Did you get an air fryer for Christmas? Here are all your questions answered

I've used air fryers for years and I'm in charge of testing and reviewing them here at Homes & Gardens. That means, I know more about air frying than I ever thought possible. It's getting to the point where I end up talking about them at dinner parties, answering questions and queries from friends and strangers. Not that I'm complaining, it's one of my favorite subjects!

If you've received one of the best air fryers on the market for Christmas, I'm sure you've got a well-written instructions booklet that contains pretty much everything you need to know. But it's always nice to hear some tips from a human being. Here are all the air fryer FAQs I could think of, answered quickly and clearly. Trust me, once you make your first crispy creation, you'll never look back.

What can I cook in the air fryer?

This would be my first question, too. Air fryers are ideal for fast, healthy meals. They heat up in seconds, require minimal oil, and cook quickly.

They're ideal for crispy food. Much better than the oven, in my opinion. Think: French fries, potato wedges, mozarella sticks, fried chicken bites – that kind of thing. But air fryers can do so much more. They excel on proteins like baked tofu, flaky salmon and even breakfast eggs. I often use mine for vegetable side dishes, like roasted tomatoes, courgettes, asparagus, or carrots.

I even made a cake in my air fryer and it went pretty well. If you're looking for recipe inspiration, I've written a chef's guide to the dishes I always cook in the air fryer – from breakfast egg bites to reheated pizza.

How do air fryers work?

Air fryers work like mini convection ovens, circulating hot air to crisp up food quickly, with little to no oil. They use heating elements or coils which generate the heat, then a powerful, high-speed fan blows hot air around the food to cook it.

Do I need to use oil?

It actually depends on what you're cooking. If you're cooking proteins (like, chicken, fish or tofu) or vegetables, I recommend using a light spritz or brush of oil. Otherwise, they tend to dry out.

However, do not use 'light' oil sprays that contain an emulsifier called lecithin. This will slowly break down the coating on your air fryer. Just use olive oil instead, or buy a glass oil sprayer from Amazon and fill it with oil to make your own mist.

Brands like Philips say you don't need oil for frozen French fries, but I find it gives them an extra level of crispiness that I can't resist.

If you’re reheating foods, baking cookies, cakes or fruit, you don't need oil.

Do air fryers need to preheat?

Not all air fryers need to be preheated, so I'd recommend consulting your air fryer's manual to determine the specific guidelines. In most cases, preheating ensures more consistent, golden cooking results and typically takes just a few minutes.

Some speedy air fryers reach high temperatures in seconds anyway, so there's no need to get a head start.

What temperature should I use?

If you're following an oven recipe, you'll need to adjust the time and temperature to suit your air fryer.

You can actually get air fryer conversion tables on Amazon and stick them to your fridge (or hide them away in a cupboard) as a handy reminder. They explain the conversion for pretty much every ingredient you can think of, from bacon to butternut squash.

The general wisdom is that you need to reduce the air fryer temperature to 25°F below the oven temperature in your recipe, then reduce the cook time by 20%, too.

Should I get some air fryer liners?

They're not essential, but I really recommend them. The best air fryer liners not only provide a protective layer to your appliance, they catch residual cooking oil and crumbs to make cleaning quicker and easier. They're much better than tinfoil.

However, I don't recommend perforated paper liners – I go into more detail in my air fryer liner tests, but I found they made no difference to the clean up and actually posed a fire risk.

You could also invest in some silicone air fryer molds or ramekins to make egg bites or desserts. Molten lava cakes are possibly my favorite thing to cook in the air fryer!

Is it true that I need to shake or flip the food?

Again, this depends on which air fryer you're using. But in most cases, yes you do. Ingredients like French fries, sausages or vegetables benefit from shaking or flipping at least once or twice. It gets them evenly browned and crispy. It's actually pretty fun to do, but it does means you can't wander too far from your kitchen when you've got something in the air fryer.

Can you explain the air fryer settings?

If you're transitioning from oven to air fryer for the first time, you might be staring at all those buttons and thinking: 'what on earth?' Never fear, they're simple to navigate when you know how. Let me explain what each setting does. Not every air fryer will have the same options, but this covers the basics.

• Air Fry: The main function, ideal for achieving crispy or golden textures on foods like sausages, chicken, fries, and fish.
• Roast: A slightly lower temperature than air frying, which is nice for roasted vegetables or larger joints of meat.
• Bake: The best option for baking cakes and cookies. It's lower and not as intense as air fry.
• Dehydrate: A very low -heat setting that can slowly air-dry fruit and jerky.
• Reheat: Ideal for warming up leftover pizza until crispy and thoroughly hot.
• Max Crisp: I've mostly seen this on Ninja air fryers. It's a high heat setting for ultra-crispy textures, like fish cakes, fried chicken bites, and breaded food.

Can you use tinfoil in the air fryer?

Yes, if you use it correctly. I've written a full guide to using tinfoil in the air fryer safely, but these are the key takeaways. Make sure the foil doesn't float up and touch the heating element, don't cover your food with foil (it won't get crispy) and never combine acidic food with tinfoil (this causes chemicals to leach and you'll notice a metallic taste).

Are air fryers healthy?

If you want to cut back on the oil and fat in your food, air fryers are great for crisping it while not submerging it in fat. Air fryers are only as healthy as the food you cook in them, but you can be confident that they’re healthier than deep-fat fryers.

How should I clean my air fryer?

Learning how to clean an air fryer is essential for keeping your food as healthy as possible, and the best way to make your air fryer last longer. I asked air fryer chefs and kitchen cleaning experts to tell us exactly how it's done – you'll find all the steps in our guide to cleaning an air fryer safely.

I hope this guide is helpful for getting you started on your air fryer journey. Once you start cooking, you'll never look back. Perhaps next year, you'll be cooking your Christmas dinner in the air fryer.