Every Day Easy Air Fryer: 100 Recipes Bursting with Flavor

Between Urvashi Pitre’s blog recipes that I’ve already tried previously in my air fryer over the past several months (more on this later) -- plus finally getting this cookbook in-hand and immediately running to the grocery store so I could try some of the new-for-this-cookbook recipes -- I’ve already been able to tackle 42 of the 109 total recipes included in this cookbook! (Yes, I am an overachiever.)

Everything about this print cookbook lives up to the bar previously set by her other cookbooks -- and, in some cases, exceeds it. So buckle-up. I’ve got a whole lot to tell you regarding this cookbook!

-----
For the “too long; didn’t read people”: 5 stars. Yummy yummy in my tummy. Get this cookbook. :-)

These recipes are so simple to make, and are so delicious, that my taste buds are starting to believe my kitchen skills are better than they actually are. Some of these dishes rivaled what I’ve had in restaurants.

The short ingredients lists, clear and simple instructions, extensive full-page / full-color photographs for nearly every recipe, along with the improved physical-format / page-layout, plus significantly higher-quality cover and inside pages (compared to the author’s prior cookbooks) makes the price of this cookbook completely worth it -- in every way.

-----
Who this cookbook probably IS NOT for

1. People looking to only make typical American standards such as onion rings and chicken tenders.
2. People who only like to eat out at big-name American chain restaurants.
3. People who are going to complain “but I could just cook that in the oven / on the stove”.

-----
Who this cookbook probably IS for

1. People not afraid to try good food from around the world, with a huge variety of flavor profiles.
2. People wanting to get food cooked quickly and easily, without heating up the entire kitchen.
3. People looking to get the flavors of a dining-out experience at home -- with minimal ingredients and effort.

-----
My Overview / Initial Thoughts

This is my 3rd physical cookbook by Urvashi Pitre. (I first became a fan of her website recipes after discovering her famous Instant Pot Butter Chicken.) This is by far her most well-presented cookbook to date -- and a large majority of the recipes include a full-page, full-color photo! This was a welcome change from her previous two cookbooks.

My prior fandom of Urvashi’s recipes was limited to her Instant Pot recipes. And until I learned about the future-existence of this cookbook, I’d not given much thought at all to air frying. But I was willing to give it a try since she already has a proven track record of producing tasty easy-to-make with-fresh-ingredients recipes for the Instant Pot. The air fryer recipes in this cookbook did not disappoint.

-----
About the Chapters

The details included in the introductory pages and the recipe “top-notes” were very informative, yet also warm and friendly, making it all very easily approachable. (It’s like having a friend over to teach you how to cook.) You should definitely read these introductory pages and not skip over them. There is an excellent 2-page overview discussing the recipes themselves, a whole section about myth vs. reality, and a troubleshooting section has a lot of good information about cuts of meat, proper basket filling, etc.

There are 100 air fryer recipes spread out across 6 chapters -- plus a bonus 7th chapter of Sauces & Spice Mixes -- making a grand total of 109 recipes. Quite a few recipes have lists of suggested variations, and I counted them all. If you considered each of these additional variations as its own recipe that makes another 41 recipes.

The chapters are color coded in the table of contents, and that same color coding is used on the recipe pages. So it's super easy to see that the meat chapter is red, and then flip the pages with the recipe titles in red text. This is a subtle thing that might go unnoticed by most people, but I find that these kinds of details make for a much more user-friendly experience.

Each recipe has a little summary section listing dietary considerations (such as being gluten free). BUT! The single. most. absolutely. amazing. thing included in this cookbook, is at the end -- a summary chart listing all of the recipes and which dietary considerations they are compatible with. (I do note that there is no nutritional information included at the end of each recipe, like was the case with her previous two cookbooks. But I’m OK trading that for the full-color photos!)

There are a few recipes that span multiple pages, requiring you to turn the page (because of the full-color picture being included for that recipe) so that was a little confusing for me at times (especially for the Chiles Rellenos recipe which had both additional instructions AND additional ingredients on the turned page). But that issue falls squarely on the shoulders of the publisher / editor for choosing to lay it out that way.

A surprising amount of recipes have supplemental notes about possible ingredient substitutions for anyone who needs to adapt things to better fit their dietary restrictions. And there are also notes with tips about air fryer specifics for that particular recipe, plus some notes about things learned during testing -- all to help give you the best chance of success with the recipe. Such extra details are definitely appreciated, and point to an author interested in us not only just making the food, but making it WELL.

