Despite the name, air fryers don’t fry food at all! With the use of fans and heating elements, air fryers can operate similarly to convection ovens by quickly circulating hot air over the frying basket or tray.
Nowadays, practically anything can be air-fried, but not all items are compatible with a kitchen appliance. The biggest concern when using an air fryer to prepare a big dish is whether or not the dish will fit completely inside the air fryer’s basket.
The use of an air fryer to cook like a full chicken is not advisable since the chicken would cook unevenly. Even before the chicken thighs are good to consume, there is a good risk that the breast flesh will be overcooked.
In this article, I’ll tell you when should you not use your air fryer, let’s begin!
What can you not cook in an air fryer?
It’s important to know which items you can’t cook in your air fryer before you join the trend. These are some foods that cannot be cooked in an air fryer:
| Food | Reason |
| Battered foods | Don’t use the air fryer with wet batter. It will make a mess and the dish won’t have that crunchy outside since wet batter won’t set the same way it does when it’s immersed in oil. Coat your dish in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs to add slight crispiness and get it perfectly brown every time. Having said that, it is acceptable to use the air fryer to cook pre-fried, frozen food that has been battered. |
| Whole Roasts | The biggest concern when using an air fryer to prepare a whole roast is whether or not the roast will fit completely inside the air fryer’s basket. However, sticking to the standard oven is preferable even if the meat does fit. The roast won’t cook evenly, and by the time the portion furthest from the heat is safe to eat, the portion closest to the heat source will probably burn. |
| Cheese | Who wouldn’t enjoy making some fried cheese right away? Unfortunately, since your air fryer isn’t cooking your food, cheese placed inside will just melt into a puddle and make a mess that you don’t want to clean up. There won’t be any fried cheese coming out of your air fryer until you scour the freezer section for some frozen mozzarella sticks. This also holds with grilled cheese because it will probably burn due to the high pressure of the hot air. For this traditional comfort dish, stick to the stovetop. |
| Raw Grains | Rice and pasta must first be cooked on the stovetop before they can be crisped in an air fryer. It won’t work to try to cook something that has to be submerged in water because air fryers are designed to cook food dry. Even if your air fryer has a water reservoir, the fan will never get hot enough to boil the water and finish cooking your grains. |
| Hamburgers | If you prefer medium-rare burgers, air fryers aren’t made for grilling red meat. The outside of the burger won’t brown as quickly even though an air fryer cooks safe medium-rare in a relatively short time. An air fryer won’t give your steak the sear that balances it out if you prefer it red and juicy. However, if you need your burgers extremely well done, an air fryer should work just well. |
How does an air fryer work?
Air fryers use circulating hot air technology to cook. It circulates hot air around the food to achieve the same crispiness as traditional fried food. Air fryers accomplish this task by removing high-fat, high-calorie oil from the food preparation process.
With just one tablespoon of cooking oil, you can achieve the same results as a deep food fryer while using a fraction of the calories. It removes moisture from food by using heated air with fine droplets of oil. The air fryer, like many other cooking methods, causes a chemical reaction that improves the flavor and color of the food.
Foodstuff That Can Be Cooked In Air Fryers.
Unlike many other similar products, the air fryer only does one thing, so it lacks the multi-functionality of other appliances. It’s great for frying frozen foods or anything breaded, like nuggets.
The main disadvantage is that you cannot cook any food that has been dipped in the liquid batter because the liquid batter drips from the holes in the basket and makes a mess. You also cannot make any doughy foods, such as beignets. This means that you are limited to bread-based or dry-seasoned items.
What can break an air fryer?
Your air fryer can get broken if you haven’t been consistently cleaning it, if you accidentally drop it, and if the machine overheats.
Since you don’t want your air fryer to break or do something that might cause it not to work, here’s a list of things to remember while using it.
