Air fryers have revolutionised meal preparation, offering a quicker and easier alternative to traditional cooking methods. However, the way you season your food might need to be adjusted.
While it’s common to season your food – be it meat, fish or vegetables – before cooking, experts warn against over-seasoning when using an air fryer. According to experts at Saga, excessive seasoning could potentially pose a fire hazard.
Seasonings and marinades can clog the machine if used in large quantities, which could lead to the appliance catching fire. It’s also crucial to ensure that no excess seasoning is left on the machine, as this could cause grime to accumulate.
Over-seasoning could also result in the spices being burnt by the heat, thereby defeating their purpose. To avoid charred seasonings on your food, the experts at Lifehacker recommend delaying the addition of seasonings, reports the Express.
For vegetables, they suggest starting with just a bit of oil and salt. They advised: “To prevent that sad result, I prepare the vegetable quite simply for its trip to the air fryer-a toss with enough oil and salt to coat. That’s it.
“Oil will help conduct the heat to all parts of the veg more equally and salt draws out moisture while adding flavour. All of these things result in faster, more even cooking. Oh, and salt doesn’t burn.”
Once the veggies are cooked, then douse them with your preferred seasonings. For root vegetables like spuds, it’s best to ‘bloom’ herbs and spices in a small pan on the stove while your greens are crisping up in the air fryer.
To perfect the ‘blooming’ technique, pop a tablespoon or a touch more of olive oil or butter into a saucepan. Toss in your chosen dry seasonings and let it warm gently over a low flame for a couple of minutes.