How to Make Delicious Low-Fat Meals Using a Digital Air Fryer

What is a digital air fryer?

Digital air fryers use hot air circulation technology to quickly heat food at high temperatures, making the surface of food crispy while keeping the inside moist. Compared with traditional frying methods, air fryers use less oil or even no oil to complete cooking, reducing fat and calorie intake. Through the built-in digital control panel, users can accurately control the temperature and time to ensure perfect results every time they cook.

Features of digital air fryers:

Efficient and fast: High-temperature air flow can quickly heat food to the required temperature, greatly shortening the cooking time.

Versatility: In addition to frying food, air fryers can also be used for baking, roasting, grilling, etc., which is very suitable for a variety of cooking needs.

Convenient operation: The digital panel makes it easier to adjust the temperature and time, suitable for a busy lifestyle.

Benefits of using a digital air fryer
1. Reduce oil intake
Traditional frying methods require a lot of oil to soak the ingredients, which makes it easy for the food to absorb too much fat and increase calories. The air fryer only needs a small amount of oil, or even no oil at all, to achieve a similar frying effect. For example, you can evenly spray a layer of olive oil through a spray bottle, which can greatly reduce the amount of oil used.

2. Keep the nutrition of food
Because the digital air fryer uses hot air to heat quickly, the food will not be soaked in hot oil for a long time, thus reducing the damage of oil to the nutrition of the ingredients. In particular, ingredients such as vegetables and fish can maintain their original nutrients and even retain more vitamins.

3. Less calories and fat
By reducing the use of oil, you not only reduce the saturated fat in the oil, but also control the calorie content of the food. This is a great benefit to your health, especially for people who need to control their weight.

4. Fast and efficient, saving time
The air fryer heats up quickly, usually only needs to preheat for 3-5 minutes, plus a short cooking time, which can greatly shorten the cooking time, especially suitable for busy daily life.

5. Easier to clean
Since less oil is used, the surface of the food will not be covered with oil stains, and the cleaning of the air fryer becomes easier. Moreover, many air fryer inner pots can be disassembled for easy cleaning.

How to make low-fat meals with a digital air fryer?
1. Choose the right ingredients
One of the keys to making low-fat meals is to choose the right ingredients. Healthy low-fat meals usually include the following categories:

Lean meat: such as chicken breast, turkey, lean beef and pork. Chicken breast is particularly suitable for air fryers because it is tender and low in fat.

Fish: such as cod, salmon, tuna, etc. Fish is not only low in fat, but also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for heart health.

Vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, etc. Vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can provide satiety without adding extra calories.

Soy products: such as tofu, bean curd, etc., which are low in fat and rich in plant protein.

When choosing ingredients, try to avoid processed foods and foods rich in added sugar or salt.

2. Apply the right amount of oil
The charm of the air fryer is that it can make crispy food with a small amount of oil. Although you can avoid adding oil, the right amount of oil can help the food color more evenly and improve the taste. It is recommended to use healthy vegetable oils such as olive oil, linseed oil or coconut oil. These oils not only increase the taste, but are also rich in monounsaturated fats that are good for health.

Tips for using oil: Use a spray bottle to spray the oil instead of pouring it directly, so that you can better control the amount of oil and avoid too much oil from seeping into the food.

3. Preheat the air fryer
Most air fryers have a preheating function. Preheating for 3-5 minutes can make the pot reach the ideal cooking temperature. The benefit of preheating is that it can ensure that the ingredients are in a high temperature environment from the beginning, which helps to quickly form a crispy shell while the inside remains tender.

4. Properly set the temperature and time
The temperature and time settings of the air fryer are crucial. Wrong settings may cause the food to be overcooked or not crispy enough. Here are some cooking suggestions for common foods:

French fries: Soak the cut fries in water for 10 minutes, wipe off the water, spray a small amount of oil, set the temperature to 180℃, cook for 15-20 minutes, and shake once during the period to ensure even heating.

Chicken breast: Lightly fluff the chicken breast, spray it with a thin layer of oil, adjust to 190℃, and bake for 18-22 minutes, turning it over once. The chicken breast is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Vegetables: Broccoli, carrots, etc. can be cut into small pieces or strips, sprayed with a little oil, sprinkled with seasoning, and baked at 170℃ for 10-15 minutes. Shake it once during the period to help even heating.

5. Cook in batches
In order to heat the food evenly, do not load too many ingredients at one time. The hot air circulation in the air fryer needs space to fully heat each piece of food. Generally speaking, the amount of food cooked at a time should not exceed 2/3 of the pot's content.

6. Take advantage of the multi-function of the digital panel
Modern digital air fryers are usually equipped with a variety of preset cooking modes, such as "French fries", "Grilled fish", "Bake", etc. Select the corresponding mode, and the device will automatically adjust the temperature and time according to the ingredients, saving you the trouble of adjustment.

Recommended low-fat air fryer recipe examples
1. Air fried chicken breast
Ingredients: One piece of chicken breast, cut into moderate thickness (avoid too thick, easy to be undercooked), a little olive oil, salt, black pepper, rosemary or other spices you like.

Steps:

Coat the chicken breast with a layer of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, black pepper and rosemary.

Preheat the air fryer to 190℃.

Put the chicken breast in the frying basket and set the cooking time to 20 minutes. Turn it over once halfway to ensure that both sides are evenly heated.

After cooking, check whether the chicken breast is cooked through. If necessary, bake it for a few more minutes.

2. Air fried sweet potato fries
Ingredients: 1 sweet potato, olive oil spray, a little salt and chili powder.

Steps:

Peel the sweet potato, cut it into even strips, soak it in water for 10 minutes to remove the starch, and drain the water.

Spray a layer of olive oil with a spray bottle and sprinkle with salt and chili powder.

Preheat the air fryer to 180℃, add the fries, set the cooking time to 15-18 minutes, and shake once during the cooking to ensure even heating.

3. Roasted vegetable platter
Ingredients: broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.

Steps:

Cut the vegetables into appropriate sizes, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.

Preheat the air fryer to 170℃, add the vegetables, set the time to 12 minutes, and shake once during the cooking.

After the roasting is completed, you can add a little black pepper or lemon juice to enhance the flavor according to your taste.