Chefs Share Their Best Air Fryer Cooking Tips for Making Corn on the Cob, Cocktail Garnishes, and More

For plenty of home cooks, the air fryer has become as ubiquitous as the microwave. In fact, consumer behavior insight company Circana estimates that two-thirds of American households own one — a statistic that apparently includes many working chefs. 

“Air fryers are god’s gift to mankind, an invention akin to fire for the human race,” says Andrew Lim, the chef/owner of Perilla Korean American Fare in Chicago. “They’re a much healthier way to ‘fry’ foods and get that crispy, airy exterior, without a bath of fat and oil to accompany it.”

When you're learning how to use an air fryer it becomes apparent pretty quickly that they are essentially countertop convection ovens — which work by circulating hot air to cook and caramelize food. This means they’re ideal for crisping up commonly deep-fried foods like chicken wings and french fries with minimal oil. Some models also include capabilities for toasting, broiling, proofing bread dough, and dehydrating, furthering the possibilities of this small-but-mighty appliance. 

We asked chef fans from around the country how they use their air fryers at home, and they came back with tons of smart ideas you’ll want to steal for your own kitchen. 

“Baked” potatoes 

“I love to do ‘baked’ potatoes or sweet potatoes in the air fryer. Not only is it faster, but it creates a great shell while maintaining a really fluffy texture.” — Andrew Lim, chef/owner of Perilla Korean American Fare in Chicago

Instant corn on the cob  

“I have been making corn on the cob in my air fryer nearly every night this summer! A couple of minutes at 400 degrees F cooks it perfectly. Then I roll it in Kewpie mayo and chili crunch. It’s the easiest and best-tasting dinner side.” — Stephanie Izard, F&W 2011 Best New Chef and chef/owner of Girl & The Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat, and Cabra in Chicago and Los Angeles

Quick cocktail garnishes 

“If you like making beautiful cocktails and don’t want to spend the money on expensive bar garnishes, try thinly slicing citrus or apples (an especially good way to use up the slighter older ones kicking around the bottom of the fridge) and air-frying them. Store the dehydrated fruit slices in an airtight jar and use them at your next cocktail gathering. We keep them in glass jars at our bar to add to the decor!” — ​​Claudia Sidoti, chef and co-owner of Mill and Main in Kerhonkson, New York

The easiest garlic bread

“For dinner, we make red sauce and garlic bread often. I soak ciabatta loaves in olive oil, fry them in the air fryer, and then rub them with garlic and parsley. It’s delicious and super quick.” — Steven Redzikowski, owner of OAK at Fourteenth in Boulder, Colorado

The best chicken wings

“Baked wings are the best because the fat renders out properly, and the crunch factor is the best. The air fryer just amplifies this. A nice little tip for making wings in the air fryer is to fully cook them and then use a sauce that contains sugar and vinegar. Put your cooked wings into a bowl, add your sauce, give it a good mix, and then put them back into the air fryer to glaze them up. You’ll thank me later!” — Alejandro Najar, executive chef of The Butcher’s Cellar in Waco, Texas

Extra-crunchy baguettes

“Air fryers are useful when warming up straight-from-the-freezer foods and skipping the thawing process in a pinch. Since it’s small, it’s more efficient and doesn’t waste gas or a large amount of energy that happens when turning on a full-sized oven.

I use the air fryer to bake mini frozen French baguettes. Because of the small space, I can get a great result in a short amount of time. A tip is to fill a small heat-proof vessel with about four ounces of water and half a teaspoon of sea salt and place it in the air fryer with the bread. The steam releases and gives the baguettes a delightful crust.” — Geoffrey Zakarian, Food Network host and founder of Zakarian Hospitality Consulting

Dehydrated egg yolks

“My favorite thing to do in an air fryer has nothing to do with ‘frying’ at all. In my humble opinion, the best models to get are the ones that come with a dehydrator setting — two kitchen appliances in one really helps with counter space.