-----
About the Recipe Methods / Ingredients / Timing / Serving Sizes

The recipes in this cookbook definitely live up to the standards set by Urvashi Pitre’s earlier cookbooks:

* Simple to make with clear and easy-to-follow instructions
* Mostly short ingredients lists, with minimal “speciality” ingredients**
* Amazing global flavor profiles for such few ingredients and very little actual effort

** Yes, some recipes do call for some speciality ingredients. Get them. They are totally worth it. Not only do they make for delicious food, but she thoughtfully makes a point to provide multiple recipes that use most of them.

Many of these air fryer recipes follow a super-simple format with no preheating required:

* 10 - 15 minutes of prep
* 30 - 60 minutes of marinating (or up to 24 hours if desired)
* 10 - 20 minutes of cooking (per batch, if batch cooking is needed)

Many of the recipes call for 1 pound of meat, and depending on the size of your air fryer this may require require cooking in batches. (Depending on how the meat is cut up, my small GoWise can often hold an entire pound of meat without any overlap -- but sometimes it can’t. For example: the long-thin strips for the beef satay I needed to do in two layers).

Serving sizes for the recipes in this cookbook all seem to mostly conform to the USDA standard of 4 ounces of protein per person. This is not a flaw or shortcoming with this cookbook. It appears to be an industry standard -- or at least that is my conclusion based on a random sampling of cookbooks by other authors that I checked.

Thus a “serves 4” recipe might only serve 2 depending on how much each person in your household eats, and/or how many side dishes you are serving with these recipes. (Example: Most of us could totally chow-down on an entire pound of chicken wings all on our own!) You will need to leverage your past experience regarding how much your household typically eats, in order to assess if you should double these recipes.

-----
About the Recipe Collection (Creation Origins)

Of the 109 recipes in this cookbook, an exhaustive search of Urvashi’s TwoSleevers blog found 47 recipes already available there. (Yup, for free! So if you’re not sure about getting this cookbook, you’ll be able to first give some of her recipes a try!)

Some side-by-side spot checking has revealed that for these 47 “duplicate” recipes, the cookbook versions of the instructions have often been updated for clarity. In a few cases the ingredients lists differ slightly, and there was a noticeable number of recipes with slightly different cooking temperatures and cooking times. So they may not be “new” but they are definitely “improved” -- making the physical cookbook worth the investment.

I was able to identify an additional 7 recipes that were originally stovetop / oven recipes that now have new air fryer versions.

Which leaves 46 completely brand new recipes developed just for this cookbook. (Of the 15 dessert recipes, only 2 appear to have existed previously -- everything else in that chapter is completely new!)

-----
About the Recipe Collection (Cuisine Breakdown - Summary)

Since I am an overachiever, I put everything into a spreadsheet (which is how I assembled the above metrics), so I could try to track things by cuisine. Excluding the dessert recipes and the sauces/spices recipes, I’ve assessed the remaining 84 recipes as follows:

25% (21 recipes) can be classified as “American” (this includes 7 Tex-Mex recipes, along with Cajun, Hawaiian, American-Chinese and Asian-American recipes)

21% (18 recipes) are Asian (Thai, Chinese, etc.)

16% (14 recipes) are “European” in nature (French, Greek, Italian, etc.)

10 recipes are Indian (including an amazing Tandoori Chicken recipe!)
10 recipes best fall under “Global” or “Global Fusion”
6 recipes are Middle-Eastern (includes Turkish and Lebanese)
2 recipes are African
1 recipe is South American (Peru)

-----
About the Supplemental Chapter

For the 9 recipes in the Sauces & Spice Mixes chapter, most of them are intended to go with other recipes in the cookbook -- but are not always referenced accordingly from each of those recipes (details below). Most of them were easy to make (I’ve done them all except the ghee), and can be used in multiple recipes between the cookbook and the TwoSleevers blog.

Yes, it is absolutely worth it to make your own spice mixes to use in these recipes!

The “Cilantro Pesto & Variations” recipe is the only anomaly. There is no corresponding recipe that I could find in the cookbook to actually use it with (a quick search of her blog revealed it as a chicken marinade). And it’s really more of a chimichurri sauce than what I think of when I hear “pesto”. (And since it’s more of a chimichurri, it would probably also work well drizzled over a nice steak!) But whatever you decide to call it, you can definitely call it delicious. I used it to marinate chicken legs overnight with great results.

