Air Fryer Do's and Don'ts

Table of Contents

Due to the widespread interest in air fryers and their many benefits, we have compiled a list of all the Air Fryer do’s and don’ts.

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Air Fryer Do’s

Air Fryer Do’s No. 1: Don’t resort to the microwave when the air fryer will do.

If you have a dish you were planning to microwave, consider instead using an air fryer, as it doesn’t transform food into rubber. It also works really quickly.

Related: Benefits of An Air Fryer

Air Fryer Do’s No. 2: Use Inserts

The air fryer by itself is capable of exceptional cooking results, but by adding the included inserts, the range of possible dishes is expanded by a factor of four. Like a grilling set or additional baking tools, air fryer inserts expand your culinary horizons and improve the quality of your finished dishes. Check out the metal skewers for “spit roasting” portions of meat kebabs and breakfast sausages, the elevated racks that let you cook an entire meal at once, and the pan inserts for baking cakes, banana bread, and meals with sticky glazes (meat on the bottom and veggies on top).

Related: Air Fryer liners

Air Fryer Do’s No. 3: Make some bread.

The realization that your air fryer is essentially a miniature, high-powered oven makes it obvious that you can use it to bake bread, pizza crust, and even cinnamon buns. The rapid circulation of air helps leaven dough.

Air Fryer Do’s No. 4: Roast some vegetables.

Without a doubt, veggies are ideal for use in an air fryer. Air fryers are superior to baking sheets in the oven because they expose the veggies to high heat from all sides. You can cut your butternut squash, zucchini or potatoes into cubes, or leave Brussels sprouts and mushrooms whole. The sensitive center of vegetables becomes perfectly cooked as their exteriors become crunchy and caramelized.

Air Fryer Do’s No. 5: A little coating of oil before cooking is recommended.

Most people favor air fryers because they allow you to make crispy fried dishes without using any oil, but adding even a small amount will greatly enhance the color and flavor of your meal. Use a small misting of nonstick cooking spray on breaded meals, a brushing of vegetable oil on meats, and just enough olive oil to make vegetables glossy. Oil’s fat will ensure everything browns uniformly and keep seasonings where they belong.

Air Fryer Don’ts

Air Fryer Don’ts No. 1: Don’t Put Too Much in the Air Fryer

Don’t overcrowd your air fryer with French fries like you would a traditional deep-fat fryer. With an air fryer, the fries are cooked evenly on all sides without the use of heated oil. As a result, overstuffing a basket might lead to chillier regions because air can’t circulate as freely. To ensure consistent cooking, leave some space around your food and toss it midway through the cooking process.

The heating coil, which is similar to a broiler element in a conventional oven, is often located above the basket and should not come into direct contact with the food. Although an air fryer’s fan helps distribute heat evenly, most of the cooking energy comes from above the food. To prevent, for example, a pork chop or a block of glazed tofu from overbrowning or drying out on one side, avoid placing them too near the coil and instead flip or rotate them at regular intervals.

Air Fryer Don’ts No. 2: Avoid using a batter or coating that will leak moisture during cooking.

When you deep fry food in oil, beer batter on fish forms a crunchy coating. However, if you use a moist batter, it will just drop out while the dish cooks in an air fryer causing a mess which you will later have to clean. Coat your food in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs to give it crunch.

Air Fryer Don’ts No. 3: Do not spray nonstick spray directly into the air fryer.

Many nonstick sprays contain chemicals that break down the nonstick coating of the basket, making it less effective. Instead of spraying the basket itself, spray the rack or plate your food will be sitting on. You could also try making your own spray instead of purchasing aerosol cans. You’ll find Oil sprayers with a hand-operated pump in supermarkets and on the internet. You can then fill the pump with a preferred oil, such as olive or avocado, and then used to spray food directly into the basket.

Air Fryer Don’ts No. 4: Foods that require a lot of liquid to cook properly should not be cooked.

Crisping up grains like rice, pasta, and other grains in an air fryer is divine, but you’ll first need to cook them on the stovetop or in a rice cooker. It doesn’t make sense that a pan insert for an air fryer couldn’t be used to cook grains. The water will never boil, and the grains will never be cooked because the machine will never become hot enough thanks to the heating coil and fan.