Master the Art of Air Fryer Chips with These Hot Tips

There’s nothing worse than spending eight hours at work, only to come home to an empty cupboard and no plans for dinner. But ever since investing in an air fryer, my weeknight feeds have given Jamie Oliver’s 10-minute meals a run for their money (minimal time and effort required). My culinary air fryer specialty? Crispy, golden potato chips. Let me show you how it’s done. 

Personally, I’m using a top-of-the-range Philips XXL Air Fryer, but any decent air fryer you manage to get your hands on will do the trick. 

1. Cut the potatoes into chips (0.5 to 1 cm thick) or use this handy potato chip cutter if you, like me, are a millennial who craves convenience
2. Soak the chips in warm water for 3-5 minutes, then drain them
3. Dry off the excess moisture using paper towel
4. Spray or rub oil on the chips (you don’t need a lot)
5. Place the chips evenly in the bottom grill of your air fryer (you can overlap them)
6. Close the lid and set your temperature and cooking time (the Philips XXL has an auto-chip setting which selected 160 degrees Celcius for 26 minutes as the optimal time, but consult the instructions of your air fryer for recommended settings)
7. Serve with a sneaky hit of hot sauce or garlic mayo and enjoy!

The best part? The whole process from chopping the potatoes to chucking them in the air fryer took about 10 minutes, and the end result was crispy, tasty chips in record time.

But feel free not to stop there. You can use eggplant, sweet potatoes and parsnips for a hot chip medley — and some extra nutritional value. On the nights you can’t be bothered doing either of these things, pre-cut supermarket chips also go down a treat in your trusty fryer (just make sure you shorten the cooking time). 

The only real pain will be cleaning your fryer afterwards, and before that task, you can enjoy all the chips your heart desires. If you’re still working from home, you could even put the chips on towards the end of your workday and let them cook while you finish up your jobs.

Depending on the model you use, you’ll need to clean the grill, fat collector and the insides of the pan before you use it again. Air-fried chips tend to be fairly easy and mess-free, but more complicated meals will require an effective scrub down with a non-abrasive sponge to keep the fryer clean and functional.

It’s a small price to pay for a quick, grease-free and effortless meal. For those with little time or energy on their hands, it’s a total godsend. In short: it’s a millennial dream.

While chips alone aren’t always a good dinner, it’s easy enough to grill meat in your air fryer, too. Hamburger patties can be tossed in and grilled whole, as can fish or chicken. All you need to do is place the meat in the air fryer basket, set the time and temperature and hey presto, dinner is served.

This lovely, home-cooked meal took approximately 12 minutes of preparation time and 40 minutes waiting for the fryer (26 minutes for the chips, 14 minutes for the patties). While I waited, I treated myself to the classic film Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey — the air fryer ticked away even without supervision. It was minimal effort, minimal cleaning and excellent food all around. However, I cooked before an air fryer, I never want to go back.

You can check out Lifehacker Australia’s review of the Philips XXL Air Fryer, and start cooking with your very own air fryer here.

And if you’re still feeling peckish, you can check out more air fryer cooking guides here, including a recipe for crispy chicken that you can have with your chips.