small oven - that’s what it is basically usually with the heating element at the top

It’s misnamed. Should be called ‘mini efficient oven’.
I often roast veg in mine. Roasted cherry tomatoes with a block of feta.

Bonus points if you drizzle honey and chilli flakes over the feta first!

Do you use a special dish to cook it it @Yamamm?

The thinner the dish the better. I use little grill racks stood on a greasy roof paper liner. (Nb this is brilliant for sausages too). The gunk drops into the liner which goes in the bin if it’s gunky. The rack washes really easily and can go in the plate bit of a dishwasher.

Roast potatoes can get a boost before serving. I transfer them while I do the veg.

Any veg that needs roasting, with aubergine microwave it whole with steam vent slits, then fan it out and drizzle on garlic oil before air frying.

I never really understand this concept. We didnt buy it because its apparently 'healthier', we bought it because its quicker, crispier and cheaper to run than the oven

What things would you normally put oil on, that you dont in the air fryer?

I still put oil on my roasted veg because its about flavour and texture. Anything else that I wouldnt normally have put oil on, I dont in the airfryer. Theres no difference in the oil Im using.

Yes we've been baking blocks of feta, I put small potatoes, oil, tomatoes, thyme and other herbs with white wine in the dish, cook that until the potatoes are done, then add the feta with more oil on top or as someone else said something sweet, not always honey but sometimes spice pastes or something, then bake it for a bit longer until its oozy

An airfryer is just a mini oven essentially. Just cook whatever you normally would in an oven - but use less electricity and have a quicker meal. Use whichever recipes you fancy and use a conversion chart to amend the times and temperatures. 👌🏽 I haven’t used my oven since I bought my ninja. Superb.

Roast potatoes and veg. I do put oil on, but much less in the airfryer. The difference with the amount required for potatoes between than and a conventional oven is huge. It's a teaspoon or less in the airfryer. In the oven they woukd need a really good glug of oil to make crispy roast potatoes.

I’ve only just got mine so still learning but so far it’s a much cleaner way to cook proteins without drying them out like the electric oven does.

Since going low carb I’ve used the frying pan more (I don’t have a proper grill - the one included in oven is useless) which is just a lot of mess and cleaning afterwards. Hence the air fryer purchase.

ive roasted sweet potatoes and celeriac in there - that’s it so far. I’ve got a ninja double stack so I can do a whole meal (protein, two green veg and a root veg) but I’ve only done that once so far. Going to try roast potatoes tomorrow. The main reason I like it is it’s quick and I don’t have to heat up a big oven for a small bit of food as only two of us.

I do need to watch some videos to learn more as the double stack drawers seem different to other models.

Whatever you would cook in an oven or under the grill - into the air fryer

Ive even cooked cakes and bread in mine

Chicken tikka ( home made ) I used to have to use the grill and set the smoke alarms off whilst getting the char - and often drying the chicken - works wonderful in the air fryer

Tofu - so much better and easier than frying

paneer - ditto

asparagus - only needs a few minutes, no oil, delicious

little cubes of potatoes with a bit of oil and whatever herbs or spices you fancy

parsnips cut into long thin strips, bit of oil, add a drizzle of honey for the final minute

Brussel sprouts in balsamic vinegar and honey

Simple stuffed peppers- bit of feta, halved cherry tomatoes, herbs

Love the aubergine idea mentioned by @Ohthatsabitshit. I’m going to try that. We do similar with baked potatoes - 6-7 minutes in the microwave then finish off for about 5 mins at high heat in the AF.