Every chef has those secret or not-so-secret shortcuts or tricks to make life easier and celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian is no different. Zakarian has an air fryer hack you will want to try the next time you need to heat up some bread. The co-host of "The Kitchen" told Food & Wine that when he needs to bake mini frozen French baguettes, he turns to his air fryer.
Zakarian explained, "Because of the small space, I can get a great result in a short amount of time. A tip is to fill a small heat-proof vessel with about four ounces of water and half a teaspoon of sea salt and place it in the air fryer with the bread. The steam releases and gives the baguettes a delightful crust.
" That steam is an essential element in creating a moisture-rich environment to achieve a crunchy exterior. This is a common technique when making bread because moisture helps the yeast to work its magic and in turn, the crust doesn't split, producing great crusty baguettes . Keep these tips in mind The crispier you want your baguette the longer you can air fry it, but 12 minutes is a good starting point to help you get that crunchy texture.
Still, you are going to want to check on it a couple of times to make certain it doesn't burn. Additionally, if you use this hack, you want to be sure that the mini baguettes do not overlap, and that there is space in between each mini loaf so the air can circulate properly. If you are still asking why the air fryer is a better choice than an oven or toaster oven, Geof.