-----
Recipes That I Tried (Representative Sample)

One of the benefits of being an existing fan of Urvashi’s recipes is that people who follow her on Facebook, follow her blog, and/or subscribe to her weekly recipe summary get to try MANY eventually-in-a-cookbook recipes in advance, while they are being developed and refined. Plus, we also often get sneak peeks of upcoming cookbook details, photo shoots, etc. This time around we were gifted with an early-preview draft-copy sneak peek of this cookbook's table of contents. So I, being an overachiever, was able to get an early start on things by just searching the blog for matching/similar recipe titles! #ResourcefulnessForTheWin

On top of all of that, the publisher did a pre-order special where with our receipt number and purchase location we were able to get early preview copies of 5 of the cookbook-only recipes!! Air frying has been a completely new adventure for me -- and I have to say: using Urvashi’s recipes, I’ve not been disappointed. Of all the recipes I’ve tried, here are a few of the standouts:

>> Gochujang Chicken Wings -- “Do not pass Go, do not collect $200”, go directly to a tub of gochujang Korean red chile paste, and make this recipe. I’ve made it at least 3 times. Gochujang is my new favorite ingredient! (Yes, it’s spicy, but you can adjust your measurements accordingly.) These chicken wings are SO much better than plain old buffalo wings!

>> Pork Bulgogi -- I’ve made this twice. Both times it has taken a lot of self control to not eat the whole thing myself.

>> Easy Beef Satay (with the Easy Peanut Sauce) -- This one was so good that it became a “serves 1” recipe for me. And I was not the least bit ashamed of myself. In fact, it was good enough that the delicious-in-its-own-right peanut sauce barely made the meat more delicious than it already was without the sauce. That’s an excellent sign of a good marinade!

>> Scallops & Spinach with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce -- This one could impress company. I have no idea how she managed to make a mere 6 ingredients (plus salt, pepper, and oil) taste so well-rounded. The recipe calls for sea scallops -- which are the big ones. Cooking them using this air fryer recipe rivals any scallops that I’ve had in a restaurant.

>> Spicy Crab Cakes with Mango Mayo -- That Mango Mayo? Holy Yummy, Batman! I eyeballed the ingredient measurements, so it ended up being more of a sauce than a mayo, and it was all I could do to restrain myself from just drinking it directly from the bowl.

>> Chilies Rellenos with Red Chile Sauce (plus Tomatillo Salsa) -- I’ve made this 3 times using pasilla peppers instead of poblanos (since I could not find poblanos). The air fryer charred them up wonderfully, and the Red Chile Sauce is amazing. This recipe is listed under Vegetables, but you could totally add some pre-cooked ground beef or shredded chicken. I didn’t even miss the traditional batter-coating.

>> Spicy Greek Baked Feta with Honey -- This one you might want to make when you are the only one home -- because you might not want to share it with anyone! I’ve made it twice. I ate it myself both times all in one sitting.

>> Shawarma Green Beans (using the Lebanese Shawarma Spice Mix) -- When I assembled the spice mix, a sniff test had me doubting things. But once it was all mixed together and everything cooked -- it was perfect.

>> Persian Chicken Kebabs -- Pro-Tip: To make just the amount of saffron water you’ll actually need for 1 pound of meat, use 1/8 tsp sugar + 1 non-skimpy pinch of saffron threads, ground up together in a mortar and pestle, then mixed into 2 Tbsp of hot water until dissolved.

Other recipes deserving of a shout-out: Yellow Curry Baked Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders, Shrimp Scampi, Turkish Chicken Kebabs, Crispy Cracked-Pepper Chicken Wings, African Piri-Piri Chicken Drumsticks (using Nando’s Piri-Piri sauce from Amazon), Sticky Sesame Chicken Legs (or chicken wings!), 5-Ingredient Chocolate Brownies

-----
Final Commentary & Conclusions

I’m am absolutely NOT an expert in the kitchen. I can Instant Pot, and now I can Air Fry. But that’s it.

These recipes are so simple to make, and are so delicious, that my taste buds are starting to believe otherwise about my kitchen skills. (My Facebook friends similarly are beginning to disbelieve me based on all the photos I’ve been posting!)

The short ingredients lists, clear and simple instructions, extensive full-page / full-color photographs for nearly every recipe, along with the improved physical-format / page-layout, plus significantly higher-quality cover and inside pages makes the price of this cookbook completely worth it -- in every way.

I’ve seriously been eating like royalty lately, just by using these recipes -- and have zero regrets about spending money to purchase this cookbook. (And I am seriously considering also buying the Kindle version so that I can have all the recipes quickly/easily accessible while in the grocery store!)

Will this cookbook be a winner for you?

Just ask yourself these three simple questions:

* Do you enjoy taking culinary world tours?
* Do you want to get maximal flavor with minimal ingredients?
* Do you want to get an amazing global variety with minimal effort?

If you answered yes to all the above -- then yes, I do believe this cookbook can be a winner for you!

