In modern times such as today, home owners are truly at a loss when it comes to deciding on which appliances to buy. There are so many available on the market, all with different functionalities and some purported to be better than others at accomplishing different tasks. It also doesn’t help that we’re being bombarded with advertisements of all sorts of home appliances all day and night.
It’s hard to decide which one is best for your needs, especially if you’re running a tight budget for your household. One of the most common home appliances is the humble toaster: the mainstay of the kitchen counter over the last 2 generations of family homes, and an appliance that can do a wide variety of things – and not just toast bread.
But what if, for some reason, you don’t have a toaster in your kitchen? Maybe it might have malfunctioned recently, or you just didn’t get around to getting one for your kitchen. And here you are, wanting to make some toast for yourself. Well, don’t panic – a solution is here.
Enter the Air Fryer – one of the technological kitchen marvels of recent years – it does everything from roasting, broiling, baking, frying, and you guessed it – toasting!
How to use an air fryer like a toaster
If you have an air fryer in your home, you can definitely make some seriously tasty toast. Golden, crumbly toast is a favorite breakfast food for most of us. So now, fire up your air fryer and let’s make some toast that can be enjoyed with eggs, jam, butter, or any topping you like.
You’ll need to first decide how many slices of toast you want to make in your air fryer. Most conventional sized air fryers contain enough space to fit 4 slices of bread inside the air fryer basket. So if you’re in a hurry to make toast for more than one person (or if you just really love toast), you can easily make multiple slices with your air fryer.
Put your bread slices in the air fryer basket, and make sure that all of the slices are flat down inside, in a single layer. Don’t overlap them as this may cause uneven toasting.
Next, set your air fryer to 400ºF. This is the perfect temperature for toasting bread in your air fryer. Leave it to toast inside for about 2-3 minutes, then take your slices out and flip them over to toast for another 2-3 minutes until they become golden brown and crispy.
Take your toast out from your air fryer basket and serve your freshly made air fryer toast with any toppings that you like! Simple, and easy way to make toast in an air fryer – just like a toaster oven.
Ingredients needed for air fryer toast
Here are the ingredients you need to make perfect toast in your air fryer:
- Bread slices (Obviously)
- Air fryer
And that’s it! All you need is one ingredient, and one appliance. Although, it is important to remember not to overlap your toast slices. Only use as much as your basket can fit inside.
Do I need to use oil for air fryer toast?
Most air fryer recipes call for a little oil, especially if you’re doing deep fried stuff like wedges or chicken tenders.
But when it comes to toast, all you need is dry heat. And the air fryer can do that effectively, just like how a toaster oven does. This means that you won’t need to add any oil to your toast in the air fryer toasting process.
Can I make French toast in an air fryer?
Not only can you make regular toast in an air fryer – you can also make french toast!
French toast is a great breakfast food that we all love. Plus, it works with all kinds of toppings – sweet ones like syrups, fruits, and even ice cream, and savory ones like bacon, sausages and ham.
Here’s a simple french toast recipe for air fryer toasting.
Ingredients:
- Sliced bread
- Eggs
- Oil
- Toppings of choice
The first step is to create a whisked egg bowl to dip your bread in. Break open 2 eggs (or more depending on how many slices you’re making) in a bowl, and whisk it up with a fork to create a scramble.
To make French toast, you first need to dip your bread slices into the whisked egg bowl. Dip it, ensuring that the whole slice is drenched in the egg mix. Next, let the bread slice drain by placing it over a wire rack that is placed over another bowl or plate. Repeat this process to suit the number of french toasts you are making.
Now that you have your drenched bread slices ready, place them carefully into your air fryer, taking care not to overlap any slices in the process. Only cook as many slices as you can fit in the air fryer basket in one batch.
Add 1-2 sprays of cooking oil over each slice, then close the lid and turn it on to toast at 450ºF for about 6 minutes, flipping over to the other side when you reach the halfway mark of 3 minutes.
After 6 minutes, you should be left with a delicious, soft, and crispy french toast that you and your family can enjoy with your favorite spreads and toppings.
And If you want to make french toast sticks, simply cut your drenched and drained egg-bread slices into sticks with a knife before you cook them in the air fryer!
Can I make sandwiches in an air fryer?
Another favorite recipe for air fryer toasting aficionados is the air fryer grilled ham and cheese sandwich. This is the ultimate comfort food that is so easy to make if you’ve got an air fryer handy.
All you need to do is prepare the ingredients needed for a regular ham and cheese sandwich: cheese, bread, butter, and of course – ham slices.
