It is fair to say that air fryers have quickly become an important part of modern home cooking. However, many people are still unsure how to best use them. This is true for all generations; young adults try to learn air-fryer ‘hacks’ from TikTok videos while other people turn to books to understand how this small and efficient appliance can be used to make food in record time.
While these kinds of resources are useful, people learn the most when they take part in hands-on classes. With this in mind, Edinburgh Food Social held a series of air fryer demonstrations with the hope of debunking some air fryer myths and enabling local people to use this tool effectively.
One of several air fryers that are now seen in kitchens across the country.
What the classes looked like
The four sessions, which were held on a weekly basis in Hays Community Centre, were attended by pantry users and volunteers from Hays Community Pantry. Enthusiasm was high as the initial session got underway.
Edinburgh Food Social’s chef-activists began by highlighting how air fryers differed to traditional ovens, placing a particular emphasis on the 10% and 20% rules. These rules stipulate that when cooking food in air fryers instead of conventional ovens, cooking temperatures should be reduced by 10% and cooking times by 20%. (This is one of the reasons why air fryers are much more energy efficient than conventional ovens.)
Having covered the basics during the first week, things got a little more challenging in week two. This session focused on how air fryers can be used to cook meat. Pork belly and chicken drumsticks were marinated in a luxurious soy sauce dressing before being cooked to perfection in the air fryer.
A bottle of soy sauce sitting on a table.
This session was an ideal opportunity to explain two important steps when it comes to using air fryers: always preheat them and make sure to not overfill them with food. Our chef-activist made a point of explaining that if either of these steps wasn’t taken, the chicken skin would not crisp up.
The chicken and pork were accompanied by fresh green sauces (which you can learn to make in our new Get Saucy class) and noodles. The class ended with everyone digging into the mouth-watering dishes. ‘This chicken is brilliant,’ one of the participants said.
Baking with an air fryer
The third session tackled the question of how to bake using an air fryer. Baking from scratch is something we frequently teach at Edinburgh Food Social; it is a fun and effective way for people to gain confidence in the kitchen and replace ultra-processed foods, like white bread, with healthy, homemade alternatives. That’s why we were so pleased to see the attendees throwing themselves into making flaky cheese and potato scones, flatbreads and soda bread in their air fryers. Several of the attendees loved the bakes so much that they vowed to make them at home.
Doesn’t that look delicious!
As the fourth and final session began, it was clear that those in attendance had made great progress. They were more confident in how they handled food and understood how to best utilise their air fryer to achieve the desired results.
These newfound skills were put to the test as they cooked a variety of fish in their air fryers. The most popular technique taught in this session was how to bread and air fry hake; the resulting fish had lovely flavor and texture similar to deep-fried fish while only using a fraction of the oil.
Reflecting on a successful project
By the end of the project everyone agreed it had been a great few weeks. One of the participants even asked if Edinburgh Food Socials could ‘come back every week’. Another added, ‘I’ve learnt so much. I understand how to use my air fryer much better now.’
All of the attendees had the confidence and desire to make the most of their air fryers. Armed with this confidence, these people are now in a position to make healthy, quick and energy-efficient food in the comfort of their own home.
Learn how to use your air fryer by booking into our Essential Air Fryer Skills class
If this article has inspired you to learn more about cooking with your air fryer, we have the class for you. Essential Air Fryer Skills is a two-part class spread over a couple of evenings: Tuesday the 23rd of September and Tuesday the 30th of September from 17:45 – 20:00.
This course will guide you through essential techniques, time-saving tips, and foolproof recipes all tailormade for this wonderful appliance. Whether you’re new to air frying or looking to sharpen your skills, you’ll leave this class confident and inspired to make the most of this versatile kitchen tool.
Learn more about, and sign up for, this class here.
If you would like to help Edinburgh Food Social continue to help people make the most of their cooking equipment, please consider donating to our organisation. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Bluesky to keep up to date with our programs, classes and news.