You can dehydrate herbs and vegetables, but my personal favorite is egg yolks. First, cure them in salt and sugar for about a week. Rinse your eggs off and get them on a rack in your air fryer at 150 degrees F. After about two hours on the dehydrator setting, you have this beautiful egg that you can microplane over all sorts of foods to give them a salty umami addition.” — James Galbraith, chef/owner of Houndstooth and Anemel in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and soon-to-open PostBoy in New Buffalo, Michigan

Crispy English peas

“A surprisingly good side in the air fryer is English peas! I mix them with our This Little Goat Chili Lime Crunch, toss them in the fryer for five minutes, and then add a little bit of mint and queso fresco. It’s so quick and easy — the longest part is cleaning the peas from the pods (if you’re getting them fresh from the farmers market).” — Stephanie Izard

Weeknight fish dinners

“A favorite go-to dish for my air fryer is huli huli seabass. I go fishing as often as I can on my days off and get a fresh catch. I make a huli huli glaze to cover the bass, air-fry it, and serve it in a taco or on top of sticky rice and scallions. This is always a crowd-pleaser when I am entertaining a group or if I’m just cooking for two.” — Nate Leonard, executive chef of Tide Room at the Ashore Resort & Beach Club in Ocean City, Maryland 

“My absolute favorite dish to make in an air fryer is salmon filets. First, I marinate them in sake, soy, mirin, and garlic puree. Then I cook them for eight to 10 minutes at 425 degrees F, which creates an incredible crust without overcooking. For best results, I love the center cut filet that is roughly two inches thick.” — Kevin Lee, director of operations at Phat Eatery in greater Houston area

Bakery-level hand pies 

“I use my air fryer less as a ‘fryer’ and more for what it actually is: a mini convection oven. Hand pies are probably what it gets used for more than anything in my house, and that could be anything from a sweet black raspberry and damson one to a venison pithivier.” — Travis Milton, chef of Hickory at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Virginia

The crispiest rice

“One of my favorite hacks is to buy Trader Joe’s cooked rice and pop it right in the air fryer to crisp it up. Then I mix the crispy rice into a salad. Perfection!” — Edy Massih, chef/owner of Edy’s Grocer in Brooklyn

Perfectly seasoned french fries…or sweet potato fries

“As a grandma of kiddos that love french fries, the air fryer is a great way to make fries without all the mess of a traditional fryer. They come out super crispy and take seasoning really well. Unlike the deep fryer, you can season them up before air-frying. Try using jerk seasoning, lemon pepper or garlic, rosemary, and Parmesan.” — Claudia Sidoti, chef and co-owner of Mill and Main in Kerhonkson, New York

“Sweet potatoes are one of the most popular foods in my house, and if I make them as fries or big wedges, my family treats me like a hero for at least 10 minutes. My favorite way to use an air fryer is making crispy sweet potato wedges that I dust in garam masala and serve with minty yogurt and ketchup.” — Fiore Tedesco, chef and co-owner of Bambino in Austin

Fried chicken — without all the oil

“I love fried chicken and the air fryer is a great option for cooking it. You can still achieve juicy meat and really crispy skin without the chicken absorbing so much oil from being deep-fried.” — Jeff Chanchaleune, chef/owner of Ma Der Lao Kitchen in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Good-as-new leftovers

“Air fryers have exceptional high-heat capabilities like a convection oven but are more confined and direct. For that reason, I find it great for crisping up chicken thighs and ribs or re-animating leftover pasta and other hard-to-reheat foods.” — Geoffrey Zakarian

“Replace anything you’d do in a microwave with the air fryer. While microwaves give the ‘reheated’ feel to yesterday’s meal, air fryers can achieve a fresh-from-the-oven meal as if you just made it. I love to reheat veggies in the air fryer because they don’t get soggy. Bacon is another great thing to cook in the air fryer versus a traditional oven.” — Kelsey Barnard Clark, chef/owner of KBC Eatery in Dothan, Alabama

“I primarily use the air fryer to ‘refry’ takeout or leftovers. It is the best for leftover fried foods like fried chicken, shrimp, or french fries — they’re almost as good as if they were fresh out of the kitchen.” — Andrew Lim

Restaurant-worthy cheese flan

“One particularly busy day at work, I received a request for a cheese flan that needed to be made that same day. With only one hour to prepare it, I looked at the air fryer we typically use to cook gluten-free fries for guests and decided to give it a try. Everyone said you can’t use an air fryer for this; it’s for fast food without oil. But I went ahead and tried it, and in 25 minutes, I produced a spectacular flan. After this discovery, I think the air fryer can make for a great tool for baking cookies, candies, and cakes.” — Victoria Montenegro, chef at The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown in Washington, D.C.