Butter your bread on both sides, then create your middle section of cheese and ham – it doesn’t matter in which order you place them in! Next, place your completed buttered ham and cheese sandwiches into your air fryer. Most, if not all regular air fryers should be able to fit 4 sandwiches at once in the air fryer basket. However you should never overlap your sandwiches and only fit as much as the basket can hold, with at least half an inch of space between each sandwich.
Then, close the lid and start your air fryer at 370ºF, setting it to cook for 10-12 minutes. Halfway through at the 5-6 minute mark, pause cooking and flip the sandwich to the other side, then continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes.
You will be greeted with the ultimate golden brown, crispy bread, melty cheese, hot and delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwich that you and your family are sure to enjoy. The best part? You can make this easily with your air fryer at any time of day – there are no time restrictions on comfort food!
How toaster ovens work
Mind blown after knowing you can easily make toast with an air fryer? Here’s a little more in-depth toast related information for you to sink your teeth into. Let’s look at how conventional toaster ovens work.
Most toaster ovens that are found in homes usually have two functions, which is heating and broiling food. This is why when making or reheating crispy foods or bread foods like pizza, sandwich bread, or potato chips, toaster ovens are the top choice in lieu of an air fryer.
Note that there is a difference between a regular toaster, and a toaster oven. A regular toaster contains at least two (sometimes more) slots on its top side that fits regular slices of bread. You put the bread slices into each individual slot, and start it up to toast your slices.
A toaster oven is an appliance that lays your food flat on the inbuilt cooking tray. This means you can make all kinds of food with it thanks to the different settings that it comes with – you can adjust the temperature and timing of your toaster oven to suit whatever you’re cooking at the moment.
There are two heating elements located on the inside of a toaster oven, fitted on the top and bottom of the tray where the food is laid on. The heating elements work to gently reheat your food, toast your breads, or even go all the way up to a maximum temperature of 500ºF to broil items like fish, chicken, or meat.
How air fryers work
Air fryers work by circulating hot air around the interior basket quickly. By exposing the food that’s inside this basket to the hot air, a convection effect occurs that cooks food evenly, and quickly.
This hot air can go up to a maximum of 450ºF, which is a really high temperature and adequate for anything like deep frying or broiling. Air fryers are considered healthier options because you can cook conventional deep-fried foods like chips or meat cutlets with far less oil than deep-frying, and in a much quicker and easier way.
And in the case of toast, we now know that bread becomes toast by exposing it to heat. Whether it is from the two heating elements in a toaster oven, or hot air that circulates in an air fryer, toast is a very easy food item to create!
Is toaster, toaster oven, or air fryer better?
The answer to this question depends on the kind of food you are cooking. All three appliances have their uses and benefits, but they cook different foods in a different way.
- Toaster
For a start, a regular toaster can only make sliced bread toast. However, it is the easiest method to make toast – with minimal settings to tweak with. Additionally, it’s the easiest to clean as well – just take out the crumb tray located at the bottom of the toaster, throw the crumbs out, wash the tray, wipe it dry, and put it back into the toaster.
- Toaster Oven
A toaster oven, on the other hand, can cook a variety of foods, from toast, to nuggets, to broiling meat. But they can be more expensive than regular toasters, and some people may find that it’s harder to clean due to it having more moving parts.
You also have to keep the heating elements free from food debris as this will cause burnt food smells that will linger and get imbued into the food you are cooking.
- Air Fryer
An air fryer is an expensive investment – especially if you plan to get one that will last. Nobody should cheap out on air fryers, as they are complex pieces of equipment that need to be reliable for everyday use in the kitchen.
While it is a multi-function device that can make toast, alongside broiling and deep frying other foods, it is important that you clean your air fryer regularly for the best performance. The inside of an air fryer consists of many parts, such as the air fryer basket, the drawer, and the heating element.
If you want to make toast with an air fryer, you’re going to want to make toast in a clean air fryer, especially if you’re cooking other things on a regular basis. The more grease or food debris is stuck on in your air fryer, the more you risk burning or under-toasting your bread when you use it as a toaster.
Conclusion
When it comes to equipping your home kitchen, it makes sense to save some money and think about only having appliances that can do multiple things, rather than cluttering up kitchen space with specialized equipment that you use only occasionally.
And when it comes to toast, the modern air fryer has shown that it can truly replicate the delicious taste and texture of golden toast that has traditionally been made in a toaster. And if we consider the fact that air fryers can make French bread and grilled cheese sandwiches in a quick and easy way – there’s no doubt that the air fryer truly is a remarkable kitchen appliance worthy of its merits.
