If you are an air fryer newbie, you’re right in the place! Today I am going help your master your air fryer journey by walking you through some common air fryer mistakes to avoid!
Air fryers have become kitchen superheroes—crispy fries, juicy chicken, stuffed mushrooms, muffins, and way less oil? What’s not to love! But as easy as it seems, there’s a chance you might be making simple air fryer mistakes. And these mistakes could be the reason for your air fried dishes coming not as good as you expected.
Don’t worry—we’re here to help. Scroll down for some common air frying mistakes that you should avoid and level up your air fryer game!
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Common Air Fryer Mistakes + How To Fix Them
- Overcrowding the Basket: Air fryers use hot air circulation to cook food, and an overcrowded basket prevents this air from circulating properly. This can lead to unevenly cooked food. Hence, it’s always best to place the food in a single layer in the basket. Ensure there is enough space in between for optimal results.
- Not Preheating the Air Fryer: Unlike an oven, you don’t always need to preheat your air fryer to achieve great results. Skipping this step can not only increase cook time. It can also lead to uneven cooking, over browning, and burnt food. Preheating your air fryer just 3-5 minutes before adding food works perfectly!
- Using Too Much Oil: One of the benefits of an air fryer is cooking with less oil, but it’s easy to overdo it when you’re new to the appliance. You only need a small amount of oil or spray to achieve a crispy texture. Over oiling can cause the food to become greasy and defeat the purpose of using an air fryer. Stick to a light mist or a small brush of oil.
- Ignoring Food Size and Thickness: Not adjusting the cooking time for larger or thicker pieces of food is a common air frying mistake. If your food is thicker than usual (e.g., thick chicken breasts or large cuts of potatoes), you’ll need to increase the cooking time. This ensures the food is properly cooked through and evenly.
- Using the Wrong Type of Oil: Not all oils work equally well in the air fryer. Oils with a high smoke point, like avocado, grapeseed, peanut, or canola are preferable. Please avoid using olive oil. It has a low smoke point and can burn in the air fryer, giving your food a bitter taste.
- Not Shaking or Flipping the Food: It’s important to move it around by flipping or shaking the basket halfway through the cooking process. This ensures even browning and crispiness, and is especially crucial for items like fries or tandoori chicken.
- Not Checking Food for Doneness: Cooking times can vary depending on your particular air fryer model and food type. So you’ll have to indulge in some trial and error to find temperatures and timings that work your air fryer. You could also use a meat thermometer for meats or visually check the food for crispiness.
- Using Non-Air Fryer-Safe Accessories: Some materials, like certain plastic or non-heat-resistant pans, can melt or release harmful chemicals in the high heat of the air fryer. Always use air fryer-safe accessories, such as metal, ceramic, or silicone. This is to avoid any safety issues.
Even though these are small mistakes, you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference fixing these can make. It will cook your food more evenly and make everything perfectly crispy and crunchy. Believe me, it’s a total game changer!
If you want to do more with your air fryer, my Essentials Air Fryer Cookbook has got over 60 delicious and fool-proof recipes with tons of tips, tricks, and hacks. Use your air fryer to the fullest. Maintain it so your appliance lasts you a long time. You can buy it HERE!
If you make any of my air fryer recipes, don’t forget to tag me on your stories or send me a DM over at @my_foodstory on IG. I love looking at your recreations and talking to you guys!
This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.
The post Common Air Fryer Mistakes appeared first on My Food Story.
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