-----
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
A Few Words About the Recipes
Why Air Fry?
Air Fryer Myths and Realities
Helpful Accessories
Troubleshooting

Chapter 1: Eggs & Cheese
------------------------
* Chile-Cheese Toast
* Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
* Hard-Cooked Eggs
* Scotch Eggs
* Spicy Greek Baked Feta with Honey (Feta Psiti)
* Jalapeno Popper Bake [Dip]
* Fresh Herb & Cheddar Frittata
* Cheese & Veggie Egg Cups
* Phyllo-Wrapped Brie with Fig Jam
* Frico (Cheese Crisps)
* Puff Pastry Bites with Goat Cheese, Figs & Prosciutto
* Paneer Tikka Bites
* Halloumi [Cheese] with Greek Salsa
* BBQ Chicken Flatbreads
* Hot Crab Dip
* Cream Cheese Wontons

Chapter 2: Vegetables
---------------------
* Tart & Spicy Indian Potatoes (Amchoor Potatoes)
* Chiles Rellenos with Red Chile Sauce
* Mushrooms & Bacon
* Indian Chinese Cauliflower (Gobi Manchurian)
* Indian Okra (Bhindi Masala)
* Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
* Shawarma Green Beans
* Indian Eggplant Bharta
* Lebanese Baba Ghanoush
* Southwestern Roasted Corn
* Potato Fries
* Root Veggie Shoestring Fries with Saffron Mayonnaise
* Asian Tofu Salad
* Potatoes Anna
* Warm Salade Niçoise

Chapter 3: Chicken / Poultry
----------------------------
* African Piri-Piri Chicken Drumsticks
* African Merguez Meatballs
* Chicken & Vegetable Fajitas
* Chicken Shawarma
* Coconut Chicken Meatballs
* Thai-Style Cornish Game Hens (Gai Yang)
* Crispy Cracked-Pepper Chicken Wings
* Gochujang Chicken Wings
* Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken
* Persian Chicken Kebabs (Joojeh Kabab)
* Spicy Indian Fennel Chicken
* Tandoori Chicken
* Thai Curry Meatballs
* Turkish Chicken Kebabs (Tavuk Shish)
* Yellow Curry Baked Chicken
* Greek Chicken Souvlaki
* Sticky Sesame Chicken Legs
* Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders
* Herb-Roasted Chicken Breast
* Peruvian-Style Chicken with Green Herb Sauce

Chapter 4: Seafood
------------------
* Shrimp Scampi
* Tilapia Almondine
* Dukkah-Crusted Halibut
* Baked Shrimp Curry
* Crispy Salt-&-Pepper Shrimp
* Crustless Shrimp Quiche
* Miso Salmon
* Citrus-Soy Salmon with Sesame Bok Choy & Shitakes
* Smoky Shrimp & Chorizo Tapas
* Spicy Crab Cakes with Mango Mayo
* Spicy Cajun Fish Fillets
* Shrimp with Smoky Tomato Dressing
* Scallops & Spinach with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce
* Lemon-Tarragon Fish en Papillote

Chapter 5: Beef, Pork & Lamb
----------------------------
* Carne Asada
* Easy Beef Satay
* Bulgogi Burgers
* Cantonese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)
* Chinese-Style Baby Back Ribs
* Pork Bulgogi (Dae Ji Bulgogi)
* Indian Mint & Chile Kebabs
* Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sausages (Nem Noung)
* Italian Sausage & Cheese Meatballs
* Swedish Meatballs
* Kheema Meat Loaf
* Lebanese Kofta Kebabs
* Cheesy Low-Carb Lasagna
* Vietnamese "Shaking" Beef (Bo Luc Lac)
* Vietnamese Grilled Pork (Thit Nuong)
* Sichuan Cumin Lamb
* Spicy Lamb Sirloin Chops
* Filipino Crispy Pork Belly (Lechon Kawali)
* Taco Chile Casserole
* Turkish Pizza (Lahmacun)

Chapter 6: Desserts
-------------------
* 5-Ingredient Brownies
* Almond Shortbread
* Gluten-Free Chickpea Brownies
* Eggless Farina (Semolina) Cake
* Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
* Gluten-Free Coconut-Chocolate Cake
* Gluten-Free Ricotta Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
* Gluten-Free Spice Cookies
* Baked Spiced Apples
* Cinnamon-Sugar Almonds
* Zucchini Nut Muffins
* Orange-Anise-Ginger Skillet Cookie
* Cardamom Custard
* Mixed Berry Crumble
* Baked Brazilian Pineapple

