"Namely because I can now make gluten-free versions of my favourite foods in less time, using a boat-load less oil compared to deep frying, all while still achieving that unmistakable crispy, golden finish."
She believes the air fryer brings back convenience for those who are gluten-free and can no longer pop into the nearest bakery or coffee shop for a quick snack like they used to.
"There is usually only one realistic answer to bringing them back into our lives; making our own gluten-free versions from scratch, at home. But that sounds like a lot of time and effort spent on a sausage roll, doesn’t it?"
Using an air fryer, she says, brings back the "good stuff" such as fish and chips, falafal, sweet and sour to spring rolls, doughnuts and toad in the hole.
"With the right gluten-free air fryer recipes you can re-create all the things you miss eating in a flash, but nobody would guess they are gluten-free or made in an air fryer."
In her latest book, Gluten Free Air Fryer, Excell, a best selling gluten-free food writer, has also included a range of recipes to serve alongside her air-fryed gems.
While some may think the air fryer is just a fad, Excell begs to differ, saying the vast amounts of time it has saved in her own kitchen is example enough, as well as its crisping powers, meaning she and her boyfriend get to make more of the foods she misses.
"It has more than earned its place on the benchtop."
"I started to lack the one crucial element I always had plenty of in the past: time. A lack of time meant that suddenly all the foods I had worked so hard to re-create and bring back into my life had gradually become out of reach again."
Excell’s mission has always been to faithfully re-create gluten-free food so the result tastes exactly the same as the gluten-containing version or better, as she believes gluten-free people should not have to compromise on their favourite foods or accept a lesser version.
"Fortunately for me the time when I started to become time-poor was also when I bought my first air fryer. As I used it more and more, and began to understand how to get the best out of it, it quickly became my go-to, speedy route to all the foods I missed, often with less mess to clean up afterwards."
So in her book she has included a handy air-fryer buyer’s guide, as well as lists on essential equipment and ingredients and do’s and don’ts.
She has dedicated chapters to fakeaways, weeknight favourites, breads, starters and snacks and the "sweet stuff".
The book
This is an edited extract from Gluten Free Air Fryer by Becky Excell, published by Quadrille
Photography: Hannah Hughes
Air fryer soda bread
Who knew that you could turn six humble ingredients into freshly baked gluten-free soda bread? There’s no yeast required for this recipe, so it’s pretty quick as far as bread-making goes. It has a soft crust and a lovely, light texture in the middle. If you’re new to baking gluten-free bread, this is a great place to start.
Makes 1 loaf
Takes 35min + resting
Suitable for V VE DF
330ml (1 ⅓ cups + 2 tsp) milk (dairy or dairy-free)
5 Tbsp lemon juice
300g (2 Πcups) gluten-free white bread flour
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Method
Add the milk (dairy or dairy free) and lemon juice to a jug and briefly mix. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes until the mixture becomes thicker and a little lumpy.
Add the flour, xanthan gum, salt and bicarbonate of soda to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Once the milk mixture is ready, pour it in, followed by the oil. Mix well with a wooden spoon until smooth and it resembles a thick cake batter.
Scrunch up a medium sheet of non-stick baking parchment, then spread it flat again and use it to loosely line either a 15cm or 20cm round baking tin or pie dish. Use whichever cooking vessel will fit into your air fryer.
Scrape the mixture into the lined tin and smooth over the top so it’s nice and flat. Trim the excess overhanging paper, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature for no less than 30 minutes and no more than 1 hour.
Heat or preheat the air fryer to 200°C. You’ll need to preheat your air fryer for this one, so if your air fryer doesn't force a short preheating period when you turn it on, simply set it to 200°C and wait 2 minutes.
Place the tin in the air fryer and air fry for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170°C and air fry for a further 15 minutes. If making in a 15cm tin, flip the loaf over and air fry for a final 5 minutes.
Remove from the air fryer, carefully remove from the baking tin and tap the base to check that it feels and sounds hollow. If so, it’s done; if not, simply air fry for a little longer. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Once cooked and cooled, slice and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or toast the slices from frozen.
Fudgiest chocolate chip brownies
Why make a brownie in the air fryer? Well, the short answer here is because you can! But as legend has it that air fryers make the fudgiest brownies known to mankind, I absolutely had to put that to the test. And it turns out that, thanks to the air fryer’s intense circulation of hot air, it can bake the outside to perfection while applying delicate levels of heat to the middle, creating a brownie so fudgy that I highly recommend you chill them in the fridge before slicing to firm them up! The result is a fudgy brownie like no other, so make sure you give this recipe a try to judge for yourself.
Makes 9 or 16
Takes 35min + chilling
Suitable for V DF
100g (½ cup minus 1 tbsp) butter (or dairy-free)
100g dark chocolate
2 large eggs
140g ¾ cup minus 2 tsp) caster (superfine) sugar
60g (½ cup minus 1 tbsp) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour
¼ tsp xanthan gum
60g milk chocolate chips (or dairy-free)
Method
Add the butter and chocolate to a large heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of gently boiling water, making sure the water isn’t touching the bowl, and stirring until everything has melted and mixed together. Allow to cool to near room temperature. (You can also melt your butter and chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between.)
