Air fryers are certified miracle workers when it comes to getting dinner out on the table quickly. How do they work, though? They cook your meals using bursts of hot convection heat. The result is a series of savory, crispy foods that you’d never guess were cooked in an air fryer. And they’re great for anything from chicken thighs to a filet of salmon. But while there are plenty of things that you can cook in an air fryer, there are only a few that you should.Â
There are loads of foods that the air fryer nails every time including wings, frozen snacks and even the occasional dog or burger, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have weak spots. So which foods should you never cook in the air fryer? Here’s a list of seven things I’ll never make in the air fryer again.
1. Boneless pork chops
Boneless pork chops dry out too easily for an air fryer.
A perfectly cooked pork chop is a thing of beauty but these lean cuts of meat can dry out in a hurry. Bacon, bone-in pork chops and fattier cuts of swine can handle the air fryer but lean, boneless pork chops tend to dry out when subjected to the blast of high heat. If you’re going to use the air fryer to cook pork chops, do so at a lower temperature and use some fat to keep things moist.
2. Spinach and leafy greens
Crisped spinach and kale will not turn out well in an air fryer.
Leafy greens are a big no when it comes to air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you’d want to eat.
3. Steak
Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.
Steak reheats well in the air fryer, but it’s not a good place for it the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I’ve tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don’t come out as well compared to when they’re cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet or grill.
4. Unbreaded chicken breasts
Unbreaded chicken breasts are not the best candidates.
Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts don’t have much fat and will dry out easily. Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs and you’ll be okay, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery.
5. Large cuts of meat
Pot roast typically needs low and slow methods of cooking.
Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked with a low and slow method such as braising or smoking. Avoid the air fryer with its hot blast of convection air when cooking large cuts of meat and opt for the Dutch oven, slow cooker or pellet smoker.
6. Uncovered broccoli
The air fryer will singe broccoli unless you cover it in foil.
If you wrap your broccoli in foil, you can use the air fryer to roast it (quickly). If you leave it uncovered and exposed to the hot convection air and you’ll end up with sizzled broccoli ends that are anything but delicious.
7. Shellfish
Clams and mussels are better for a pot instead of an air fryer.
Shellfish such as clams and mussels need liquid to cook without drying out. They are also easily overcooked, which can lead to a chewy rubbery morsel that you don’t want anywhere near your plate. Avoid the air fryer when cooking most shellfish.
If you’re looking for a great air fryer, here are CNET’s top-rated models for 2024. For more, these are the best air-frying toaster ovens for 2024.
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