Cooking potatoes in an air fryer
I have an air fryer and I really like cooking my food in it. With that said, I have struggled with potatoes. For now, I have only gotten store-bought pre-baked and frozen ones. I am not sure what I need to do in order to prepare fresh potatoes for the air fryer. I am aware that air fryers dry out the food more than usual.
Are there any techniques that will lead to crunchy and not too dry potatoes? Perhaps cutting in thinner or thicker slices? Anything else needed, perhaps adding a bit of water at the bottom of the air fryer or otherwise?
1 answer
Since you mention cutting them, I assume you're not asking about making whole baked potatoes in the air fryer. (I understand that's possible but I haven't done it.)
Here's what I do. This gets me crispness that's consistent with oven-roasting, not with deep-frying.
I start with baby or small potatoes; I haven't tried this with large ones. Wash them and then dry them off with a towel; wet potatoes don't crisp up as well.
Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, which usually means halves or quarters. I cut them in wedges, not slices, so each piece has a good chunk of skin and the pieces are reasonably consistent.
High heat works best for me. My air fryer goes up to 400 F, so that's what I use. Preheat, pour in some oil (I use olive oil), add the potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and cook for about 20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5-7 minutes.
A word about potatoes: not all potatoes are the same. Some are more starchy ("floury") and some are more waxy in texture. For roasting, floury varieties work better (thanks Peter Taylor). I've gotten my best results with small gold potatoes, but red and white work too.
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