- The basket of your air fryer is too crowded: Although it may be tempting to load the air fryer basket to the brim to quickly reheat or cook your food, you should try to resist doing this. You should allow space for each item so that the hot air can contact it from all sides because the convection oven works by spinning hot air around the basket. Too much food in the basket may result in some of the ingredients becoming mushy rather than crispy, which will lower the quality of the finished dish.
- Before putting your proteins in the appliance, you’re not patting them dry: Making sure your meal’s surface is dry before frying it is another approach to prevent soggy food. Since moisture on the surface will steam, a dry surface will turn brown more quickly than a wet one. Therefore, before cooking, you should pat meats and some vegetables with paper towels.
- If your air fryer is not been cleaned properly: Cleaning your air fryer is crucial, especially if you use it frequently. You should thoroughly wash all of your air fryer’s removable components whenever you change recipes or whenever you cook something exceptionally sloppy. Thankfully, a lot of air fryer components are dishwasher-safe.
Additionally, you should occasionally clean the air fryer’s main body to get rid of grease and food splatters that might accumulate and make the appliance smoke. You run the risk of contaminating your most recent meal with undesirable flavors and food fragments from earlier dishes if you don’t clean your air fryer between recipes.
Can you use an air fryer to cook everything?
You can use an air fryer for everything and it depends on the types of air fryers that you are going to use.
There are two main types of air fryers, and you can tell them apart by how much room they take up, how much food they can hold, and how difficult they are to clean.
Here are the two main types of air fryers:
| Type | Definition |
| A pod-shaped air fryer | The air fryer that most people are familiar with is the smaller, pod-shaped model. A pod-shaped air fryer has a capacity that starts at around 2 quarts and often tops out at about 7 quarts. It is like the coffee machine’s size. Compared to a convection oven, it occupies less space on your countertop and is simpler to clean. If you’re preparing food for a smaller group, this is a good option. |
| Convection oven air fryer | The larger convection oven air fryer, which resembles a toaster oven and has a door that often opens downward, is another option. The capacity of a convection oven air fryer is typically greater than that of its pod-shaped rival, with several models offering space for up to 10 quarts of food. However, they often occupy more countertop areas and are more challenging to clean. |
Here’s a short video to help you cook delicious recipes in an air fryer:
Is it safe to cook raw meat in an air fryer?
Yes, it is safe to cook raw meat in your air fryer.
Making a batch of crispy french fries versus using your air fryer to cook a whole chicken or a few hamburger patties is different. You must closely monitor the temperature and the amount of time it takes for the meat to cook if you want to effectively cook raw meat in an air fryer.
You might be wondering how many of your meals you can prepare in an air fryer if you’ve made a complete commitment to this adored countertop device.
While you probably already know how excellent it is for items that are often deep-fried, you might take into account what other foods, such as raw meat, would function well in the basket.
Although you probably feel comfortable heating pre-cooked meat in an air fryer, it’s always a good idea to double-check safety regulations before frying raw meat.
Your air fryer will require a little more time to fully cook raw meat than it would for thin or pre-cooked items. Although the air fryer is a fantastic tool for fast-cooking raw meat, you should always check the meat’s internal temperature to make sure it is safe to eat.
Conclusion
- Nowadays, practically anything can be air-fried, but not all items are compatible with kitchen appliances. The biggest concern when using an air fryer to prepare a big dish is whether or not the dish will fit inside the basket.
- Everything comes down to crowding. Cheese placed inside an air fryer will melt into a puddle and make a mess. Rice and pasta must first be cooked on the stovetop before they can be placed in the air fryer.
- Air fryers aren’t made for grilling red meat, so don’t load them with toppings. Cleaning your air fryer is crucial, especially if you use it frequently. There are two main types of air fryers: pod-shaped and convection oven models. Pod-shaped models have a capacity that starts at around 2 quarts and often tops out at about 7 quarts.
- Cooking raw meat in your air fryer is safe. You must closely monitor the temperature and amount of time it takes for the meat to cook. Always check the internal temperature to make sure it is safe to eat before cooking raw meat in a fryer.