Love using your air fryer? Did you know that there are 10 mistakes you could be making and not even know it? Check out our article to see.
So you’ve just bought that lovely new air fryer and you are ready to up your cooking game. But wait! You’re having issues and your dishes aren’t coming out to the levels of perfection you had dreamed of.
This is normally due to a few key mistakes beginners tend to make with air fryers. Once you have done your troubleshooting and narrowed down what your problem is, you’ll be back to air frying in no time!
To figure out how you can avoid air fryer mistakes, keep reading. These top ten tips are sure to solve your problems!
1. Preheating
Did you know that sometimes you need to preheat your air fryer? This one of the top mistakes to avoid, but it does depend on your recipe.
Not every recipe calls for preheating and you should double-check. A common mistake among beginners is either to preheat all the time or not at all. Every recipe will be different and it can make a big difference if some of your items are coming out burnt or underdone.
2. Small Batches
A lot of people don’t realize that over-crowding your air fryer will cause things to not cook evenly and crisply. It’s best to cook in small batches if you have a small air fryer. If you have a large air fryer, try to keep things more evenly dispersed.
3. Regular Cleaning
It might not occur to you that you should clean your air fryer after every use. Unlike an oven which only needs to be cleaned once in a while, an air fryer is more like a crock pot. It needs to be cleaned frequently!
If you don’t wash your air fryer after every use the smells from your previous cooking escapade will linger. Gross! