Best Kitchen Tools to Make Hanukkah Latkes

Paul: I’d never used an air fryer for latkes before, but I tried making them with an air fryer this year. I preheated it to 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Then I quickly pulled the basket out and sprayed the bottom and sides with cooking spray. I’d pre-smushed the latkes on a cookie sheet, so they were ready to be put in the basket. I cooked them for a total of 18 minutes. I flipped them once, I think about two-thirds of the way through. I wanted to give them enough time to become solid enough before I flipped them. 

Tobie: I tried this too, but I used a toaster oven with an air fryer function. I also preheated it to 400 degrees. I took out the mesh shelf while the air fryer preheated, used cooking spray on it, and smushed the latkes right there on the shelf. I should have done what you did, though—smushing on a platter first—because the pancakes were hard to flip. Once I flipped them—after about 10 minutes—I brushed oil on the tops and cooked them for a few more minutes. They didn’t come out as dark as the other latkes, which I actually liked. They were a bit softer in the middle, and not as crispy as the fried ones.

Paul: You’re right, the air-fried latkes weren’t as crispy! But I was pleasantly surprised. The air-fryer latkes got eaten up faster than the others did—because there’s only so much fried food you want on a given day. 

Tobie: I felt I had more control over how brown they got than I did with the frying pans. But it’s not great for a big group, because you can only do just a few at a time. And they do take more time than pan-frying.

We agree: For big, traditional batches, frying. For a small nosh that uses far less oil, air-frying (and zero guilt).