Chapter 7: Sauces & Spice Mixes
-------------------------------
* Cilantro Pesto & Variations
* Garam Masala
* Kofta Kebab Spice Mix
* Lebanese Shawarma Spice Mix
* Tomatillo Salsa
* Easy Peanut Sauce
* Gochujang Dip
* Homemade Ghee
* Tzatziki

INDEX
Chart of Dietary Considerations and Cooking Times

Day one and I’m already cooking out of this wonderful book! I love my air fryer, but after a while it got to be old hat and we were cooking the same old things in it (wings, fries, kid food, roasting veggies, etc). I was so excited when I knew Urvashi was coming out with this book and made sure to pre-order it. Let me say - this book does not dissapoint. The recipes are well written, easy to follow, and there are even variations included to try with some of the recipes. I’ve already started a list of new things to try that will shake up our dining routine. I love that most recipes are ready in under 30 min (including prep), are full of flavor, and specialty ingredients are used multiple times throughout this book so you don’t waste a bunch of money on an ingredient you never use again.

If you already know Urashi and her other cookbooks you'll know what I mean. I survived and have embraced the Instant Pot craze. So naturally, the next phase would be an air oven. The Breville Smart Oven Air was on sale -$80. That's like waving a red flag in front of a bull. I've got the oven. It's on the counter, primed and all. NOW, WHAT?

Being a foodie and having extensive cooking experience that's more in the traditional method of cooking. Think Julia Child, James Beard .... you know those guys. Then there's the science part of me. Think Kenji Lopez-Alt, Serious Eats, Cooks Illustrated, guys. I was totally clueless about this thing and unless I have the science behind it, it's not going to work for me. Urashi basically tells it like it is, in simple terms. She gives you enough of the how and why for me to understand what to expect and to separate the hype from reality.

I have yet to try one of the recipes since it was only delivered a couple of hours ago. But, flipping through the recipes I encountered the 'Cream Cheese Wonton' recipe. The last two sentences in the description of the dish are "If they do burst open, resist the urge to lick that cheese. It's very hot and clingy (kinda like your ex, and equally likely to burn you)." How can you NOT love this woman!

I will update once I try some of the recipes.

Amazing cookbook. The Tandoori Chicken is my favorite so far. I’m not a good cook but this book lets me fake like I am. The instructions are well laid out and the pictures are beautiful. You will not be sorry!

OMG! This cookbook is exquisite! The recipes are out of this world and the photos are stunning. Just looking through the book elicits a mouthwatering yearning to start cooking right this minute. Urvashi Pitre has hit another one out of the ballpark. I started with her Instant Pot Indian cookbook followed by her Keto book. I’ll order any and all cookbooks she ever authors. Her recipes are just that awesome. You will not be disappointed.

Bought this book since I recently purchased an air fryer. Amazing selection of recipes. The book is categorized by vegetables, type of meat etc. each recipe lists dietary classifications and most of them have beautiful layouts/pictures to go along. There’s a very useful chart at the end of the book that cross indexes and cross references to page numbers, gluten free, dairy free, low carb options etc. As for the recipes themselves - I bought this particular author since I have another book by her on the instant pot and her recipes and ingredients from spices to combinations and the variety is like a beautiful story that you wish would never end! Mouth watering, delicious dishes that leaves everyone taking third and fourth servings. Buy this book, even if you don’t have an air fryer. Most of recipes can be adapted to other similar cooking devices. #trustUrvashi is true. You won’t go wrong and you won’t regret getting the book.

Absolutely LOVE the recipes in this book! Made us love our air fryer. So much more than just chicken and fries. I had no idea you could cook desserts and meatloaf in an air fryer until this book!

Another winning collection of well tested recipes from Dr. Pitre that are practical for the home cook that enjoys interesting food. Would make a wonderful gift, especially paired with an air fryer! Biggest quandary will be what to make first... just choose a random page number & enjoy the surprise.

Many of the recipes require a lot of ingredients and call for spices that I don't keep in the pantry, i.e., amchoor, paneer cheese, garam masala, Lebanese Shawarma spice mix - to name a few. If you enjoy Eastern cooking that requires a lot of ingredients, this is definitely a book for you. I just bought my air fryer and want some basic recipes that don't need me to buy spices that I might not want to use again. I won't return it because there are a couple of recipes I will try that have spices I can find in my local grocery store.

I have a couple of Urvashi's other cookbooks and just love them. This one is very well laid out with lots of drool-worthy photos. Like her, I'm a #GadgetGeek, and I'm so thankful that she's around to help me figure them all out! (Instant Pot, I'm looking at you) Urvashi has some great suggestions accessories to go along with these small appliances so that you really can make them work their best.