Cooking with an Air Fryer

[Chimayo Joe]

I had a couple more McCain products recently.  
 

I didn't really expect to like either, but the Craft Beer Battered fries surprised me.  I had tried McCain beer battered onion rings, and those are now my favorite frozen onion rings, but I was fairly certain I wouldn't like the battered fries.  They are very good.  The batter is almost imperceptible, and unlike the onion rings, so is the beer flavor.  There's added flavor to the fries, but I doubt I would have pegged it as beer if I hadn't known before eating them.  They browned well, too.  First time I cooked them at 400° for 16 minutes, and that browned them too much.  12-13 minutes is about right in my air fryer.

 

The other I had was a shaped mashed potato product called Smiles. Those I did not like.  Very bland and I didn't like the texture either. Give me tater tots if I'm going to eat something in that general category of frozen potatoes.

[Duvel]

Before I need to read the entire thread, allow me to ask a convenience question: can you "airfry" with any fat ? So, can I use duck fat to fry potatoes for example ..?

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, Duvel said:

Before I need to read the entire thread, allow me to ask a convenience question: can you "airfry" with any fat ? So, can I use duck fat to fry potatoes for example ..?

Yes you can. I have done it but you need a pan in the air fryer. Put some duck fat in a pan that will fit. Melt it for a couple of minutes at 400°F. Add the potatoes and toss them around to coat with the duck fat, season them and proceed as you would in any oven. (My notes say that for halved baby potatoes (golf ball size) 10 minutes at 350°F toss and 10 minutes more,) I suppose you could melt some duck fat separately, toss the potatoes around in it and roast directly in the air fryer basket but I have never tried that. 

[ElsieD]

Those of you with air fryers are probably already aware of this but it was new to me.  I air fried a hash brown potato patty, topped it with a fried egg and had it for lunch.  The egg of course was done in a frying pan.  Is it possible to air fry an egg, say in a muffin cup?

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

Those of you with air fryers are probably already aware of this but it was new to me.  I air fried a hash brown potato patty, topped it with a fried egg and had it for lunch.  The egg of course was done in a frying pan.  Is it possible to air fry an egg, say in a muffin cup?

You are likely to end up with quite a mess because of the fan. 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

You are likely to end up with quite a mess because of the fan. 

 

I wondered about that.  If Mr. Google is to be believed, it seems like people do do it.  Hmm, I'll have to think on it some more.

[Anna N]

41 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

I wondered about that.  If Mr. Google is to be believed, it seems like people do do it.  Hmm, I'll have to think on it some more.

I’m quite sure you could cook an egg in a muffin cup but would it be a fried egg? I don’t think so. It would be a baked egg or perhaps a coddled egg but certainly not what we think of as a fried egg. 

[ElsieD]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

I’m quite sure you could cook an egg in a muffin cup but would it be a fried egg? I don’t think so. It would be a baked egg or perhaps a coddled egg but certainly not what we think of as a fried egg. 

 

You are right, of course.  Bad choice of words on my part.   Guess I'll try it and see what happens.

[Chimayo Joe]

6 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Those of you with air fryers are probably already aware of this but it was new to me.  I air fried a hash brown potato patty, topped it with a fried egg and had it for lunch.  The egg of course was done in a frying pan.  Is it possible to air fry an egg, say in a muffin cup?

I've never done it, but it looks like it works pretty well.

 

 

[ElsieD]

@Chimayo Joe  Thank you!  I'll be trying the 4 minute one.

[Anna N]

11 hours ago, Chimayo Joe said:

I've never done it, but it looks like it works pretty well.

Thanks. It does look like it works. After I get enough coffee in me I might give it a try although it doesn’t appeal to me as an optimum way to fry an egg.
To quote Samuel Johnson: “It is not done well: but you are surprised to find it done at all.”

[Anna N]

So I think there’s just a little video magic going on here. First, one has to wonder why you would use such a deep pot to fry an egg. If he bought the accessory kit it came with a shallow cake pan which makes much more sense. Assuming my air fryer is identical to the one used in the video and except for the additional word “max” it conforms to his Cosori 5.8 quart. 
he suggests preheating the air fryer at 320°F but neglects to say for how long
But now we are faced with  another  issue that he manages not to mention or demonstrate. It is almost impossible to insert the basket into the air fryer without tipping it. It is also necessary to use some force to push it in and engage the switch. All this to say that a raw egg obeys the laws of gravity. No matter how fresh it may be it will spread.  
 

