Emily Paster - Epic Air Fryer Cookbook: 100 Inspired Recipes That Take Air-Frying in Deliciously Exciting New Directions

If you are reading this book, it is likely because you have purchased, received, or are considering purchasing an air fryer. You are certainly not alone. Over four million air fryers were sold last year, which is ten times as many as were sold just two years before that. Air fryers have become one of the hottest kitchen gifts for Christmas, Mothers Day, and even Fathers Day. (Although my evidence for that last one is mostly anecdotal, I can say with certainty that men are seriously into the air fryer.) Some say that air fryers have replaced the Instant Pot, and other electric pressure cookers, as the current must-have kitchen appliance.

Why all the commotion about air fryers? My guess is that it is because air fryers have promised to do the impossible: deliver the deep-fried taste of our favorite treatsfrom french fries to doughnutswithout the mess, bother, and, yes, fat. I know I would happily shell out my hard-earned money for a machine that could make fried chicken and churrosokay, especially churroshealthy.

But a desire to enjoy restaurant-style fried foods at home without oil splattering everywherelet alone all those caloriesis not enough to explain the growing popularity of the air fryer. No one wants to eat that much fried food. While many people may have initially bought their air fryers to make taquitos and fried shrimp, they have quickly learned that the air fryer can do so much more. In fact, I would argue that the air fryer is a new and especially effective ally in the fight to make cooking at home more accessible and convenient for busy families.

As a cookbook author and food blogger, my goal has always been to help people feel confident in the kitchen and inspire them to cook more often for their friends and family. As the author Michael Pollan has written, cooking our own foodinstead of relying on restaurants, takeout, and convenience foodsis one of the very best things we can do for our health. Cooking also can be deeply satisfying: it requires us to use our hands to make something tangible from start to finishan activity that is lacking in our contemporary, digital world. And it is a way to nurture and care for the ones we love.

But as the working mother of two teenagers, both of whom seem to be involved in countless after-school activities, I am all too aware of how difficult it is to actually cook healthy, satisfying meals on a daily basis. Even I, who cook for a living, often walk in the door at 6 p.m.usually after driving my kids all over townand wonder what to make for dinner that night. Many mornings, I beg my kids to eat something nutritious before leaving for a long day of school and practice only to be told that breakfast is lame or I dont have time.

Like you, I have tried everything to make dinnertime easier and less stressful. I have prepped meals on the weekend, signed up for expensive meal-kit delivery services, and purchased all the latest gadgets, from slow cookers to the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot has turned out to be genuinely helpful. Its ability to cook certain kinds of foods quickly, namely braises, stews, and grains, and keep them warm for hours has been a lifesaver for those afternoons when I am on the go from 4 to 7 p.m.

But the Instant Pot has its limitations. It does an outstanding job with the foods I just mentionedanything that cooks in liquid. But if you are looking for something crispy, crunchy, seared, or caramelized, well, look elsewhere. Pressure cookers dont do crispy. But you know what does? The air fryer. In many ways, the air fryer is the yin to the Instant Pots yang. Air fryers cook food quickly, and they deliver crispy chicken, caramelized vegetables, and seared-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside meat and fish.

Because of their small size, air fryers need at most a few minutes to preheat and they wont heat up the whole house, like the oven does, which is a godsend in summer. While you still need your oven to bake the perfect birthday cake and roast a Thanksgiving turkey, when it comes to roasted vegetables and moist, juicy chicken and fish, the air fryer is quicker and arguably even better than the oven every time. Since I began cooking with an air fryer, I have told countless friendsfrom busy professionals to working parentsthat they should consider getting one as well. And no, not just so they can make french fries. So that they can make dinner. And breakfast. And yes, even dessert. (Did I mention the churros?)

In this book, you will find 100 recipes for your air fryer that range from those you probably expectedSweet Potato Fries, Country-Fried Steak, and Chinese Takeout Egg Rolls, for exampleto many that may surprise you. Imagine using your air fryer to make Orange-Glazed Duck Breast with Apples, Teriyaki Salmon and Broccoli, or Cumin-Crusted Pork Tenderloin. How about a French Bistro Salad with Warm Goat Cheese, Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu, or Strawberries and Cream Baked Oatmeal? With this book, you truly will discover everything that your air fryer can do, from making quick, protein-packed breakfasts to perfect party appetizers to sophisticated desserts. And, of course, plenty of quick-cooking, healthy, delicious dinners.

These are air fryer recipes for the way we want to cook and eat todaywith global flavors and ingredients, lots of vegetarian and plant-based options, and nutritious, whole foods. You wont find recipes here that rely on heavily processed ingredientsno doughnuts made from canned biscuit dough, for examplebecause that is not how I cook. Whats more, because the air fryer is so quick and efficient, you do not need to rely on shortcuts to create satisfying and tasty from-scratch meals. Many of the recipes in this book can be on the table in under thirty minutes. Those that take longersuch as the yeast-risen Lemon-Lavender Doughnutsare perfect projects for weekends and days when you have the time and desire to embark on a more ambitious kitchen project.

Regardless of why you wanted an air fryer, I congratulate you on purchasing or receiving one. I think that you will find this countertop appliance to be more versatile and useful than you ever imagined.