Why You Should Be Air Frying Your 'Roast' Potatoes

It's hard to understate just how much air fryers changed the game for home chefs when they first hit the market in 2010 (via Kalorik). They've become one of the go-to options for just about everything thanks to their ability to quickly make crave-worthy entrees and sides. They also take all of the difficult guesswork out of perfectly roasting most foods.

Too often roast vegetables come out of the oven soft, mushy, or just plain burnt instead of golden brown like you dreamed of. The air fryer fixed that problem, and eliminated the need for much of the added oil as well. Spice Cravings notes that in addition to being easier to use, air fryers also work significantly faster — they're able to cut cooking time in half without sacrificing the quality of the final product.

One vegetable that seems destined for the air fryer is the humble potato (via The Kitchn). There are a million great ways to serve up a potato, but being able to turn a pile of yukon golds into bite-sized golden brown flavor bombs in less than 30 minutes just feels like magic.

While potatoes are some of the least fussy vegetables to work with, that doesn't mean you always end up with perfect results. Roasting potatoes might work out great, even if a secret ingredient is sometimes required, but you can just as easily end up with a baking tray covered in dull, mushy, and uninspiring potatoes.

Thankfully, the air fryer is here to ease your worries and save you time. The Kitchn says that roasting potatoes in the air fryer is its new favorite method with the reason being that it barely takes any extra cooking oil and it just plain works. It recommends cutting the potatoes in half to maximize the fluffy and delicious interiors. Also, don't forget to turn them over halfway through their cooking time, but that just takes a little shake of the basket. Kitchen appliance maker Philips says that shaking the food simply ensures that every side of it is cooking evenly.

So, the next time you're craving some roast potatoes, break out the air fryer. Just don't forget to spice things up with some lemon, or another favorite ingredient.