I preheated my air fryer at 320°F for five minutes with a teaspoon of bacon fat in a shallow cake pan. Once it was preheated I broke the egg into it. Unfortunately I broke the yolk. Beyond that the egg spread thinly. 
I set the temperature again for 320°F and the timer for 4  minutes. 
 

 

even though it is little more than a thin layer of  yolk and white it is decidedly undercooked. 
 

 

I added another two minutes and it is still undercooked.

 

by now I was totally fed up and gave it a minute longer at 350°F and called it quits. 
Even with a shallow cake pan retrieving the egg was challenging so I can’t imagine how the chap in the video extracted his egg except perhaps by turning it upside down.  
 

Be interested to see if anyone else has better luck. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by Anna N
To fix multiple typos. (log)

[palo]

Temperature might be the key (higher than 320 - you can always check on progress)

 

p

[ElsieD]

@Anna NThanks for taking one for the team.  I plan on having an egg for lunch so will try doing it in the air fryer.  Obviously  320 doesn't work.  One site I came across said 3 - 5 minutes @375.  That person ended up doing hers for 5.  Will report back.

[ElsieD]

This is my well-used, much loved little pan in which I fry one egg.  Is there any reason why it shouldn't be in the air fryer when I preheat it?

[palo]

To paraphrase Johnny Cochran "If it fits, it must be good"

 

p

[Anna N]

51 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

This is my well-used, much loved little pan in which I fry one egg.  Is there any reason why it shouldn't be in the air fryer when I preheat it?

Just give some consideration to how you will remove it without burning yourself!  

[ElsieD]

24 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Just give some consideration to how you will remove it without burning yourself!  

 

Sure:

 

Before and after shots.  There is enough room to slip the heatproof thing on.

Edited July 10, 2022 by ElsieD (log)

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

Nice  !

 

I di9dnt realize how small that pan was 

 

or 

 

how large the AF's cooking space is .!

 

P.S.:  was there going to be an Egg involved ,

 

or did I miss it ?

 

 

[ElsieD]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

@ElsieD 

 

Nice  !

 

I di9dnt realize how small that pan was 

 

or 

 

how large the AF's cooking space is .!

 

P.S.:  was there going to be an Egg involved ,

 

or did I miss it ?

 

 

 

If you scroll up a few posts you'll see the pan with the unshelled egg in i

 

I preheated the air fryer with my little pan in it to 375 and when it had preheated for 3 minutes in went a bit of bacon fat.  When that melted, the egg went in.  It cooked about 2 1/2 minutes and was perfect.  The timing isn't exact because some seconds had gone by before I thought to put the timer on and some seconds elapsed between pulling it out of the fryer and getting  back to the timer.  There was no what I call snot on the egg and the white was perfectly tender.  The yolk was nice and runny.  Best egg I've had in a long time.  

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, palo said:

Temperature might be the key (higher than 320 - you can always check on progress)

 

p

But that would be completely defeating the purpose of following instructions in the video!  

[Anna N]

6 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Best egg I've had in a long time.  

What matters is that you were happy with it. But looking at it even with my challenged eyeballs it’s very strange looking. I’m inclined to call it a ruffled egg!  
I am prepared to try your method but it will have to wait until my egg supply is replenished tomorrow. 

[ElsieD]

36 minutes ago, Anna N said:

What matters is that you were happy with it. But looking at it even with my challenged eyeballs it’s very strange looking. I’m inclined to call it a ruffled egg!  
I am prepared to try your method but it will have to wait until my egg supply is replenished tomorrow. 

 

It is a bit ruffled, isn't it?    I'll be trying it again tomorrow and I think i'll strain that loose watery stuff.  I'll also put my timer next to the AF so I get an accurate time.   

 

 

[palo]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

But that would be completely defeating the purpose of following instructions in the video!  

YouTube/TikTok/Facebook and other social media sources are not the most reliable of sources - good place to start but not a bible

 

p

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

I missed that aa an egg.

 

it looked a little flat

 

a nice stone ?

 

some dough?

 

soon to be

 

a small Naan ?

 

my errors.