Canned Tamales Deserve The Air Fryer Treatment
Compared to many other cooking appliances, the air fryer hasn't been around that long. That means we're still finding fun, innovative ways to use it. In other words, it's not just for chicken nuggets and French fries. You can make some surprisingly tasty treats by transforming otherwise unremarkable convenience foods into delicious dishes — just make them in your air fryer.
Canned tamales are a great example of this. Although the once popular canned food has been mostly replaced by fresh or frozen options, you can often still find a few cans at your local grocery store — and you should grab some next time you're there.
If you have any sort of sense of adventure when it comes to food, you need to try cooking canned tamales in an air fryer at least once in your life. The high heat and airflow crisp the outside of these otherwise mushy meat rolls to give them a tantalizing snap when you bite into them. The beef inside, however, remains irresistibly tender, making for an alluring combination of textures.
How to cook canned tamales in an air fryer
If you are not sure how to begin, TikToker Francesca Manfredi J has a few insights on how to do this. The two important things to remember are to drain and save the sauce and to remove the individual wrappers, or husks, from each tamale. After that, roll them in bread crumbs, give the air fryer a light spray of cooking oil, and cook. In the video, they recommend setting your air fryer to 390 degrees and cooking for 20 minutes, with a quick flip after 10 minutes.
@francescaondelmar Canned tamales in the air fryer. It works ! #airfriedcannedtameles #hormelcannedtamales #cannedtamales #traderjoeseloteseasoning #frannyondelmar #frannymanfredieats #cannedtamlesrecipes #frannyondelmarfinds @hormelfoods @ryanjohnson6445 @kyle_sk8_
While the tamales are heating up, mix the sauce you saved with some ranch dressing — this gives you a tasty dipping option for your crispy Mexican treat. You could serve them topped with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and hot sauce. The beauty of this recipe is you can keep a can (or two) of tamales in your pantry, so you are never more than a few minutes away from satisfying your cravings.