Hickman Elizabeth - The complete vegan air fryer cookbook: 150 plant-based recipes for your favorite foods

Welcome to the wonderful world of air frying! If you think this odd-looking appliance is just an expensive French fry machine, youre in for lots of delicious surprises. Of course we understand if youre skeptical. We were born and raised in the Deep South, where fried food is king and virtually every food is fried. Imagine trying to get that great fried taste without all the grease. Its impossibleor so we thought.

As soon as we started using one, we realized that air fryers do indeed work. Perhaps most amazing is that, with some foods such as fresh okra (), the air-fryer version is better than deep-fried. What a pleasure to be able to enjoy the fried foods we love without consuming so much oil. The appliance spares you from the huge mess of deep frying because you use only minimal amounts of oilwhich means no big pot of grease to spatter all over your range and countertopand it helps you make food with fewer calories and less guilt.

Air fryers are incredibly versatile. In these pages, youll discover a full range of dishes for every time of day. For starters, you can enjoy healthier versions of all your favorite fried foods, but theres so much more. You can cook asparagus () turn out beautifully.

Air fryers arent complicated, but they do take a little getting used to because the cooking method itself is unique. Start with something simple such as French Fries (). Once you have some experience, we hope youll use this cookbook as a springboard for developing your own new favorites. Many of our recipes suggest variations, and we hope those will trigger other ideas for you to test and enjoy.

Over time, you may find yourself using your air fryer every dayand that wouldnt surprise us. It offers so many advantages. Its fast and convenient and works well on almost everything. It doesnt make a big mess, its easy to clean, and on sweltering summer days it doesnt heat up your kitchen like an oven does.

We had great fun creating our first cookbook, The Air Fryer Bible, and were pleased to offer this collection of recipesall of them tested in our home kitchensdeveloped especially for you, our vegan friends. We sincerely hope that this cookbook helps you make the most of your air fryer, a fun and unique way to cook healthier!

Almost everyone hates reading instruction manuals, but it wont take long, and, trust us, its time well spent. There are dozens of air fryer brands and models available, and no two are identical. Features, functions, and even construction materials can differ greatly, all of which affect appliance use and care. Read all safety information, and never use your air fryer in any way that violates the manufacturers instructions for safe use.

Your manual should include information about other serious concerns, such as protecting your kitchen surfaces and allowing for sufficient ventilation around the back, sides, and top of your appliance. Note that, in addition to potential safety risks, any misuse of your air fryer or its parts could void the manufacturers warranty.

All recipes in this cookbook were tested in 1,425-watt air fryers with standard capacitynot extra-large size. Weve found that some air fryers cook more slowly than others, especially the more inexpensive models. Other factors that can affect cooking times include:

• amount of food in basket or number of layers
• amount or thickness of breading or coating
• size (dimensions) of pieces of food being cooked
• temperature of food when placed in fryer

Even the air temperature or humidity level in your kitchen can make a difference. For best results, we recommend the following:

• Cut foods into uniform pieces for more even cooking.
• When a recipe calls for a single layer, do not stack foods.
• Follow recipe directions to shake basket or stir foods to redistribute during cooking. If your appliance tends to cook unevenly, you may need to shake or stir more often than the recipe indicates.
• Always begin with the shortest cooking time listed in a recipe.

That last point is the most important, especially when youre new to air frying or have a brand-new appliance. Avoid overcooking by checking food early and often. The interior of an air fryer reheats very quickly, so dont worry about pausing often to open the drawer.

We used standard-size air fryers for testing all of the recipes developed for this cookbook. These units have an interior capacity of approximately 3 quarts. Many of our recipes call for cooking two batches, which still saves you time because the foods cook so quickly.

When recipes call for longer cooking times, your first batch may cool before the second finishes. In that case, simply pause your air fryer shortly before the second batch is done and add the first batch for the remaining cooking time. If your basket wont hold the entire recipe, finish the second batch completely, then cook the first batch for a minute or two to reheat.

Air fryers are excellent at reheating, which makes them the perfect solution for all kinds of leftovers. Have you ever tried to reheat French fries? The oven dries them out, and the microwave makes them tough and rubbery. Put them in your air fryer, though, and they will turn out hot, crispy, and much closer to freshly cooked.

If you own a 5-quart (or similar) air fryer, you should be able to cook many of our recipes in one batch. Dont stack or crowd the food unless the recipe allows for that. Begin with the shortest cooking time listed and check often for doneness. With a little experience, youll get a feel for how much you may need to adjust the cooking time.

First, read what your air fryer manufacturer says about smoking. Excessive smoking is not normal and could indicate a malfunction. If that happens, safely and immediately disconnect the power from the appliance and contact the manufacturer.

You may experience smoke coming from your air fryer when cooking certain foods. For example, coconut tends to smoke easily. For this reason, you should take care in choosing the location for using the appliance. One of the best places is next to your range so that you can take advantage of its vent hood.