An air fryer is an amazing thing for cooking your food deliciously and healthily.
But not everyone knows its cooking time and temperature, which might leave you with an uncooked or overcooked meal.
If I speak generally, the maximum temperature of the air fryer is 200°C or 400°F, which also varies on the model of the air fryer.
To guide you more, I’ll let you know about air fryers’ temperature ranges to help you cook delicious meals.
What is an Air Fryer?
The air fryer is essentially a better-than-average countertop convection oven that does not fry food. The Philips Electronics Company’s patented small appliance claims to replicate the results of deep-frying using only hot air and little or no oil.
According to market research firm NPD Group, nearly 40% of US homes will own one by July 2020, indicating the device’s growing popularity. Anything from frozen chicken wings and homemade french fries to roasted vegetables and fresh-baked cookies can be cooked in an air fryer.
Types of Air Fryer
There are four types of air fryers: paddle-type, basket-type, counter-top oven type, and oil-less turkey fryers.
- Type of Paddle- These are typically more expensive, but they are “self-tending,” and they also stir/turn the food for you. Along with the food, you add the cooking oil to the pan.
- Type of Basket- These are less expensive, but depending on what you’re cooking, you may need to intervene two or three times during the cooking process to shake the food. Before placing the food in the basket, it must be coated in cooking oil.
- Oven for the Countertop- These are more like multipurpose ovens than fine-tuned air fryers.
- Turkey Fryers with No Oil- These can be very large; they are primarily for outdoor use only; there is no forced air; they can double as tandoori-style ovens.
What temperature should be used to air fry food?
The temperature of the air fryer depends upon the food you’re cooking, so there is no absolute answer to this.
For instance, French fries are cooked at 325°F degrees while the chicken is cooked at 400°F degree temperature.
As you know, air fryers use radiant heat coming from the heating element placed near the food by circulating hot air to cook food evenly and save it from grease.
It is also important to preheat the air fryer before cooking so its surface would be hot, preventing the food from sticking to the basket.
What is the highest temperature of an Air fryer?
There are many methods of cooking to create unique recipes. Out of them, one is high-temperature cooking which includes baking, grilling, roasting, and frying.
The high-temperature cooking outcome is crispy food from the outside and juicy from the inside. It also helps seal the food’s flavor to make it more flavorful.
Air fryers use high temperatures, which is a maximum of 200° Celsius or 400° Fahrenheit. But some models might have different temperature ranges.
So, you have to read your air fryer manual carefully before setting its temperature range.
What is the medium temperature in an Air fryer?
The medium temperature of an air fryer is 300° Fahrenheit which is perfect for frying vegetables, omelets, and chicken.
One of the reasons that air fryers are preferred is because of their temperature range to cook your food.
Low heat is perfect for slow cooking, while high heat is ideal for cooking steak and other meat dishes.
So, if you’re looking to cook chicken, poultry things, and vegetables in the air fryer, use medium heat, 300° Fahrenheit temperature, and enjoy your nutritious meal.
How much time does an Air fryer take to cook food?
The air fryer comes with a timer and temperature to set according to the food you’re cooking or as per the choice of doneness of meat.
Typically, an air fryer takes 10-25 minutes to cook food at a temperature range of 320°F to 400°F degrees.
For example, French fries would take 10-15 minutes to be fully cooked, while chicken wings would take 20-25 minutes to be evenly cooked.
But, be sure to check your food halfway to ensure it’s cooking as per your desire.
Is 400° Fahrenheit enough for cooking in an Air fryer?
Yes, many recipes for an air fryer mention being cooked on 400° Fahrenheit degrees.
It seems to me that this temperature range has some kind of magic in making food crispy, juicy, and flavorful.
It only takes 8-10 minutes for the meat to cook at this temperature to become good to eat, while vegetables take 4-6 minutes at this temperature to cook.
Other food items, such as chicken wings and French fries, might need a high temperature to achieve the perfect level of crispiness.
However, 400° Fahrenheit degrees is considered a standard cooking temperature to cook food thoroughly.
What are the 5 essential Air fryer temperatures?
Following are the 5 essential temperatures that are mostly used in air frying.
| 55°C/130°F | It is used for dehydrating foods. |
| 120°C/250°F | It is used to air fry hard-boiled eggs. |
| 160°C/320°F | This temperature is used for potato wedges and cajun fries |
| 180°C/360°F | This is the medium temperature used for many food items. |
| 200°C/400°F | This temperature is used to make food crispy. |
- 55C/130F is the best temperature for dehydrated oranges, bananas, and watermelon, and you can also make a bread roll at this temperature.
- 120C/250F can be used in defrosting the food and for making hard-boiled eggs to be used in delicious recipes.
- 160C/320F temperature is good for air frying food at low temperatures, and then you can increase the temperature at the end to have the perfect layer of crispiness on your food.
- 180C/360F is used in most air fryers as preset and referred to as medium temperature, which is used to make many recipes. If I tell you my favorite thing to cook at this temperature in the Air fryer, it would be egg cups which is my breakfast most of the days.
200C/400F is used to make your food crispy. Spray your food with oil at the end of cooking and leave it for a few more minutes to get the perfect brown layer of crispiness on your food.
You got to try this temperature with Mozzarella sticks; it turns out as crispy as you get in the deep fryer.
From the above discussion, I hope it is clear for you guys to know which temperature range to use while cooking food.
Which Air fryer has the best temperature range?
The best Air fryer in terms of temperature range is Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, whose temperature can go as low as 40C/150F and as high as 210C/410F to make food as crispy as you want, and it also operates like a slow pressure cooker to ensure the doneness of food.
Check out the following video to know more about Ninja Foodi Air fryer!
Conclusion
- The air fryer’s maximum temperature is 200°C/400°F.
- There is no specific temperature to cook food as it depends upon the model of the air fryer and the food you’re cooking.
- The medium temperature of the air fryer is 300°F which is used to air fry vegetables, chicken wings, and omelets.
- 400°F degrees temperature is enough to cook food evenly and make it crispy.
- Ninja food Air fryer has the best range of temperature.