I made three family dinners in the air fryer, and only one impressed me.
Terri Peters
I tried making spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, and tacos for my family in an air fryer.
The tacos and spaghetti with meatballs were good, but I don't think an air fryer is the best method.
The macaroni and cheese was a bit of a hassle, but my kids loved it, so I'll be making it again.
Living in Florida, my family uses our air fryer for almost everything since turning the oven on can quickly heat up our house. I'm convinced that my two-basket Ninja Foodi air fryer can do it all.
I decided to test its limits by using it to make three of my family's favorite weeknight dinners.
I found air-fryer recipes for spaghetti and meatballs, tacos and Mexican rice, and mac and cheese with chicken to make for my family. Here's how they turned out.
I've made meatballs in my air fryer before, so I was fairly confident about the recipe.
I was confident that my air fryer was suitable for making meatballs.
Terri Peters
I chose a recipe for air-fried meatballs that called for a blend of ground pork and ground beef. I hoped the fat content would keep them moist and tender.
First I formed large meatballs and prepared them for the air-fryer basket.
The recipe called for a mixture of ground meats and other ingredients like bread crumbs.
Terri Peters
I mixed the ground meats with bread crumbs, an egg, seasonings, and Parmesan, formed the meatballs, and prepared to cook them in my air fryer.
Cooking the meatballs required little effort.
The meatballs turned out perfect.
Terri Peters
I preheated my air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then turned the temperature down to 380 F and added the meatballs.
The meat was cooked perfectly after about 12 minutes, but I ended up having to leave the meatballs in the air fryer while the spaghetti cooked. This dried them out a little more than I would've liked.
The biggest challenge of preparing pasta in the air fryer was finding the right baking pan.
I opted for a foil baking pan so it could fit in the air fryer.
Terri Peters
The recipe I found for air-fried baked spaghetti called for the dish to be cooked in a baking pan. After returning two different ones that didn't fit, I discovered a disposable loaf pan at Target that slid perfectly into the basket.
I layered cheese in the pan, so the dish had more of a lasagna vibe.
I added layers of ricotta and mozzarella cheese to the spaghetti.
Terri Peters
I layered ricotta cheese and fresh mozzarella with the pasta to create a lasagna-type dish.
The pasta was off to a good start.
The dish looked like it was melting and browning nicely.
Terri Peters
The recipe didn't specify a temperature for baking my pasta dish, so I chose 375 F and cooked it for the suggested 15 minutes.
When I peeked in the basket halfway through, the cheese looked like it was starting to bubble perfectly.
The spaghetti turned out a bit dry and burnt, but I may have been off on my cooking time.
I burnt the top of my spaghetti dish, but that might've been my fault.
Terri Peters
Unfortunately, when the 15-minute timer went off, the cheese had burned.
Since the pasta was precooked, I probably should've lowered the temperature to 350 F and only left it in for 10 minutes.
I'd make the meatballs in an air fryer again, but not the spaghetti.
Spaghetti is way easier to just make with a pot and boiling water.
Terri Peters
The spaghetti process felt like way more work than boiling pasta and combining it with store-bought sauce.
The hassle paired with the meal's unfortunate dryness wasn't worth it — I don't think I'd make spaghetti this way again.
Next I made chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.
I prepared my ingredients for the chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.
Terri Peters
I love breaded chicken nuggets in the air fryer, but my family tries to keep dinners as healthy as we can.
With that in mind, I found a homemade, non-breaded chicken-nugget recipe and an air-fried mac-and-cheese recipe for our next meal.
The chicken was so easy to prepare.
The steps for preparing the chicken were very straightforward.
Terri Peters
The chicken-bites recipe made it super easy to turn store-bought chicken breasts into nuggets.
After cutting the breasts into bite-sized pieces, I combined spices like garlic powder, paprika, and salt with olive oil and marinated the pieces for a few hours.
In about 10 minutes, we had air-fried chicken nuggets.
The cooking process was quick and easy for the chicken nuggets.
Terri Peters
Per the recipe's instructions, I cooked the chicken pieces at 380 F for about 10 minutes, shaking the air-fryer basket halfway through. After 10 minutes, they were perfectly done.
