About Samantha

Samantha Erb, founder of Everyday Family Cooking, chopping up peppers.

I’m Samantha, and I run Everyday Family Cooking. I make shortcut recipes that get dinner on the table fast, using simple ingredients and easy helpers like rotisserie chicken and cake mix. They still have a ton of flavor, too! And I air fry pretty much everything. It’s my go-to for getting crispy dinners on the table even faster.

  • I’ve been testing air fryer recipes for 10+ years, and there are 350+ of them on the site
  • I wrote the cookbook Delicious Air Fryer Recipes (under my pen name, Samantha Lynn)
  • My recipes have been in US Weekly (the actual print magazine!), Parade, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, and The Guardian
  • I’ve run this site full-time since 2019
  • I live in Rochester, New York

Experience

I left my corporate job in 2017 to stay home with my daughter. Two years and one more baby later, I needed something that was mine. So in the summer of 2019 I started putting all my recipes in one spot. The plan was an online cookbook I could hand down to my kids someday.

That plan kind of got away from me. The site now has over 1,000 recipes and around 11 million readers a year, and it’s my full-time job. I still can’t believe it!

I also create sponsored recipes for brands I love, and writers reach out to me for air fryer advice. You can see some of those features in the ‘Where you’ve seen me’ section below.

Expertise

I’ve been obsessed with air fryers since I bought my first tiny one in 2016. Now there are more than a dozen crammed in my office, and I test recipes in different brands and models so they work in yours too.

I also specialize in easy family dinners. I cook with what’s already in my kitchen, and most of my dinners hit the table fast.

Shortcut desserts are my favorite to make. I use store-bought dough, boxed cake mix, pre-made crusts, and Cool Whip, because if it saves me time and still tastes great, I’m using it.

And yes, there’s a whole section of frozen meat recipes for air frying. They exist because I’ve forgotten to thaw the meat more times than I can count.

Education

I have a bachelor’s in journalism and public relations from SUNY Brockport (2011) where I met my husband. I’ve always loved writing, so I write my posts the same way I’d talk to you if you were standing in my kitchen.

Where you’ve seen me

Samantha Erb's air fryer steak fajitas being featured in US Weekly magazine.

My family

I live in Rochester with my husband Ben and our kids, Leah and Connor. Ben grew up in Buffalo, so that explains all the buffalo sauce recipes around here. The kids taste-test almost everything, and they’re always honest. Sometimes they’re a little TOO honest!

Picture of Samantha Erb, her husband Ben, and children Leah and Connor in Arizona.

A few fun facts about me

  • I asked for a food processor for my 17th birthday, so I’ve loved cooking for a long time.
  • I’ve watched the New York Red Bulls for 23 years and only missed a handful of games. I’ll cheer for Buffalo teams all day too (Go Bills!).
  • I got to see The Eras Tour in Toronto with my sister (N6!).
  • I do paint by numbers at night. It makes me look like a real painter, even though I can’t draw at all.
  • I watch Big Brother every summer. Now my daughter’s hooked too.
  • I’m chocolate obsessed. I can’t remember a day without it, even if it’s just a handful of chocolate chips.
  • Marvel movies are my favorite. I just love the action and getting to know the characters. My favorite? Scarlet Witch (I may be biased because I was a huge Mary-Kate and Ashley fan growing up).

Let’s connect

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Want to know more about the site? Head to About Everyday Family Cooking.