The 7 Trader Joe's Foods That Are Even Better In Your Air Fryer, According to Employees

Find the best new way to prepare these TJ's favorites!

To some it may be just an Easy Bake convection oven. But many of us love our air fryers almost like it’s a member of the family. And with its scores of fresh and frozen finds, there are few better places to shop for crisp-able cuisine than at Trader Joe’s.

On the most recent episode of the “Inside Trader Joe’s” podcast, hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloane discussed Tara’s air fryer obsession and invited other members of the grocery chain’s family to share their favorite items to crisp up in their air fryers. They even sampled the goods. Now we want to copy their air fryer feast. Here are the items to try in your air fryer.

The Best Trader Joe’s Products for Your Air Fryer

1. Gluten Free Breaded Shrimp

Jamie Donovan, Trader Joe’s director of nutrition, keeps lots of shrimp in her freezer. She shared that she loves to crisp up the TJ's Gluten Free Breaded Shrimp in the air fryer and toss it with the brand’s spicy Peri Peri Sauce. She admitted that while the dish isn’t super kid-friendly, it’s a hit with adults. With two young children in the house, she says that other staples for her family include French fries and chicken nuggets, both cooked in the air fryer, of course.

2. Parmesan Pastry Pups

What’s better than pigs in a blanket? How about mini hot dogs wrapped in buttery puff pastry and dusted with nutty Parmesan cheese? New air fryer user and Trader Joe's IT finance and procurement department employee Pablo, said that the appetizers are one of his favorite things to throw in his new favorite appliance.

There aren't air fryer instructions on the package for this classic, but Tara recommended cooking the Pups for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F. Tara’s take when they were finished? “The beauty of that is it is less than half the recommended time that you need [in] a regular oven,” she said. “For the win all the time.”

3. Jalapeño and Cream Cheese Crispy Wontons

Pablo, who said he loves anything spicy, also recommended this easy-to-prepare appetizer. A newer product, the combination of a jalapeño popper and a crab Rangoon is packaged with air fryer instructions. They’re done in just five to seven minutes.

According to Matt, they came out of the air fryer “crazy hot,” he compared their temperature to “the Earth’s core.” But they couldn’t argue with the pleasantly spicy, creamy wontons flavor and crispy texture.

4. Mandarin Orange Chicken

The longtime Trader Joe’s favorite—in fact, it’s won more Customer Choice awards than anything else the chain sells—is designed to be baked in a 400-degree oven, but Pablo said it was his first big success in the air fryer.

The air fryer makes the chicken even crispier—bringing it closer to tasting just like Chinese take-out. Just heat the sauce on the side and combine in a bowl once the chicken is hot and crunchy.

5. Broccolini (Baby Broccoli)

As much as everyone loves Trader Joe’s diverse frozen section, the variety of produce stands on its own, even when it comes to vegetables you can cook in the air fryer. Brenda, a crew member from the Monrovia office, said that her favorite item to air fry is broccolini.

“We have an actual vegetable here on the show. So, this is like, you know, first everything,” joked Matt.

Brenda lined the air fryer basket with foil to make it easier to clean up after cooking the stalks. She cut the vegetable length-wise. Once in the basket, she sprayed it with Trader Joe’s Avocado Spray Oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Finally, she air fried it at 350 degrees F for 8 to 12 minutes. A bit of black garlic made the crispy florets even more appealing.

6. Dutch Griddle Cakes

Trader Joe's Import manager and air fryer obsessive Emerald knows a thing or two about constructing a killer breakfast sandwich. She uses these thick, chewy pancake-like Dutch Griddle Cakes to make her favorite version.

Emerald said that she was inspired by a popular fast-food breakfast item, but no longer gets it at the drive-through because, “Now that we have those Dutch Griddle Cakes at Trader Joe's, there's now no need to go there because I can make it at home.” After air frying the cakes, she piles them with Chicken Sausage Breakfast Patties, Pasture Raised Large Eggs, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

7. Maple Flavored Poffertjes Mini Pancake Puffs

While Emerald cooked up her breakfast sandwiches, Tara popped a limited-time item into another air fryer. The Belgian-made poffertjes are sweetened with maple sugar. When made from scratch, the petite pancakes are prepared in a special pan, but in the air fryer, they took just minutes to crisp up for a quick breakfast that the team deemed “delicious.”

Read the original article on All Recipes.