Gina Homolka - Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners: 75 Healthy Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals: A Cookbook

Clearly Im obsessed with my air fryer since I am now back with a second cookbook solely dedicated to the appliance! When I wrote my first air fryer cookbook in 2019, I was new to the air fryer and had a blast exploring all the possibilities (and making it through failed recipes along the way). Now, its one of my most-used appliances (along with my coffee pot), and Ive learned so much about how to perfect the recipes I make in it. My first air fryer cookbook showcased everything from muffins to appetizers, main dishes, and desserts. This time around, Ive honed in on my favorite way to use the air fryer: for outrageously delicious and healthy dinners. This dinner-only air fryer cookbook is packed with flavorful meals that your family is sure to love.

But what is an air fryer anyway? Basically, an air fryer is a countertop convection oven, deep fryer, and microwave all rolled into one. It has a heated coil (usually at the top), a mesh or metal basket to put food in, and a fan that circulates heat around the food in the basket. In an oven, food creates steam that can make things soggy rather than crisp. When deep-frying, items are flash-cooked in hot oil that creates the crunchy exterior we love. An air fryer is the best of both worlds, creating intense heat that surrounds food to cook it more efficiently and evenly than either baking or traditional frying. The result is food with crisp, browned exteriors and juicy, tender interiors. Since you dont have to deal with a big pot of piping hot oil, its much safer and cleaner than deep-frying (I dont have to worry about watching my eleven-year-old daughter when she uses it)not to mention healthier. Mimicking fried foods isnt its only strength, though: The air fryer can roast vegetables and fish, bake muffins and quiche, reheat leftovers, and heat up frozen foods all without warming up your kitchen or requiring preheating (especially helpful in the summer months). It really is a miracle appliance!

I love using my air fryer to make healthier versions of my kids favorite foods. In this book, I tackled some otherwise high-cal foods like chicken fried steak, samosas, and fried fish sandwiches, just to name a few. I also discovered you can use an air fryer to make stir-fry dishes like Beef and Broccoli () that you simply dump in the basket and cook all together. Of course, the air fryer can also cook up protein like salmon, a whole chicken, juicy pork chops, and steaks in minutes! Its a total game changer for weeknight cooking.

Each recipe in this book includes nutrition information as well as a recipe key labeling recipes that take less than 30 minutes or are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, or freezer-friendly. I hope this book and the air fryer itself will inspire your weeknight dinners. Have fun with it and be prepared to fall in love. I guarantee youll find ways to come back to your air fryer time and time again!

The hands-off approach to air-frying is what makes this awesome appliance so easy to use. With these helpful tips and tricks, youll create the best overall texture and flavor for your finished dishes.

Flip halfway. The heating element is at the top of the air fryer, so in most cases, you should flip your food halfway through cooking. One common exception is fish, which cooks fine without flipping.

Shake it. For smaller foods, like fries or shrimp, open the fryer and shake the basket halfway through cooking for even results. The cooking time will pause and then resume where you left off once you close the fryer.

Dont overfill. Air fryers work by circulating hot air around food, so if the basket is packed full, its hard to get the air to flow. This will cause your food to steam (instead of crisp) and cook unevenly. That said, you can use this to your benefit, like I did for the Beef and Broccoli (), where I wanted to steam the veggies.

Make it fit. If your steak or pork loin is too large for the basket, you can cut the meat in half to make it fit, or you can cook the food in batches.

Brown it better. Steaks, chops, and vegetables will brown better when spritzed with a little oil. Fat promotes browning, and a little can go a long way. Pat steaks and chops with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture, to help them brown. Adding a dry rub to leaner steaks and chops helps with overall color.

Be careful with parchment. Dont preheat the air fryer with parchment paper only (it must have food on it!) or it will blow around and catch fire when it touches the heating element.