First Dates' maitre d’ Fred Sirieix on his favourite dishes to rustle up in an air fryer

The First Dates maître d’ is fairly new to air fryer cooking, but safe to say he’s a complete convert.

“The air fryer, for me, is a revolution,” he says. “I’m talking to you as a Frenchman who’s been brought up in a very traditional household, where my mum would cook a three-course meal every single day for lunch and dinner, and I’ve been to catering college.”

For Sirieix, who has lived in the UK for over three decades, air fryers aren’t just another new gadget to be used once, then popped into the back of your cupboard to gather dust.

Instead, he compares them to the new inventions of the 1960s. “My mum is a woman of the Sixties, and she’s always telling me about the Sixties and how her life changed when the washing machine appeared, when the dryer appeared, when the dishwasher appeared,” he recounts.

“She’s very traditional, but she embraced that kind of modernism of the kitchen. I think with the air fryer, I’m experiencing my own change in the kitchen, which I haven’t seen anything like since I [started] cooking.”

So why has cooking with the air fryer captured Sirieix’s attention quite so much?

“The beauty about the air fryer is you can cook fresh, seasonal produce, and you can do it in a very relaxed way,” he says.

Italian pork loin and roasted vegetables

Ingredients: (Serves 6, using the Ninja Air Fryer AF160). 1 uncooked boneless pork tenderloin (675-900g), cut in half width wise; 120ml Italian dressing; 1 aubergine, peeled, cut in 2.5cm pieces; 2 plum tomatoes, diced; 1 courgette, sliced in half moons; 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut in 2.5cm pieces; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 3 cloves of garlic, peeled, minced; 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 30g fresh basil, torn; 2tbsp salt, divided.

Place pork loin into a bowl. Coat pork with Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate for two to four hours.

In a large bowl, toss aubergine, tomatoes, courgette, red onion, bell pepper and garlic with oil, basil, and one tablespoon salt.

Insert crisper plate in pan and pan in unit. Preheat unit by selecting ROAST, setting temperature to 190°C and setting time to three minutes. Select START/STOP to begin.

While unit is preheating, remove pork from marinade and season with remaining one tablespoon salt.

Once the unit is preheated, place vegetable mixture on the crisper plate. Place pork on top of vegetables.

Select ROAST, set temperature to 190°C, and set time to 20 minutes. Select START/STOP to begin.

After 10 minutes, remove pan. Stir vegetables and flip the pork. Reinsert pan to resume cooking.

When cooking is complete, let pork rest for five minutes before slicing.

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Cauliflower buffalo bites with ranch dressing

Ingredients: (Serves 4). 150g gram flour; 1tsp onion powder; 1tsp garlic powder; 1tsp ground cumin; 1tsp paprika; Salt, as desired; Ground black pepper, as desired; 250ml unsweetened plant-based milk; 700g cauliflower, cut into 5cm florets; Cooking spray; 30ml sunflower oil; 70ml buffalo sauce. For the ranch dressing: 100ml egg-free mayonnaise; 50ml unsweetened plant-based milk; 1tbsp fresh chopped parsley; 1tbsp fresh chopped chives; 1tsp garlic powder; 1tsp onion powder.

In a large bowl, add gram flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in milk until a smooth batter is formed.

Dip cauliflower florets into batter to evenly coat.

Insert crisper plates in both zone drawers, then spray the crisper plate with oil. Arrange cauliflower in an even layer in both drawers.

Select zone 1, turn the dial to select AIR FRY, set temperature to 170C, and set time to 15 minutes. Select MATCH. Press the dial to begin cooking.

While cauliflower cooks, prepare the buffalo sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the oil and buffalo sauce together.

Reinsert the baskets in the unit. Select zone 1, turn the dial to select AIR FRY, set temperature to 170c, and set time to 12 minutes. Select MATCH. Press the dial to begin cooking.

While cauliflower cooks, prepare the ranch dressing. In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredient together until smooth.

When cooking is complete, serve the buffalo cauliflower bites with ranch dressing.

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Cajun prawns with potato and corn

Ingredients: (Serves 4, using the Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160). 500g baby new potatoes; 1tbsp olive oil; 4 corn on the cobs; 300g king prawns, shell on; 2tsp Cajun spice; 1tbsp fresh lemon juice; 2tbsp unsalted butter; 2tsp Worcestershire sauce; Fresh cracked pepper, to taste; Flaked sea salt, to taste; Lemon wedges, for serving. Optional for serving: 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked from stems and roughly chopped; 4 sprigs parsley, chopped.

Insert crisper paniere in pan and place pan in unit. Preheat unit by selecting AIR FRY, set temperature to 180°C and set time to three minutes. Select START/STOP to begin.

In a bowl, toss potatoes with oil. In a separate bowl, combine corn, prawns, cajun spice, lemon juice, butter, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt. Toss to combine and reserve.

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Once unit has preheated, remove pan and place potatoes on crisper paniere. Reinsert pan, select AIR FRY, set temperature to 180°C and set time for 20 minutes. Select START/STOP to begin.

After 15 minutes, remove pan and add corn and prawn mixture. Shake well to combine, then reinsert pan to resume cooking for an additional five minutes.

After 20 total minutes, remove pan and place food on paniere. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh herbs, if desired.

TIP: For even more flavour, pour any leftover butter or juices from cooking over the finished dish.