Even though feeding a family is no laughing matter, have you ever tried cooking for yourself? Cooking a quick, simple, and, most importantly, delicious dinner for one or two can be just as difficult and intimidating.

The air fryer is on.

It can be thought of as a convection oven that uses less space and speeds up the cooking process for comfort foods like cheesecake, roasted vegetables, and pork chops. The countless Facebook groups dedicated to exchanging recipes, tips, and tricks show that its fans already understand its appeal. The NPD Group, a global market research firm, estimates that between the beginning of 2020 and the end of 2021, more than 25 million air fryers were sold.)

The following is a list of ten recipes, some of which I had the pleasure of developing, that take very little time to prepare and provide a tasty meal for one or two people. Furthermore, in addition to the fact that they are ideally suited for air fryer beginners and power clients the same, they will, maybe, convert even the greatest cynics.

Chops from an air fryer

These boneless pork loin chops remain moist throughout despite being cooked in an air fryer at extremely high temperatures. even superior? The pork chops’ pre-seasoned crust, made of a brown sugar, salt, and spice mixture. Air fryers work great with dry spices, so go beyond cumin and coriander in this recipe. Red pepper flakes or crushed fennel would be a welcome addition.

Brussels sprouts fried in the air with garlic, balsamic, and soy

The nearly 2,000 five-star reviews are accurate: This recipe by Melissa Clark is a hit with readers because it uses air-fried, crisp brussels sprouts and reduces balsamic vinegar with soy sauce and lime juice to make a beautiful, glossy sauce. Give this recipe a try the next time you want an impressive vegetable side dish.

Air-Fryer Chicken Bosom

Could this be our site’s simplest chicken breast recipe? It’s doable! Brown sugar and salt are used to extract moisture from the chicken breasts, utilizing Eric Kim’s near-scholarly knowledge. While the breast rests, cook any of the vegetable recipes on this list and have a complete meal ready in under 30 minutes.

Cheesecake from an air fryer

Did the phrase “air-fryer cheesecake” simply freeze your brain? Using a smaller springform pan or cake insert that fits into the air fryer’s basket, you can bake a beautiful cake, which may not immediately make sense. This year, Christina Morales adapted and shared Rebecca Abbott and Jennifer West’s recipe, which received a lot of attention and was the most shared on the New York Times Cooking Instagram account.

Chicken Thighs from an Air-Fryer

These chicken thighs, smothered in rice vinegar and sour cream before cooking, still manage to brown beautifully and crisp up quickly. Obviously, you could make just one thigh for a quick and simple dinner. Alternately, you could cook off as many thighs as the basket will hold: They are delicious as leftovers.

Fries from an air fryer

The air fryer’s popularity has been attributed to French fries: When compared to traditional frying, the machine uses significantly less oil, cooks faster, and produces less mess. This makes it ideal for cooking fries. You can easily double this Melissa Clark recipe, but depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the fries in batches.

Wings from an air fryer

A large fry setup and a lengthy baking time in the oven are two of the challenges associated with making homemade chicken wings, but they have the potential to please a large crowd. However, Melissa Clark has you covered with these spicy chicken wings from an air fryer that get their kick from a chile-based sauce. An idea from Ben Mims’ book “Air Fry Every Day” is used in the recipe: throwing the wings in baking powder prior to moving them to the air fryer implies that they come out flawlessly puffed, crunchy and seared.

Green Beans Fryer by Air

For certain recipes, the main guidelines are that there are no principles. Consider the notes left on this infinitely adaptable one, for instance: One reader tossed the green beans with honey and dried thyme, while another added a dollop of Dijon. And what’s more? Both worked. The timing may vary depending on the size of your air fryer basket, as it does with most recipes. However, cook this recipe however you like or with whatever suits your mood.

Air-Fryer Potatoes

These crispy potatoes go well with any main dish and can be made in the time it takes to rest, say, a pork chop or chicken breast from an air fryer (see above). The centers turn out wonderfully creamy even without being parboiled. Additionally, if you do not have fresh or dried parsley on hand, any chopped fresh herb or spicy seasoning such as cayenne could be used to make this dish taste delicious.

Broccoli from an air fryer

Another recipe for choosing your own adventure is here. Olive oil and soy sauce are used to toss the broccoli, but you can go any direction from there: For umami and heat, try adding a dash of fish sauce or some chile crisp. Or on the other hand make a twofold bunch of this recipe for those times when your body hungers for greens. ( Those are the times.)