The Vital Step To Remember When Drying Fresh Herbs In Your Air Fryer

Herbs can transform any dish, but fresh herbs have a limited shelf life. If you have a prolific herb garden or too much of an herb to use before they wilt, there is another option to make the most of the aromatics. Drying herbs is a time-tested method to preserve their flavor. Now, with the popularity of air fryers, a modern approach to this age-old technique has emerged. Yet, in order to be successful, you will need to take an extra step that other ingredients don't require.

To prevent a tornado of herbs inside your air fryer, it is important to anchor down the lightweight ingredients. Fortunately, there are several easy options. The first is to group your herbs and secure them into a tight bundle using kitchen twine. While this does keep them together, it might require more time or rotating the leaves. Many air fryers come with racks, which works well. Try using the rack's weight and structure to keep a flat layer of herbs in place. Finally, you can also opt to place a metal object, like a stainless-steel spoon, atop your herbs. This added weight ensures they stay grounded throughout the drying process, too.

While there are plenty of options for weighing down your fresh herbs as they dry in the air fryer, you might not understand exactly why it is such an important step. For that, you need to have a clear understanding of how air fryers operate. 

These small kitchen appliances operate using rapid air technology. This entails circulating hot air at high speeds to cook food. While this is fantastic for achieving the crispy finish on fries or chicken, it presents a challenge when drying herbs. The lightweight nature of herbs means they can be easily blown around by the circulating air, leading to uneven drying, burning, or even potential damage to your machine.

With these techniques for weighing down herbs, you can easily apply them to almost any kind of herb. So, experiment with classics like rosemary and thyme or your favorites such as basil and oregano. You can even dry other herbs, such as chamomile and lemon balm, for homemade tea.

The next time you're faced with an abundance of fresh herbs and wonder how to prolong their magic, remember your trusty air fryer. With a bit of ingenuity and some anchoring tricks, you'll have dried herbs ready to elevate your dishes in no time.