The mac and cheese was not as simple.
I listened to the recipe and used uncooked macaroni.
Terri Peters
I prepped my mac and cheese in a loaf pan. The recipe specifically said not to precook the elbow macaroni, and although I was doubtful, I followed that step.
I cooked the dish at 360 F for 15 minutes, stirring the noodles every five minutes.
The dish took longer to cook than I expected.
After 15 minutes, the mac and cheese wasn't done.
Terri Peters
After 15 minutes, the pasta was nowhere near cooked. I ended up having to cook it for 30 minutes before it was fully done and tender.
The mess from the mac and cheese didn't end up being an issue for my air fryer.
Luckily, cleaning my air fryer after this dish wasn't difficult.
Terri Peters
Although this mac-and-cheese dish got a little messy due to constantly opening the air fryer, it was a simple cleanup because my baskets are dishwasher-safe.
I could see this being a big hassle if you have to wash everything by hand though.
I would definitely make this dish again.
The chicken nuggets and mac and cheese were well-loved by my kids.
Terri Peters
The mac and cheese took a lot longer than the chicken, but luckily, the meat maintained its tenderness and juiciness. My kids can be picky with spice combinations, but they enjoyed the flavor of these nuggets.
They also loved the mac and cheese. After going back for seconds and thirds, they even asked when I could make it again. I absolutely will, but I'd definitely precook the elbow macaroni next time.
The last recipe I chose was for air-fried tacos.
I was excited to try the air fryer for this meal since we have it weekly.
Terri Peters
Taco Tuesday is a weekly tradition in my house, so I wanted to try tacos for the last meal. I wasn't sure if it was possible to cook ground meat in an air fryer, but I was determined to find out.
I also wanted to make Mexican rice, as it's one of our favorite taco-night sides.
I couldn't believe how easy it was to make taco meat in the air fryer.
The taco meat cooked exactly like it would on a stove.
Terri Peters
When I found an air-fryer recipe for taco meat, I was surprised by how simple it looked. I started by mixing together ground beef, taco seasoning, diced onion, minced garlic, and a little bit of water.
Then I spread the mixture in the bottom of my air-fryer basket and cooked it for 10 minutes at 380 F.
To my surprise, the meat cooked perfectly.
The taco meat looked just like it does when I cook it on my stove.
Terri Peters
I opened the basket halfway through to stir the taco meat and couldn't believe what I saw — it looked identical to when I sauté ground meat on my stove.
Like the elbow macaroni, I should've precooked my rice.
I should've cooked the rice before putting it in the air fryer.
Terri Peters
The biggest lesson I learned is that starches, like pasta and rice, should be precooked before they're put in an air fryer.
The recipe for Mexican rice said to put the uncooked rice into my loaf pan. But I ended up cooking it at 400 F for almost a full hour rather than the 30 minutes the recipe suggested.
Although it took longer than expected, it was some of the best Mexican rice I've made.
The Mexican rice was top-notch.
Terri Peters
I liked everything about the recipe other than the fact that I wish I cooked the rice in advance.
Ingredients like fresh onion, cherry tomatoes, and scallions gave the dish an authentic feel. Plus, the spices, from cumin to chili powder, were perfect.
Taco night still seems a little easier on the stove.
Although the food was good, I'll stick to my regular method.
Terri Peters
I don't know if I'd prepare another Taco Tuesday with my air fryer, simply because it's so easy to brown ground beef and cook Mexican rice on the stove.
Although the meal was delicious, it felt like more work than the process I currently have for getting tacos on my family's table.
In the future, I think I'll stick to making rice and pasta on the stovetop.
I'd make meat and mac and cheese in the air fryer again, but probably not rice or spaghetti.
Terri Peters
The air fryer is an unnecessary step if I have to precook carbs beforehand.
I'll probably take that extra step to make the mac and cheese since my kids loved it so much, but I won't be doing it again for spaghetti or Mexican rice. I could save time and mess by making those dishes on my stove.
I'll continue to use the air fryer for proteins, especially when I'm trying to keep my oven usage to a minimum. Being able to make meatballs or chicken nuggets in the appliance was a major plus and something I'd definitely consider for future dinners.
