Nowadays, you can air fry almost anything. Why would you not want to? There's a reason why these appliances appear to have taken over everyone's kitchens, and why this person used their air fryer every day for two weeks to discover a completely new way of eating. Air fryers can mimic the results of deep-frying by using intense hot air and a small amount of oil. You don't have to save crispy foods for nights out and state fairs with this healthier alternative. But, because an air fryer can cook so many foods with simple materials like foil or parchment paper, you may be wondering: What can't an air fryer cook?
Before you start cooking with our favorite air fryers of 2022, make sure you know how to clean your air fryer and how to avoid common air fryer mistakes.
Battered Foods
Do not use wet batter in the air fryer. It'll make a sloppy mess, and wet batter won't set like it does when submerged in oil, so the food won't have that crunchy shell. Coat your food in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs to add a little crispiness and get it perfectly golden every time.
However, if a battered food is pre-fried and frozen, it is safe to use in an air fryer.
Fresh Greens
Because the machine uses high-speed air, leafy greens like spinach will cook unevenly. Foods that don't say put are very easy to burn. When selecting vegetables to cook in the air fryer, choose those with some weight, such as broccoli and zucchini. Kale chips may also be successful if the kale is coated in enough oil to weigh down the leaves. Finally, experts agree that frozen vegetables are the best option for air fryers because they retain more moisture from the ice. This is just one of those food facts you might not have considered before.
Whole Roasts
When using an air fryer to cook a whole roast, the most important consideration is whether or not the entire roast will fit into the air fryer's basket. Even if the meat does fit, it's best to use the standard oven. The roast will not cook evenly, and the portion closest to the heat source will most likely burn before the portion farthest away from the heat is safe to eat.
Cheese
Who wouldn’t love to instantly make some fried cheese to snack on? Unfortunately, because your air fryer isn’t truly frying your food, cheese placed inside without some sort of coating will just melt into a puddle and create a mess you don’t want to clean up. Unless you scavenge the freezer aisle for some frozen mozzarella sticks, there won’t be any grilled cheese coming out of your air fryer.
Raw Grains
Rice and pasta should be boiled in water before being placed in an air fryer. It's worth noting that air fryers are designed for dry cooking; trying to cook something that needs to be placed in water is not going to work. Even with an insert, the fan won't get hot enough to boil the water and successfully cook grains like rice and pasta.
Hamburgers
Air fryers are not meant for grilling. If you want your burgers medium-rare, the outside of the meat will be raw before it is browned on the inside. But if you like your burgers well done, an air fryer might be a good fit.
Toast
In theory, an air fryer might be a good bread toaster. The hot air is distributed evenly, so the bread might toast fairly well. But, this high air pressure will actually cause your bread to move around and create crumbs that mess up the air fryer basket—so it's not a good substitution for your toaster oven when you want a crispy piece of toast.
Popcorn
People had to add kernels and oil to a pot at home in order to make homemade popcorn before we became reliant on microwaves and prepackaged popcorn. But air fryers, which are like microwaves but not as hot, won't work for making popcorn since they can't get hotter than 400 degrees Fahrenheit, while it needs to get to 460 degrees Fahrenheit before the kernel pops.
1 comment
My 12.5 quart fryer is giving me problems with the dial wheel. when turning wheel left or right the numbers for temp or time jump all over and it takes time to get the needed numbers.