There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been an ongoing disruption of our normal day-to-day lives. It has made “home buddies” out of most Filipinos and has affected a lot of our activities that we usually do outdoors.

This means no eating-out and no dining with friends – insert panic emoji! For a country that is culturally known to embrace our love of food and revolve our community activities around food, how do we cope?

The rise of the air-fryer

Air-fryers are not new and have been around for a decade, but in 2020 and until now, they are the most popular and in-demand small appliance. With the help of social media, with special thanks to Tiktok air-fryer recipes, enough intrigue has been stirred and air-fryers were added to carts in many households.

In the nutrition side of things, air-fryers provide the benefit of enjoying crispy & crunchy food without the grease imparted by frying. It also allows people to bake food quickly as opposed to using an actual oven. Overall, an air-fryer can bring convenience to a kitchen now that we are dining at home most of the time.

Take note that although an air-fryer provides us a healthier way to cook, an important aspect of cooking is the actual food – of course! We need easy and healthy recipes that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

How healthy are potatoes?

Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source of the body. This means that most of our energy that is spent for brain function, physical activity, and basal metabolic needs should ideally come from carbs. Hence, a healthy diet must provide 45-65% of total calories from carbohydrates.

But when it comes to carbs, the most important thing is to choose the type of carbs that pack the most nutrients. To keep it short, the healthiest sources of carbohydrates are unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. This is because other than providing fuel, they deliver vitamins, minerals, fiber, and active phytonutrients.

The nutritious potato is a great example of this as a skin-on medium potato (5.3 ounces) provides 26 grams of carbohydrates and 620 mg of potassium –  more than the potassium content of a medium-sized banana. The same serving of potato also provides about 30% of your daily need for Vitamin C, about 10% of your daily needs for Vitamin B6, and about 7% of your daily need for fiber.

Let’s air-fry some potatoes!

Potatoes are a nutritious, affordable food that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways – including simple, delicious preparations with few ingredients, making them easy to incorporate into any healthy diet. Their versatility also means they can easily fit into meals across a variety of personal and cultural preferences for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Here are some air-fryer potato recipes that you can try:

For a simple snack

Try these Elote-style Air-fryer Potato Wedges for some Mexican zing in your day.

For a quick lunch

Try this Air-fryer Parmesan Potato Pizza as a gluten-free and nutritious alternative to your pizza delivery.

For a vegetarian dinner

Try these Air-fryer General Tso’s Potatoes for a vegetarian twist on this Asian classic.

For a starchy side dish

Try these Air-fryer Garlic Parmesan Potatoes as a side dish for steak, chicken, or lamb chops.

For entertaining

Try these Air-fryer Bang Bang Chili Potatoes as a colorful addition to a sumptuous feast.

Final Words

The global pandemic caused such a disruption in our daily lives that now more than ever, we need to eat more nutritious foods for our health and immunity. On top of this, being at home most of the time means more meal times that call for convenience and versatility in food preparation.

When trying the air-fryer potato recipes shared here, my hope is for you to realize that homemade food can be fast and fast food can be healthy. Just choose your ingredients well!