8 things you should NEVER prepare in an Air Fryer
Sausage rolls, cupcakes, cheese puffs or apple turnovers with Licor 43: all can be made in the Air Fryer and all are really easy! In any case, the Air Fryer is a multifunctional kitchen appliance in which you can prepare all kinds of things, with a few exceptions. You’d better keep these products out of that basket.
Deep-fried food
Or rather: anything coated in a ‘wet’ batter. Sadly but truly: ‘wet’ batter (such as tempura) doesn’t work in the Air Fryer. Not even if you preheat it. Wet or moist batter needs the instant reaction of piping-hot oil to become wonderfully crisp. In the Air Fryer, it doesn’t get that burst of heat, and the batter drips off your chicken or fish or whatever you were planning to make. Say goodbye to that crispy golden-brown crust (and hello to a very dirty basket).
Broccoli
Although you can roast quite a lot of vegetables in the Air Fryer, some vegetables come out rather dry. Broccoli is one of them. Compared with, for example, Brussels sprouts, broccoli contains considerably less moisture, so it dries out more quickly. The golden tip? Pour one or two tablespoons of water into the Air Fryer. This keeps the vegetable juicy while still making it deliciously crisp.
A whole chicken
You’re really better off roasting this in the oven. Air Fryer baskets are too small, which means the hot air can’t circulate properly around the chicken. The result is an extremely dry chicken on the bottom and half-cooked chicken on top. Not tasty.
Cheese
Especially soft cheeses. Naturally, these will melt. And baked-on melted cheese in the basket and between the heating elements? Believe us, you really don’t want to clean that!
Rice
To get rice perfectly cooked, you’ll need to cook it in water. An Air Fryer cooks food with dry hot air. Not exactly the ideal environment for fluffy rice or al dente pasta.
Spinach
Spinach is a lovely leafy vegetable. An Air Fryer’s temperature is often too high, causing the delicate leaves to dry out completely. It is useful, however, if you want to make kale chips!
Popcorn
And while the temperature is too high for spinach, it is too low for making popcorn. Corn kernels only pop at a temperature of around 400 degrees, and it doesn’t reach that. A microwave does! Don’t have one? Then you can always make popcorn in a pan!
Steak
Opinions are divided on this one, as there are people who claim that you really can make a steak in the Air Fryer. But is it just as tasty as in a pan? Many people also misjudge the cooking time. Getting a steak perfectly medium-rare is quite a skill. Still want to try it? Then use a thermometer so you can keep a close eye on the internal temperature.
Read also:
- Why are those fries for the Air Fryer more expensive than regular fries?
- 7 Air Fryer tricks not everyone knows
- In three steps: how to get your Air Fryer sparkling clean again
