What’s cooking? – Golden, gooey and glorious

There’s something about melted cheese that feels like instant luxury. The way it oozes and stretches, the salty richness, the golden crust – it’s the sort of comfort food that never fails to impress and, did you know, one of the easiest things you can make!

Enter the air-fried crumbed camembert (or brie), a dish that looks restaurant-worthy but takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Traditionally, you’d deep fry it, dealing with oil splatters and a messy cleanup. The air fryer changes all that. You get the same crisp, golden coating and that irresistible molten centre without the hassle or the heavy oil.

This is a dish that works beautifully as a starter, a grazing board highlight or even a cheeky solo indulgence with a glass of wine and a few apple slices. And it’s wonderfully forgiving – you can use either camembert or brie, depending on what you’ve got in the fridge. Camembert has that earthy, mushroomy note, while brie is a touch creamier and milder. Both melt into dreamy perfection. Here’s how ridiculously easy it is:

Air-Fried Crumbed Camembert Cheese

Ingredients
1 wheel Camembert (125–150g)
¼ cup plain flour
1 egg, beaten
½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
Olive oil spray
Optional: herbs, chilli flakes, or cracked pepper for extra flavour

Method
Pop your cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes before crumbing. It helps the coating stick and keeps the cheese from melting too quickly while the outside crisps up.

Pre-heat your air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius.

Set up three bowls for your flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.

Coat the cheese in flour, dip in egg, then coat generously with breadcrumbs (and any additional herbs or chilli flakes you may have chosen to add). For extra crunch, be sure to repeat the flour and egg step before crumbing.

Lightly spray your cheese wheel with olive oil and place in the air fryer basket.

Cook at 180°C for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway if needed, until golden and crisp.

Let it sit for 1-2 minutes before cutting (if you can wait that long!).

Then … serve it straight away, ideally with something to scoop and swipe through that molten centre, your favourite crackers or veggie sticks. For more indulgence, top with cranberry sauce, fig chutney or even a drizzle of sriracha or hot honey if you like a sweet-salty-spicy contrast. My personal favourite with this one is toasted almonds and sriracha – simply devine.

Until next time.