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Each week the Filter newsletter cuts through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last.
In an effort to stop my already toasty apartment from becoming a full-blown sauna, I’ve decided to boycott my oven. However, I quickly realized that I wasn’t ready to forgo my easy sheet-pan meals and roasted salmon. So I purchased an air fryer after hearing that it may be a worthy replacement.
If you’re interested in doing the same, we partnered with scientists from the Drexel Food Lab to find the best air fryers on the market. They tested 10 models by cooking chicken, vegetables and french fries in each.
Read the story: The best air fryers in the US – tried and tested in a food lab
But an air fryer can cook a lot more than those three foods (and more than lots of home cooks realize).
“When I bought my first air fryer, I bought it just for french fries. That’s all I thought that you could make in it,” said Samantha Erb, the creator of the blog Everyday Family Cooking. “The amount of recipes that I have tested in there is insane.”
To learn how we can make the most out of our air fryers, I asked Erb and Niki Webster, the author of The Vegan Air Fryer and creator of Rebel Recipes, for advice.
Elevate your summer produce
A woman after my own midwest heart, Erb cooks corn on the cob in her air fryer (here’s a quick video tutorial she shared).
Meanwhile, Webster roasts cherry tomatoes in her Ninja Foodi, using an air fryer-proof bowl (one that can withstand high temperatures) which she says “keeps all those lovely roasting juices together, rather than letting them drip through the basket”. After they’re done cooking, she’ll add olive oil, salt and herbs.
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Ninja Foodi Air Fryer
Side note: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cooking veggies as the best way to avoid the cyclospora parasite, but if the outbreak has you avoiding the produce section, we recommend a few tools to make washing fruits and vegetables easier.
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Skip the stovetop completely
“You can actually cook whole meals in there. People underutilize the whole of the air fryer,” said Webster.
She’s even cooked entire curries in hers – roasting onions and garlic (which she says you can do in the basket or the air fryer’s grill pan) before adding in liquid ingredients. “The important thing is that this only works with an air fryer that has a solid, leakproof cooking base designed to hold liquids, rather than a standard perforated drawer alone,” she noted.
Erb is partial to chicken fajitas: “I can chop the chicken up, throw in the peppers and onions and the fajita seasoning all at the same time. So it’s all in one basket. It’s all less cleanup. The kids love it,” she said.
Don’t forget dessert …
In addition to Erb’s brownie recipe (that I will definitely be trying), she makes fried Oreos that she said taste like the ones you’d buy at a carnival.
Webster, too, enjoys baking in her air fryer and has a recipe for chocolate chip pistachio cookies in her cookbook.
… and don’t omit this key ingredient
“I just think that food tastes much better with good oil,” said Webster. A few of her favorites come from Good Phats and Honest Toil.
For options widely available in the US, our resident food expert, Filter commissioning editor Karen Yuan, recommends Partanna (which she says has a fun, peppery flavor) or this simple bottle from California Olive Ranch.
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Partanna Olive Oil
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California Olive Ranch Olive Oil
Erb agrees: “I definitely recommend using some sort of oil when you’re frying. I’ll hear a lot of people say that their chicken comes out dry, and that’s either they didn’t use oil or they overcooked it.”
A deal we love: Our Place Wonder Oven Pro
Our testers at the Drexel Food Lab crowned this the best combo air fryer and toaster oven, in part because it makes cookies “with the perfect chew”. Right now it’s also 25% off as part of Nordstrom’s anniversary sale, along with our favorite water bottle, towel and leggings.
Read our guides:
16 things worth buying from Nordstrom’s anniversary sale – from Our Place, Owala, Away and more
The smartest time to do holiday shopping is in July. We found the best, earliest deals
An upgrade we love: audio on the go
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Open earbuds let you tune in without tuning out the world. Here are the five best pairs in the US
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How do Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 compare against hearing aids? I put them to the test
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Sonos review: Are these the best portable speakers that money can buy? I tested to find out
Our outdoor gear recommendation: a mosquito tent
In last week’s newsletter, I shared a few of our favorite camping upgrades. Another one to consider? This genius way to enjoy nature without emerging with a slew of mosquito bites.
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Alvantor Pop Up Screen House Tent
It came recommended by consumer journalist Alan Truly, who called it “an impenetrable mosquito fortress that springs open in seconds, giving me the breeze, sights and sounds of nature without the bites”.
Read the story: Buzz off: this pop-up screen shelter provides a safe retreat from bugs and mosquitoes
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