It may be clear and simple to some of us. But other cooks I’ve talked to are still fuzzy about what you can and can’t cook in an air fryer. It all depends on how much moisture there is in the food – or how much it needs, to cook properly…
I’d have thought it would be obvious to most folks. They call it an ‘air’ fryer because it uses heated air to transmit energy to the food. AND it fries/bakes rather than simmering, boiling or immersing food in a hot liquid…
The ‘Big 5’…
There are 5 types of food you should not – I’ll go as far as to say ‘MUST not’ – try to cook in an air fryer!
Saucy or Brothy Foods
This one should be obvious. Since an air fryer circulates dry, hot air to bring cooking heat to food, it’s simply not designed to be filled with – or to contain even a little bit – of sauce, soup broth or plain water for broiling or simmering.
If liquid gets into its innards, you may well ruin the appliance – even short circuit it and cause injur-ies to the user or trigger a kitchen fire.
Battered Foods
Ditto, battered foods. Air fryers have proven ideal for cooking items such as French Fries, or other foods that are traditionally pan-fried or shallow-fried. But there’s a whole class of foods that are usually deep-fried which cannot be cooked in them. These are ‘wet-battered’ foods, such as Pogos or ‘English-style Fish for Fish & Chips. Or battered bar/finger foods. It’s all about the moisture, again – this time, in the batter.
Exceptions may include pre-cooked batter-covered foods on which the batter has already been crisped, which only require re-heating or ‘re-crisping’ before serving.
Most Fruits & Vegetables
I vividly recall my first experience trying to cook root veggies in the micowave. It was shortly after I got married, and right at the beginning of my lifelong ‘affair’ with the microwave. It all seemed so simple: just set the time and press the ‘Go’ button…
I rushed to try my new toy – a first microwave that came as a wedding gift. Concentrating on the choice of a microwave-safe dish to cook them in, I washed and seasoned some ‘baby’ carrots. And popped the bowl into mic’s cooking chamber. The recipe book that came with the device stipulated x-number of minutes for carrots, so I set the dial, and away we went.
Did you know you can actually re-sole shoes with microwaved carrots if you don’t add water or other liquid to the cooking vessel to capture the microwave energy, change it to actual heat, and transfer it to the food? Root veggies, especially, can be deceptive. They have some moisture in them, but not enough to ‘simmer’ or steam them from the inside-out.
Dried Foods
Here, we’re talking whole classes of food such as pasta (dry or fresh-made), rice or beans/lentils. Anything that requires re-hydration during or before cooking.
Popcorn!
Popcorn might seem like an natural for air frying. I mean, who hasn’t seen or used an air popper? The problem is, the air fryer doesn’t get hot enough to achieve the popping reaction, which is driven by steam building up explosively in the corn kernels. The natural moisture in the kernels just heats up slowly to the evaporation point and leaks out. No pop. Even if you spray the kernels with a light coat of oil. An air fryer just doesn’t get hot enough to make the magic…
My take
The key word when evaluating any food as a candidate for air frying is ‘frying’. If it can be pan-fried, you can probably air fry it. If not, don’t even think about it.
By the same token, key in on the word ‘air’ as a double check. If a food is usually cooked with any-thing more than a thin film of oil or fat in the pan, it’s not meant to be air fried.
And if all else fails… Refer to the manual that came with your appliance!
~ Maggie J.