Gluten-free cooking in an air fryer

The air fryer is an extremely useful appliance for cooking quickly and with less fat. Thanks to cooking with rapid circulation of hot air, it allows to reduce the use of fats by up to 80% compared to traditional frying, obtaining crispy food on the outside and soft on the inside, just like in classic frying. Its cooking speed compared to a traditional oven makes it perfect for everyday use, especially when time to cook is limited and it is not possible to preheat the oven. Furthermore, the air fryer is ideal for oven preparations even in summer, when high temperatures discourage the use of a gas or electric oven.

The benefits of the air fryer for gluten-free cooking

Gluten-free cooking offers many possibilities today and no longer requires giving up taste. The air fryer is a valuable ally for those following a gluten-free diet, allowing them to save valuable time. Those following this diet know how complicated it can be to manage daily life, preparing a specific menu and constantly avoiding possible contaminations. The air fryer allows you to cook quickly without sacrificing flavor, making tasty preparations possible such as frying and gratin with alternative flours to the traditional one.

The even and fast cooking of the air fryer preserves the flavor and texture of the food, making it ideal for tasty dishes even with gluten substitutes. It is important to consider that some gluten-free foods may be enriched with sugars and fats to maintain a pleasant flavor and texture. For example, foods made with rice flour, low in proteins and micronutrients, may undergo the addition of fats, salt, and sugar. The air fryer, by reducing the use of seasonings and fats, helps to counterbalance this aspect for a healthier cooking.

Gluten-free flours have a different yield compared to common flours. Gluten, in fact, is a protein present in cereals such as wheat, barley, and rye, which acts as a binding agent, providing elasticity and structure to doughs. In its absence, gluten-free doughs behave differently, resulting in more moist and requiring different cooking times. The air fryer, with its rapid cooking at high temperatures and precise regulation of times and temperatures, can help in the preparation of these doughs. For example, muffins, which should remain soft and moist, turn out very well in an air fryer using gluten-free flours.

Finally, cleanliness is essential in a gluten-free kitchen to avoid cross-contamination. The ease of cleaning an air fryer compared to a traditional oven is an additional advantage for those who have to manage meal preparation for celiacs. Always remember to thoroughly clean the air fryer when you have used it previously to cook gluten-containing foods and use separate utensils and surfaces.

The air fryer for a gluten-free diet

You can adapt the use of the air fryer to your gluten-free kitchen by replacing some ingredients such as flour for doughs and sweets or breadcrumbs for breading.

Replace wheat flour with gluten-free alternatives such as almond flour, rice flour, corn flour, coconut flour or chickpea flour. Each recipe may require a specific mix and finding the right calibration of the ingredients for a good result may be difficult without experience. For this reason, it is useful to buy gluten-free mixes available on the market at the beginning. As we will see shortly, you can also create many delicious sweets that completely exclude the use of flours.

For breading for your air fryer frying, you can use gluten-free bread crumbs, cornmeal for polenta, rice flour, or chopped nuts. However, in the latter case, also pay attention to the calories! You can also prepare a batter with rice flour and potato starch, excellent for battered vegetables. To help fry the fresh battered ingredients in the air fryer without them becoming soggy and rubbery, you should first freeze them.

3 gluten-free recipes with the air fryer

After all the theory, it is time to put it into practice by getting "cooking", or rather, using the air fryer! Here, then, are three recipes we have created for the compact Ecofrit Girmi FG86 air fryer. Equipped with a digital display with 6 pre-set programs, it is very easy to use and perfect for making sweet and savory recipes.