There’s no small appliance that’s more popular than the air fryer right now. These countertop cookers make life so much easier, allowing you to skip the oven and even “set it and forget it” for some dishes. Best of all, air fryers can be easier to clean than a stove or oven.
Because air fryers are useful for cooking a variety of foods—such as chicken, steak, and even doughnuts—many of us are under the impression there isn’t anything you can’t cook in them. While this is technically true, it doesn’t mean that everything you try to cook in an air fryer will turn out its best or that you won’t potentially risk ruining your treasured air fryer if you use it to make certain dishes.
Breaded or Battered Foods
“Air fryers are magical ovens that can cook just about anything. However, it's best to leave anything wet-breaded to other small kitchen appliances that are more suited to the unique cooking needs [of breaded foods],” Klein explains. The problem with cooking breaded foods like shrimp tempura or beer-battered fish in the air fryer is the risk of dripping, which can complicate cleanup or potentially damage your machine.
TIP - If you do want to cook something breaded in your machine, consider using a small pan or a silicone or foil liner inside your air fryer to help prevent any drippy batter from hitting your heating element.
Leafy Veggies
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It’s important to eat your veggies, and while there are many ways to cook them—the air fryer isn’t a good choice for leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, bok choy, Swiss chard, and kale. This is because the speed of the air causes them to heat unevenly. The one exception to this rule is that air fryers are great for making veggie chips from these types of vegetables.
On the other hand, vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini taste delicious when cooked in an air fryer.
Shellfish
Shellfish like oysters, mussels, and clams will get chewy and rubbery if they are cooked in the dry heat of the air fryer—so you'd want to cook them in a liquid instead. Skip the air fryer for a stove-top instead.
Saucy Foods
Thinking about putting heavily-coated chicken wings or perhaps a steak dripping in marinade in the air fryer? Klein suggests thinking again. “The worst foods for air frying have sauces or batters," the chef says. The problem isn’t the cooking so much as the cleanup. Air fryer baskets have holes in the bottom or wire mesh for air circulation. Sauces fall through the openings and cause a messy disaster to have to clean up,” Klein explains.
Cheesy Foods
Cheesy foods like grilled cheese, mac and cheese, or potatoes au gratin are also a no. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule: Frozen foods that have already been fried, such as mozzarella sticks, can be re-heated in the air fryer.
Large, Bone-In Meat Cuts
Even if you can fit large, bone-in foods in your air fryer, such as a whole chicken, using the appliance to cook those items isn’t a good idea. Why? Given the size of a whole bird, there’s no way air will be able to circulate properly and thoroughly cook the chicken, likely leaving you with an unevenly cooked final product that won’t have a crispy skin and juicy interior. Instead of cooking your chicken in an air fryer, go ahead and roast it in the oven for the best results. If you’d like to cook chicken in the air fryer, opt for smaller parts like wings and tenders.
Uncooked Grains
Using the air fryer with grains that are already cooked is no problem, but steer clear of firing up the appliance for uncooked grains, including rice, quinoa, and pasta. Air fryers are designed to cook dry foods, and rice and other grains need to be cooked in water. Even with an insert that can hold water, the air fryer likely won’t get hot enough for the water to boil and cook the grains, resulting in a mushy mess. When it comes to grains, use the air fryer to reheat them instead of cooking them from raw, and cook them on the stove (or in a rice cooker) instead.
Popcorn
There are two distinct reasons not to attempt popcorn in the air fryer. The most important—those moving kernels can end up stuck in your machine, potentially creating a fire hazard. And the second? It can be hard to get your kernels up to the right temperature and avoid burning your popcorn as it cooks. (Preheating the air fryer can help with this.)
But to be honest? It's probably best not to risk it.
Hamburgers
Hamburgers
are beloved, in part, for their charred exterior and juicy interior.
While an air fryer can technically take a burger patty from raw to
cooked, the exterior won’t brown as quickly as it would on, say, a grill,
which means medium-rare (and even medium) burgers are out of the
question. You also won’t get that irresistible char. If you don’t mind a
burger that’s very well done, the air fryer can get the job done, but
we all know there are better ways to make a burger.
Baked Goods
Technically, this isn't a hard-and-fast rule, as an air fryer is essentially a convection oven—and most baked goods do just fine in a convection oven. But the results can be so fussy that you'll likely need to keep a close eye on your cookies, cakes, or other goodies to avoid creating a mess. Remember that if you're using a standard baking recipe, and not one already customized to the air fryer, you'll need to reduce both the temperature by 25 degrees, and the time by about 25 percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can you cook raw meat in an air fryer?
Yes, it’s perfectly safe to cook raw meat in the air fryer. However, any raw meat you cook in the appliance should be fully defrosted first, and even then it still requires some extra attention. Since air fryers don’t typically get as hot as a standard oven, the meat will take longer to cook. You’ll also need to keep a close eye on it as it cooks, and should have a meat thermometer handy to ensure that the meat reaches the minimum internal temperature once it’s done.
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Can you use aluminum foil in an air fryer?
Yes, you can use aluminum foil in the air fryer, but there are a few rules to keep in mind for your safety. For starters, it’s imperative that the foil doesn’t come in contact with the heating element of the air fryer, which can cause a fire. Additionally, any foil you use should be weighted down with food so it won’t blow around the basket and potentially catch fire. Lastly, as is the case whenever you use aluminum foil, be careful with acidic foods. If acidic ingredients come into contact with aluminum foil, the foil can break down and leak aluminum into your food.
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Where should air fryers not be placed in the kitchen?
When using your air fryer, make sure the appliance has plenty of space on either side, and behind as well. Refrain from using your air fryer under a low cabinet, too close to a wall or other appliances, on a surface that isn’t heat-resistant, and on or near anything that’s flammable. Using it in any of the aforementioned locations increases the chance of a fire, which you obviously don’t want. Instead, use your air fryer on a clean kitchen counter, with plenty of space on all four sides.
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How should I put food in the air fryer so it cooks properly?
Overcrowding your air fryer basket can lead to uneven heating—which means your foods may be crispy in some spots, but still undercooked in others. Klein tells me, “For the best results, no matter what the food, be sure to arrange in a single, even layer. Piling certain foods, like fish and hand-breaded items, in the air fry basket will increase cooking time and reduce the crisping of food.”
