People have always highly recommended air fryers since I am not particularly great at cooking, and I wish I got one sooner! I have overcooked, undercooked, and straight-up burnt food so many times I can’t even count. But with this air fryer and the extensive recipe book, every single meal I have made has tasted amazing. I even decided to branch out, get brave, and try some new recipes on my own. This air fryer, in particular, is also the perfect size for me. I only live with my boyfriend, so the portion sizes are perfect for us. The Dreo air fryer only takes up a little bit of counter space and stands about a foot and a half tall, which is perfect for a smaller apartment. It even fits nicely inside the cabinet, so it doesn’t take up space when I am not using it. The interesting part about an air fryer is that they don’t even really need to be in the kitchen. As long as you have an outlet, you can make these full and delicious meals. I wish I had one when I was living in the dorm rooms in college! As a beginner home cook, this air fryer is great for making quick, easy, and healthy meals. 1. Lemon Pepper Shrimp Whenever I go to a hot wings restaurant, I always go for lemon pepper wings, fries, and anything else lemon pepper flavored. So, it’s no surprise that when I found this recipe for lemon pepper shrimp, I just had to try it. The lemon pepper flavored marinated perfectly into the fresh and crunchy shrimp and it was truly fantastic. The shrimp made for a light entree that would be perfect for a dinner where you may have had a big lunch earlier in the day. I truly could not recommend this dish more. I put it with a side of some white rice and boiled broccoli for a clean, healthy, and balanced meal. The lemon pepper shrimp had a nice tangy flavor that was not too salty like some of the lemon pepper wings that the restaurants serve, but salt can also be adjusted to personal preference. The flavor and texture of the shrimp are just so delicious I think even those who do not typically enjoy seafood would like this dish. 2. French Fries I have always thought homemade french fries would be very difficult to make since I thought they required flour, cornstarch, or some other ingredients, and the idea of deep-frying was always terrifying to me. But when I saw that there was a recipe for homemade french fries in the recipe book, and all it required was a potato and some spices, I knew I had to try it. I was interested to see that I would soak the potatoes in water, which I assume was to get rid of the starch. I would like to make it once without soaking the french fries to see if it actually makes a difference. These french fries overall exceeded all expectations. They came out crispy and not too oily, which I really liked! Sometimes french fries at restaurants are just too oily, and they even make my skin break out if I eat too many, but these were just perfect. I even left the skin on, and the fries looked very professional and rustic. I also hardly used any oil, which was exciting since it was so crispy and delicious even without needing to deep fry the french fries. I am excited to add french fries to all of my home-cooked cheeseburger meals and even as a quick and easy snack. 3. Fried Tofu I love ordering fried tofu at Chinese restaurants, so I was thrilled to try cooking them in my new air fryer! I followed the instructions given in the recipe book, and I cut them up into little cubes and added soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and paprika, and sprayed it with avocado oil before putting them into the air fryer. Before I knew it, the tofu was finished and it was great! I will even make this as a light snack if I get hungry. The only change I would make to the recipe next time would be not to add sesame seeds. The sesame seeds added an excellent flavor to the tofu, but it was not strong enough to be worth all of the seeds stuck between my teeth. Now that I know the timings for perfect fried tofu, I will try making them plain with just a bit of salt and pepper like the Thai restaurants do and make a peanut sauce out of peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce to dip the tofu into. This is a great recipe for anyone who may be gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or really just anyone who enjoys a good tofu dish. 4. Salt and Pepper Scallops As a lover of all seafood, I was definitely determined to find a way to make scallops in the air fryer. Whenever I go to a seafood restaurant, my go-to order is always a bed of pan-fried scallops in garlic and butter, but I wanted to find a healthier, cheaper way to make these at home. I made two batches of scallops by spraying them with avocado oil spray and lightly seasoning them with salt and pepper. I put the first batch of scallops in for 8 minutes at 400 degrees, which was a recipe I found online, and then I flipped them at the halfway mark. Unfortunately, this first batch of scallops came out slightly over cooked and could be considered cooked medium, so then I altered the timings just a bit to 6 minutes. These scallops were perfect! They were not too rare or overcooked, and they were perfectly cooked medium-rare. At the time, I did not feel like adding garlic or butter to it, but I imagine it would be delicious to drizzle some chopped garlic and butter over the top of these scallops. These scallops came out looking professional, and I could see myself making them next time I have people over for dinner. I’m very happy with this Air Fryer and highly recommend it.
