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Gluten-Free Cooking and Air Fryer: 3 Quick Recipes
20 June 2024

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.

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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.

QUICK CONFIT CHERRY TOMATOES WITH AIRFRYER

A very quick recipe for a simple and tasty side dish or to use as a condiment for a gluten-free bread bruschetta (which you can toast directly in the air fryer!).

Ingredients:

  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • 10g dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon of brown sugar (or granulated)
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt

Preparation:

After seasoning the cherry tomatoes with a mix of oregano, sugar, salt, and oil, place them in the air fryer basket. For a better result, place a pastry cutter at the bottom of the air fryer and place the perforated pan on top of the pastry cutter. This way, the hot air will ensure even cooking. Cook in the air fryer at 170°C for 15 minutes and then at 200°C for 5 minutes to toast the cherry tomatoes confit on the surface.

APPLE AND CHOCOLATE GLUTEN-FREE BROWNIES

A light and delicious dessert that can be prepared in no time without the use of any type of flour. With its delicate apple flavor, it will surely please even those who can eat gluten.

Ingredients:

  • 250 g golden apples - net weight excluding peels
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 8 g instant yeast for baking
  • 30 g cane sugar

Preparation:

Blend all the ingredients in the bowl of the Girmi RB76 multifunction robot and then cook in an air fryer at 170 °C for 30 minutes.

RICOTTA AND CHOCOLATE MUFFIN MAGIC

Soft muffins without flour, perfect as a dessert to spoon with which to end a meal strictly gluten-free.

Ingredients for 5 muffins:

  • 1 medium egg
  • 250 g cow's ricotta
  • 20 g granulated sugar
  • 15 g cornstarch (cornstarch) dark chocolate chips to taste

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the eggs using a whisk, then add the sugar and cornstarch and continue mixing until you get a smooth mixture. After adding the chocolate chips, fill the specific air fryer liners or silicone muffin liners with the dough. Bake at 170° for 14 minutes in an air fryer GIRMI FG86 for a medium cooking, if you prefer more golden muffins, extend the cooking time for another 6 minutes. Remove the liners from the oven and let them cool slightly, then turn them over onto a serving plate and garnish with chocolate glaze and strawberries, or other seasonal fruit.

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