Sure, the original idea of the air fryer was to make traditionally deep-fried foods taste amazing using little to no oil. But it didn’t take long for people to realize that there is way more to air frying than French fries and onion rings. The same air fryer cooking technology that gives foods their crispy-crunchy air-fried texture benefits almost everything it touches, from breakfast to dessert and everything in between. To prove it, we’ve rounded up 7 recipes that show there are practically no limits when it comes to cooking with air. 

1. “Hard-boiled” Eggs 

No need to wait for a pot of water to boil in this super simple, hands-off method. To make hard-cooked or “hard-boiled” eggs in an air fryer, just place them in the basket and cook on 300°F for 17-19 minutes, then immediately cool in ice water. Once you’ve got a batch ready to go, try out our recipe for avocado deviled eggs.

2. Burgers and Sliders

Burgers come out extra juicy with this no-fuss method. These mini BBQ sliders are a perfect finger food for watching the game. 

3. A Whole Chicken

Yes, a whole chicken. From scratch! Air fryers are actually great for roasting foods . While the inside gets tender and juicy, the skin crisps up just right. Get our recipe and full step-by-step instructions for roasted air fryer chicken here.

4. Steak

Not everyone’s a natural grill master, and that’s okay. If you want a juicy steak, but you don’t want to put any effort into making it, throw it in the air fryer. We like this air fryer rib-eye steak method because the steak retains all its natural juices during the cooking process.

5. Roasted Garlic Aioli

Laura from KrazyKitchenMom.com roasted a head of garlic in the air fryer for her roasted garlic aioli recipe. We can’t decide what’s better—the fact that it took half the time as roasting garlic in the oven or that there was no cleanup to speak of. Get her air fryer roasted garlic aioli recipe.

6. Roasted Vegetables

Air fryers are great for cooking foods like veggies. Since you’re using less oil to cook them than traditional roasting methods, you’ve earned the right to throw a little bacon in your Brussels sprouts—we’re not judging. 

7. Tandoori Chicken

Traditionally, enjoying this flavorful dish has been reserved for date night at your favorite Indian restaurant, since its iconic flavor is made possible in part by the clay oven, or tandoori, it’s typically prepared in. With an air fryer, you can have it any night of the week. These chicken thighs get a quick dip in a marinade of yogurt, ginger, garlic, vinegar, cumin, chili, turmeric and salt before getting baked in the air fryer. Get the full air fryer tandoori chicken recipe.