​Want A Friend In The Kitchen? Get an air fryer.

by Jessica Rath

It saves energy. It uses less electricity because it doesn’t emit much heat; plus, foods are cooked much faster than in an oven.

It saves calories. Deep-fried foods need several cups of oil, air frying takes just a teaspoon; sometimes a little more.
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It saves time. A conventional oven has to be preheated; by the time the oven is ready the meal in the air fryer is already cooked. 

Plus, it’s convenient because you can leave it and let it do its thing; it’s easy to clean; food cooks quickly so nutrients tend to be retained; and you can use it to reheat leftovers and thaw frozen food.

Here are some recipes to get you started:

​Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
    • 2 portobello mushrooms, about 4 ½” diameter each
    • 1/3 of a cake (16 oz) of extra-firm tofu
    • 2 TS soy sauce
    • ¼ c green onions, finely chopped
    • 1 TS capers
    • 1 TS panko or breadcrumbs of your choice
    • ½ - 1 ts miso
    • Pinch of cayenne and smoked paprika each
    • 1 ts olive oil
    • 4 TS shredded vegan cheese

​Preparation:
Cut the tofu and place in a medium bowl. Crumble it, either using your fingers or a fork. Add soy sauce and other ingredients except olive oil and cheese, mix thoroughly, and let rest. 

Prepare the mushrooms: wipe the caps with a moist paper towel; normally, that’s all it takes to remove dust and dirt. Remove the stems and save them for soup stock or stir-fry. Using a teaspoon, gently scrape off the black gills from the mushroom caps. Make sure you don’t create nicks or cracks in the rim. Brush the caps with a bit of olive oil and set them cap-side down on a plate. Divide the stuffing mixture evenly between the mushrooms, pressing it down gently so they are full but not overflowing. Top with vegan cheese. 

Place the mushrooms into the basket of your air fryer. Set the temperature to 375 F and fry for 10 minutes. Increase temperature to 400 F and fry for another 3 - 5 minutes, until the cheese has browned.

​Fried potatoes
Ingredients:
    • About 2 LB organic yellow potatoes
    • 2 ts olive oil
    • 1 tsp salt
    • Pinch of cumin and/or paprika
    • Instead of spices, you could add ½ ts of fresh rosemary

​Preparation:
Wash the potatoes, scrub them with a vegetable brush, and pat dry. You don’t have to peel them if the skin is thin but remove any spots. Cut them into half and then into wedges about ¼” thick. Rinse in cold water to remove starch, then dry well with paper towels. 
Toss with olive oil, salt, and spices.
Place into the airfryer in roughly one even layer. Fry at 375 F for 10 minutes. Shake them, increase temperature to 400 F, and fry for another 10 minutes.

​Fried tofu cubes
Ingredients:
    • 2/3 of a cake (16 oz) of extra-firm tofu
    • 2 TS soy sauce
    • 2 TS nutritional yeast

​Preparation:
Cut the tofu into ¼” cubes and place in a medium bowl. Add soy sauce and let it stand for about 10 minutes, tossing the tofu a few times so that the soy sauce soaks in evenly. Strain the tofu, reserve the soy sauce for another dish. Then coat the tofu evenly with the nutritional yeast.
Place into the airfryer, one even layer, and fry at 400 F for 10 minutes. Shake once or twice in between.