Make Fried Rice In Your Air Fryer And Thank Us Later
When you're in need of a quick and simple meal, fried rice is a tasty option that doesn't require a ton of meal prep. The best fried rice you will ever try requires only a handful of ingredients and cooks over your stove in under 15 minutes. However, to achieve restaurant-quality fried rice, you may think this convenient meal needs to be prepared in a traditional wok or skillet. Fortunately, you can also use your air fryer to make tasty and delicious fried rice.
Air fryers are particularly handy when fried foods are on the menu. Since this unique appliance has a high-powered fan that circulates hot air, you don't have to worry about your next batch of fried rice resulting in an uneven texture. Since the temperature of your air fryer is evenly maintained throughout the cooking process, every morsel of rice is guaranteed to have the signature crunch that makes fried rice ultra satisfying to eat.
Utilizing your air fryer also requires less cooking oil. While air fryer fried rice can't be made without this necessary ingredient, you can get away with using less oil than suggested for stove-top fried rice. A small amount of oil combined with the power of your air fryer's interior fan results in perfectly crisp, evenly textured grains.
More benefits of making fried rice in an air fryer
Among the many appetizing air fryer recipes for everyday meals, fried rice is one dish you should add to your monthly rotation. While heating a skillet or wok over your stove doesn't take much time, cold, cooked rice shouldn't be added until your skillet is coated in hot oil. Luckily, air fryers only take between two to four minutes to pre-heat and you can prep your rice ahead of time. To make air fryer fried rice, all you need to do is combine leftover rice (you should avoid cooking raw rice in your air fryer) with a small amount of sesame or neutral-flavored oil and select your seasonings. To make the process even more simple, add chopped frozen vegetables.
When you're ready to cook, pour the rice mixture into a lined cake pan and place the pan directly into your fryer basket. In approximately 10 minutes, with only one stir in between, you'll have perfectly crispy yet tender fried rice. You don't have to worry about burning your dish as long as you keep an eye on your air fryer and cook rice at an even 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want to add extra flavor with soy sauce or oyster sauce, you can mix one or both of these ingredients directly into your fried rice mixture before, during, or after cooking.
Fried rice made with extra ingredients may take longer to cook with an air fryer
If you're wanting a fried rice recipe bursting with additional flavor and extra ingredients, using your air fryer may not be the most convenient cooking method. Many traditional recipes for fried rice rely on a foundation of flavors created by sautéing a mixture of vegetables and protein in cooking oil. While you can certainly add sautéed onions and garlic to your air fryer fried rice, using a skillet to prepare a portion of this alternative recipe removes part of its convenience.
If you enjoy scrambled eggs in your fried rice, most stovetop recipes recommend pre-cooking eggs and removing them from the heat before all other ingredients are added to the pan. Even though you can make scrambled eggs in an air fryer, combining rice and raw egg in your fryer basket may result in gummy rice as opposed to perfectly crisp rice with fluffy scrambled eggs. For air fryer fried rice, make scrambled eggs over your stove and add them back to your rice when serving. Or, cook raw eggs in a separate ramekin in your air fryer before making your fried rice.
There are both benefits and drawbacks to using an air fryer when fried rice is on the menu. But for a simple, no-fuss meal that doesn't require constant monitoring, your air fryer proves to be a convenient and tasty way to prepare this well-rounded dish. And if you don't finish it all, you can also use your air fryer to turn leftover rice into crispy snacks.