Air Fried Tostones

Tostones (Twice-Fried Plantains) By: Clara Gonzalez Why air fryer “tostones”?

• Some people hate frying cause it’s messy.

• Some people don’t want to eat fried food for health reasons.

• Some people want to use that fancy gadget they bought.

• Which one is your reason?

Another advantage of these over traditional twice-fried tostones is that they stay crispy for much longer.ll you needed to know about Tostones (Dominican Twice-Fried Plantains), one of our favorite side dishes. Enjoy these crispy delights! You know how definitely un-nice hour-old tostones are? Not with these. Even after they cooled down they remained crispy for over an hour (possibly longer, but they didn’t stay uneaten longer for extra testing).

Notes & Tips

• Why this may not work sometimes, and how to avoid failure. Please use green, fresh plantains. If you’re not sure of their quality or freshness try the microwaving option because it worked better on those.

• Options: As you can see, you have the option of pre-cooking the bananas either boiled or in the microwave. I prefer the microwave because of the speed of preparation, and I have more consistent results. To “fry” you have the option of using the air fryer or the oven. All these options are described in the recipe.

• Why not use fresh garlic? Garlic tends to become bitter when cooked over very high temperatures. I did not like the result of using fresh, crushed garlic.

• Freezing tostones for later use: Once parboiled and flattened, you can absolutely freeze these. Wrap them tightly in waxed or parchment paper (we’re trying to reduce our plastic use), then put them in an air-tight container. You can freeze them for a couple of weeks.

When it’s time to “air fry" them, thaw them and continue at the same point in the recipe after flattening them.

DIRECTIONS 1-Cut the plantains: Cut the unpeeled plantain into a little under ½ inch [1 cm] thick slices (about 8 slices per plantain). This step is if you are going to boil them, if you are going to microwave them, do not cut or peel them. 2-Precook the plantains (boiled): Place the plantain into a pot and cover with water (plus about an extra inch over it). Boil over medium-high heat for about 20-25 minutes, starting counting from the time it breaks the boil. The plantain slices should be cooked completely, but still firm, if they are even a little raw in the center they will break when crushed. Carefully peel and crush one, if it flattens but not breaks, it’s cooked (it will be soft and flexible, that’s fine). Once cooked through, remove from the water and pat with a paper towel to whisk away excess moisture. Peel the slices using a tong to avoid burning yourself. Proceed to step 4. 3-Precook the plantains (microwave): Place the plantain, unpeeled, in the microwave, and cook for 3.5-5 minutes (try with 3 ½ minutes, check for doneness and cook more if needed). The peel will break, and you can remove it with tongs to avoid burning yourself. Cut into a little under ½. Proceed to step 4. 4-Flatten: If you have a tostonera (Amazon affiliate link) flatten the slices between two pieces of parchment or wax paper, so the plantain doesn’t stick to the tostonera (you may grease the paper with a bit of oil for extra precaution). If you don’t have a tostonera, flatten using the bottom of a glass jar, putting the plantain slices between two pieces of paper as described above. In either case, it’s best if the slices are very thin (around 3 mm [⅛ “]). 5-Season: Brush the flattened slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. 6-How to cook tostones in air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400 ºF [200ºC]. Place the slices of plantain in the air fryer bowl, making sure they are not piled up and return bowl to the air fryer. Cook for 15 minutes or until they turn a light golden color and are crispy around the edges. 7-How to cook “tostones” in the oven: Preheat the oven to 400 ºF [200 ºC]. Place the slices of plantain on a wire rack, making sure they are not piled. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until they turn a light golden color and are crispy around the edges.