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until lighter in colour (I use an electric hand whisk or a stand mixer for this part). Pour the cooled, melted chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture and carefully fold it in with a spatula until glossy and chocolatey in colour. Fold in the flour, cocoa powder and xanthan gum until well combined, then fold in the chocolate chips so that they are evenly distributed.
Heat or preheat the air fryer to 150°C.
Pour the mixture into a container that fits into your air fryer (I’ve tried a 15cm round baking tin/pan and an 18×11.5cm silicone liner) and air fry for around 25 minutes until the top is firm and its no longer wobbling when gently shaken. Remove from the air fryer, allow to cool fully and then pop in the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up and become super-fudgy.
Slice into 9 or 16 squares and enjoy cold or warmed up.
Once cooked and cooled, freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature on a wire rack.
Cauliflower 3 ways
With the amount of bland, boiled cauliflower I’ve eaten in my life, I was about ready to retire from eating it entirely ... until I bought my air fryer. Not only does it add a light, crispy finish, but it somehow improves the internal texture so that it melts in your mouth and bestows so much more flavour. To celebrate my new-found love of the humble cauliflower, here are three of my favourite variations that I will certainly never retire from my meal plans. For two-drawer air fryers, either split the florets between both drawers for the cauliflower cheese or BBQ bites, or cook in two separate batches if using only one of the drawers.
Serves 2
Takes 25min
Suitable for V DF V
1. CAULIFLOWER CHEESE
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower (700g), cut into 5cm florets
100ml (generous ⅓ cup) double (heavy) cream (or dairy-free alternative)
½tsp each of salt and ground black pepper
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
60g extra-mature cheddar cheese, grated (or 120g smoked dairy-free cheese that melts well)
60g mozzarella, grated
Method
For cauliflower cheese: Place the cauliflower florets in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water and loosely cover with a plate. Microwave on full power for 7-8 minutes (900W) until cooked through. Alternatively, boil in a small saucepan for 5 minutes, then drain.
Transfer the cooked cauliflower to a large bowl, add the cream, salt and pepper, mustard and cheddar, then mix well.
Heat or preheat the air fryer to 200°C (crisping tray or basket removed).
Add the cauliflower cheese to the air fryer and air fry for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and air fry for another 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Serve with a roast dinner centrepiece, like my toad in the hole, whole chicken, pork steaks or alongside air fryer Yorkshire puddings and lots of gluten-free gravy.
Freeze: Once cooked and cooled, freeze for up to 6 months. Air fry from frozen (place the cauliflower cheese in a suitably-sized baking pan first) at 180°C for 8-10 minutes.
2. CRISPY BBQ CAULIFLOWER BITES
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower (700g), cut into 2.5cm florets
2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
3 tbsp gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour or cornflour (corn starch)
5 tbsp gluten-free BBQ sauce
Small handful of spring onion (scallion) greens, finely chopped
Blue cheese dip (or vegan mayo) (shop-bought), to serve (optional)
Method
Add the cauliflower florets, garlic-infused oil and flour to a large bowl, and mix to combine.
Heat or preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Generously grease the base of the air-fryer basket or crisping tray by spraying it with oil.
Add the cauliflower to the air-fryer basket and air fry for 15 minutes until golden brown in places, turning over and spraying with oil halfway through. Remove to a (cleaned) bowl, add the BBQ sauce and toss until well coated.
Sprinkle with the spring onion greens and optionally serve alongside a blue cheese dip or use as a fajita/taco filling alongside your usual favourite toppings.
3. GUNPOWDER CAULIFLOWER STEAKS
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower (about 1kg)
4 tbsp garlic-infused oil
2½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp dried chilli flakes or Kashmiri chilli flakes
1 tsp dried fenugreek
sfr1/2 tsp salt
1½ tsp gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour or cornflour (cornstarch)
Small handful of coriander (cilantro), finely chopped, to serve
Method
Slice the cauliflower using a large knife, creating two thick steaks, 2.5cm thick, from the middle of the cauliflower. Reserve the rest of the cauliflower for a future dinner or save it for one of the recipes above.
You should have the perfect amount left over for either the cauliflower cheese or bites.
In a small dish, combine the garlic-infused oil, garam masala, chilli flakes, fenugreek, salt and flour. Brush on to the cauliflower steaks on both sides.
Heat or preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Lightly grease the base of the air-fryer basket or crisping tray by spraying it with a little oil.
Add the cauliflower steaks to the air-fryer basket (both should comfortably fit without touching) and air fry for 18-20 minutes, turning over and spraying with oil halfway through.
Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve alongside air-fryer chips, sweet potato cubes, roast potatoes or rice and onion rings.
