TL;DR
- Far more than chips. Air fryers roast, bake, grill and reheat.
- Best at: crispy foods, roast vegetables, chicken, fish and frozen snacks.
- Yes, you can bake: cakes, brownies and bread at a lower temperature.
- Weakest at: wet batter, saucy dishes and very large joints.
- Every idea below links to a tested recipe with exact times.
Table of Contents
Most people buy an air fryer for chips and never explore further. That is a waste, because the same machine roasts vegetables, bakes a cake, grills a steak and cooks fish. Here are 40 ideas across every meal, each linked to a tested recipe.
Everyday favourites
Chips, potato wedges, roast potatoes, sweet potato fries, hash browns and frozen chips are the classics for good reason: fast, crisp and hands-off.
Chicken and meat
Wings, drumsticks, chicken breast, thighs, steak, burgers, meatballs, lamb chops and bacon all crisp beautifully.
Fish and seafood
Salmon, white fish, prawns and calamari cook in minutes and stay moist inside with a crisp outside.
Vegetables and sides
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, corn on the cob, mushrooms, chickpeas and halloumi fries roast up caramelised and crisp.
Snacks and sharers
Mozzarella sticks, onion rings, spring rolls, samosas, jalapeno poppers, popcorn chicken and pizza make quick party food.
Yes, you can bake
Lower the heat to around 160C and you can bake banana bread, brownies, cookies, doughnuts, apple crumble and churros. Browse the full recipe collection for more.
What air fryers struggle with
Wet batter blows off before it sets, saucy dishes have no crust to crisp, and very large joints do not fit. For those, an oven is the better tool. See oven vs basket for where each wins, and grab exact timings from the cooking times chart.
Frequently asked questions
What can you cook in an air fryer?
Almost anything you would roast, grill, bake or fry crisp: chips, wings, chicken, steak, fish, roast vegetables, frozen snacks, and even cakes and bread at a lower temperature. It struggles only with wet batter, saucy dishes and very large joints.
Can you bake in an air fryer?
Yes. Drop the temperature to around 160C, because the fan sets the crust fast, and you can bake banana bread, brownies, cookies and more in a suitable tin. Small bakes work best.
What should you not cook in an air fryer?
Anything with a loose wet batter, since the fan blows it off before it sets, and very saucy or soupy dishes, which have no surface to crisp. Large joints often will not fit. Use an oven for those.
Can you cook a full meal in an air fryer?
Yes, especially with a dual-basket model that cooks a protein and a side together. A single basket cooks one thing at a time, so plan the order or reheat the first item at the end.
Is an air fryer good for more than chips?
Definitely. It roasts vegetables, grills steak, cooks fish, bakes small cakes and reheats leftovers crisp. Most people underuse it, so working through a few recipes quickly shows its range.