Air fryers are so the talk of the town that people also wonder if they can boil water in them. If this thought has ever crossed your mind too then welcome to the club air fryer. I am sure you will love the journey of cooking your meals in an air fryer and everything that you will learn in the process.
Air fryers are a great way to prepare healthy and quick meals. Air fryers are also said to be mini ovens as well as used as an alternative to a deep fryer so you can only imagine the possibilities it brings with them.
There is almost everything you can make in an air fryer, from making fried items to baking your food and even polymer clay.
It is understood that you want it all from an appliance like this but unfortunately they are not designed to boil water.
To cook your meal, you are allowed to use a couple of tablespoons of water in your ingredients but boiling water alone can damage your air fryer, and obviously, you would not want that.
Also, the temperature of the air fryer can not reach the point where it would boil water.
Let’s get into a more detailed discussion of whether you can boil water in an air fryer, to understand this kitchen appliance better.
Can you put water in an air fryer?
Yes, putting a couple of tablespoons of water in an air fryer as an ingredient for food preparation is completely fine.
Some food produces excessive smoke while their time in an air fryer and that can lead to stained walls of the appliance and of course no one appreciates that smell too.
To avoid this smokey experience add a little water to your air fryer and you are good to go.
Whereas, putting water in an air fryer to boil it is not wise because it takes longer to boil water in an air fryer and lesser time on a stove or an electric kettle. So, why bother yourself and your air fryer with something it is not really designed for?
How to add water to an air fryer?
Because your air fryer is an electrical appliance, you must exercise extreme caution while adding water to it.
To add water safely, use a measuring cup or spoon to pour a tiny amount of water into the air fryer drawer.
Avoid allowing water to get into contact with any of the appliance’s electrical components since this could result in machine damage.
Where should you put the water in an air fryer?
When cooking with water in an air fryer, you should pour the water either onto the meal or into the appliance’s draw (as long as you avoid any of the appliance’s electrical components).
For safety concerns, I frequently choose to add water to the ingredients before I begin cooking by spraying or sprinkling water onto the food before placing it in the air fryer’s draw/basket.
How much water is fine to use in an air fryer?
Adding a little bit of water to an air fryer cannot harm your appliance. However, adding more than an adequate amount can affect your favorite air fryer and its life span.
No matter if you are steaming, roasting, air frying, or baking something adding water to your food makes the texture of your food better and avoids marks that can appear on the walls of your fryer.
A little bit of added water in your air fryer gives your food a balanced crisp, by that I mean, your food will have that required amount of moisture in it along with the crispiness you want.
Here is a guide for you to know in what foods can you use water.
| Food items | How much water to use? |
| Chicken nuggets | No water |
| Fish | Little water |
| Burger patty | Little water |
| French fries | No water |
| Steaks | Little water |
Can you make soup in an air fryer?
Cooking soup in an air fryer is not recommended whatsoever. It is dangerous not just for your appliance but for your safety too.
Heating the soup in an air fryer is understandable but cooking it all together in it is just not what an air fryer is designed for. The liquid may drip into the machine and an unfortunate short circuit may occur.
There are so many other kitchen appliances other than an air fryer to prepare your soup for dinner so why complicate things?
Try making your liquids in a pan or a pressure cooker to be safe than sorry.
Can you use boiling water to clean the air fryer?
Boiling water can be used for cleaning an air fryer.
All you have to do is, separate its pan, driver, and basket and clean it in your sink like you clean your regular dishes. These are the parts that can be detached from an air fryer and can be cleaned as you clean normal dishes with soap and water.
Please be sure not to put water directly in electronics as this could damage your appliance and can cause some serious hazards.
Using boiling water to clean an air fryer makes the grease leave the walls and surface of the appliance quickly.
People often think that they can boil water in an air fryer to clean it, as the process of boiling water can make the stains go away but the consequences can be severe and nobody would want that.
If you wish to clean your air fryer and have no idea where to begin, here is a video that will help you get the job done.
Summing it up!
The popularity of air fryers has given rise to many questions among its users and the internet is full of them. One of the questions people often ask is whether to boil water in an air fryer or not and this article covered many aspects of it.
- Air fryers are a modern blessing and you can use them in many ways but you cannot use them for boiling water.
- It takes longer for an air fryer to boil water so it’s just a waste of time and energy to boil water in an air fryer.
- There are so many other kitchen appliances that can be used for boiling water but an air fryer is not designed to do so.
- You can use boiling water to clean an air fryer but you have to separate its machinery from the electronics.
- You can use water in cooking meals but the quantity must be restricted to 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- Also, people often wonder if they can prepare soups in an air fryer so the answer is a straight NO!
- Air fryers are used to prepare your food healthily, but it does have limitations.