Funnel Cake

Doneness

Done when the lacy lattice is crisp and an even deep golden-brown on both sides with the thin ribbon edges browned and rigid, and the thicker crossings in the middle are set rather than wet — lift the round and it should hold together as one stiff disc, not sag or droop. Pale, floppy ribbons need another minute; if the thin edges are scorching before the centre sets, the round was piped too thick.

Oil & seasoning

Mist the piped lattice well on top before cooking and again after the flip. Funnel-cake batter is bare and dry on its surface in the air fryer, so the oil spray is what browns the ribbons to a fried golden colour instead of a pale baked one.

Season with: Classic powdered sugar (the benchmark): a heavy snow of powdered sugar dusted over the hot round — the state-fair, midway way. Add it after cooking, never before., Strawberry-and-cream: powdered sugar plus sliced macerated strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream piled on top, funnel-cake-stand style., Cinnamon-sugar: dusted with cinnamon sugar straight from the basket while still warm., Chocolate-hazelnut: drizzled with warmed chocolate-hazelnut spread (or melted chocolate) then finished with powdered sugar..

Watch out for

• !Pipe the batter onto a parchment round, not straight onto the basket — funnel-cake batter is loose, and the air-fryer fan will blow free-poured ribbons apart before they set.
• !Chill the piped round about 10 minutes before cooking so the lattice firms up and holds its shape when the air hits it.
• !Keep the batter pipeable-but-pourable: thin enough to flow from a squeeze bottle or snipped piping bag in steady ribbons, thick enough to hold a line. Too thin and the lattice runs into a solid sheet; too thick and it won't lace.
• !Dust powdered sugar AFTER cooking, never before — sugar added before the cook scorches and turns bitter in the hot airstream.
• !Cook one round at a time in a single layer; stacking or crowding steams the ribbons soft instead of crisping them.