Hi, can you tell me what brand you use?

You are very welcome, Maia! Thank you for being here! –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team

Hi Joanne!

This is true for virtually all air fryers, not just your Gourmia. The reason comes down to how air frying works. An air fryer circulates very hot, dry air around food at high speed, which is fantastic for achieving a crispy texture without submerging food in oil. However, that same hot dry air can pull moisture out of vegetables quickly, leaving them dried out or tough rather than nicely roasted, which is why most recipes suggest at least a small amount of oil to help retain some surface moisture and promote browning.

The good news is that even with a tablespoon of oil, you are using dramatically less fat than conventional deep frying or even pan roasting with generous amounts of oil. A light coating of oil on vegetables before air frying is actually considered quite minimal from a nutritional standpoint, and from a Food Revolution Network perspective, using a small amount of a whole food based oil like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil is not something to be overly concerned about.

If you would like to reduce or eliminate oil altogether, here are a few tips that can help. First, try lightly misting your vegetables with a spray bottle of water or vegetable broth instead of oil, which adds just enough surface moisture to prevent excessive drying. Second, marinating vegetables in a little lemon juice, tamari, or vegetable broth before air frying can also help. Third, cutting vegetables into slightly larger pieces can help them retain moisture better during cooking. Fourth, avoiding overcrowding the basket allows air to circulate properly, which actually reduces the need for oil to achieve even cooking.

I hope these tips help! Thanks so much for the question and for being here in our community! –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team

Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your technique and recipe! –Ina, Food Revolution Network Team

Ha! me too! Otherwise I just use my air fryer. When my kitchen was bein renovated I discovered all sorts of uses for the air fryer! Reheat, Bake, (fish patties and cookies, even)