Give Your Cauliflower The Crispiest Texture With This Air Fryer Technique

Home chefs and foodies are always trying to figure out the secret tricks restaurants use to make food taste so incredible. If you're vegetarian or a vegetable aficionado, chances are you've pondered how to make restaurant-level, crispy cauliflower. When dining out, cauliflower wings or a crispy cauliflower appetizer is delicious, but for some reason, these dishes can turn out soft or limp when we try to make them at home. 

Restaurants often use deep fryers to make cauliflower and other foods crispy, but an air fryer is the perfect home appliance to use for the task. Plus, an air fryer doesn't use all the oil you need with a deep fryer. Air fryers make food crispy because hot air hits everywhere on the surface of whatever you're cooking, so this is an easy way to ensure that the entire floret of cauliflower is cooked perfectly. Before placing your cauliflower in the air fryer, the key is to toss them in both water and oil first. The water will steam and soften the inside of the vegetable, while the oil makes the outside crispy. You can season the florets after the oil and water toss; adding arrow starch to the seasoning is another way to increase crispiness.

Air fryer cauliflower is a relatively easy recipe, but a few simple tricks can really elevate it. In addition to the water and oil tip, try cutting your cauliflower into equal sizes. This ensures that all the florets cook evenly and thoroughly, with a crispy texture on every surface. With larger florets, note that it will take longer to cook and achieve the crispy exterior. Small to medium-sized pieces work best in the air fryer to ensure hot air reaches the maximum surface area. Once finished, crispy cauliflower provides a great texture in dishes like delicious veggie tacos or sticky garlic cauliflower wings. 

If you don't have an air fryer, it is still possible to make crispy cauliflower in the oven. The main difference between the two appliances is that you need to pre-heat an oven before using it to make cauliflower. Before placing your cauliflower in the oven, be sure the oven is hot and ready to use. The instant exposure to a high heat will create a crispy texture, while a slower, gradual exposure to a heating up oven will provide a softer texture.