The Easy Way To Prepare Burrata You've Probably Never Considered

Burrata has grown in popularity in recent years, becoming a welcome addition to anything from pizza to salads (or even topped over arrabbiata sauce in a ridiculously easy 3-ingredient pasta). There are many ways to serve up the creamy, delicious cheese. But one you may want to consider involves cooking up that delicate ball of burrata in the air fryer.  If you're not familiar, burrata is a cheese made out of cow's milk that is shaped into a ball. On the outside, it looks quite similar to a ball of mozzarella. However, rather than being solid all throughout, burrata is filled with stracciatella, a mixture of cheese curds and cream that gives it its signature, creamy texture. Most often, burrata is served uncooked, over spreads or veggies such as roasted tomatoes. However, you might want to try your burrata another way: fried. And you need not pull out your deep frier for this preparation. All you'll need is your handy, counter top air fryer.

Now, it isn't impossible to deep-fry burrata, but it is a delicate cheese that is prone to rupture, so frying in oil can be treacherous work. Air frying is a much more forgiving cooking method, as your cheese won't be bobbing in oil, but sitting safely, nestled in the fry basket. The resulting air-fried burrata has the best of both worlds (mozzarella and stracciatella), with a perfectly melty, pull-apart exterior and the creamy interior still intact. Plus, the addition of a bread crumb coating gives the cheese an added crunch that is positively irresistible.

Now, making air-fried burrata isn't as simple as transferring the cheese from its container into the basket of your fryer and blasting it at the highest heat setting. After all, it is a delicate cheese, and there are a few steps you'll want to follow when preparing your dish. For starters, you'll want to remove your burrata from its water-filled container and dry it off with a paper towel. You'll also want to freeze your burrata before getting started as it is a crucial part of preparing the cheese for frying. 

First, freeze the dried burrata for 15 or so minutes. Then, bread it using a three part process. Begin by dipping the ball into flour. Then, dip your burrata into an egg mix. And finally, coat your burrata in bread crumbs. This will help your breading to fully adhere to the cheese during the cooking process. Once that's done, freeze the burrata again. This will help keep it from bursting in the fryer. You'll also want to make sure to not cook it at a very high temperature, setting your air-fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for about six minutes, until the exterior is a nice, golden hue.  

Once fully cooked, you can remove the fried burrata from the basket and serve either by itself, or over a sauce such as a good store-bought pesto, or even the humble marinara sauce. Use crackers or baguette slices to scoop up some creamy and crunchy bites of the perfectly cooked burrata.