Unlike deep-fat fryers, which use a large amount of oil to cook your food, air fryers rely on the intense circulation of hot air to produce crispy, perfectly cooked meals. Clean all parts according to the instruction manual. Some removable parts might be dishwasher-safe. An average air fryer takes between 20 and 40 minutes to produce golden-brown chips – but our tests found significant differences between the worst and best models – some can take much longer than the average. Some cake recipes already include this option, e.g. Lazy Daisy Cake, with its crown of caramelized butter, sugar, and coconut. You may have to do an initial experiment to determine exactly when to add the topping (to ensure both thorough baking of the cake and browning of the topping), but once you’ve nailed it, you’re good going forward.

My second favorite pan? The 6” round, which holds half the batter of an 8” square/round or 9” round, or one-quarter that of a sheet cake. For cakes without a designated topping, try adding streusel once the top of the cake has set (about midway through the bake). This all-purpose Streusel Top ping is perfect for an 8” round cake. To lean into chocolate, try the topping from our Rye Chocolate Coffeecake. Turn or stir food while cooking. If your air fryer doesn't have an automatic stirring paddle, you'll want to carefully pull out the basket or tray and give the food a mix every now and then to ensure it's evenly cooked. Streusel topping transforms simple hot milk cake into a crumb coffeecake, protecting the cake's top crust from over-browning in the process. 4) Prevent the cake’s top crust from burningHowever, most air fryers do still require you to add oil to foods and sometimes, this might not be the healthiest cooking method you can choose. For example, air-fried broccoli isn’t as low in calories as steamed broccoli, which has no oil added. It’s therefore important to have air-fried foods as part of a balanced diet. That depends on the model. The air fryers we’ve tested have a claimed capacity between 0.3kg and 2.2kg of food. If we assume an average person will eat approximately 250g of chips in one sitting, this is enough for anywhere between one and nine portions. Get set up for cooking. Insert the basket or tray inside the air fryer and set the desired temperature, cooking program and time of cooking.

When you're preparing food, it's important not to overfill your air fryer – it can lead to poor results such as undercooked or burned food. When you're making chips, it's better to only half-fill your air fryer to allow air to circulate better. We know this because in one of our air fryer cooking tests, we cook two batches of chips – one with the air fryer half-full and one at capacity. We find that the first batch is always better. 3. What can you cook in an air fryer? Your fryer may have a bake cycle — if so, start there. You’ll notice the default temperature is probably lower than what you’d usually use to bake cake: The fryer is simply a very small convection oven, and convection ovens bake most effectively at a slightly lower temperature. My Gourmia’s bake cycle temperature is 325°F, which works well. If your fryer doesn’t have a bake cycle, set the temperature to 325°F.Lazy Daisy Cake, with its broiled coconut and sugar topping, is a perfect match for the air fryer's top-down baking method. 5) Add a topping For general cleaning, unplug the air fryer and then use a microfibre cloth or soft sponge and wash all removable parts in warm soapy water. The main unit with the heating element should not be submerged in water, but you can still clean the outside of the air fryer with a damp cloth.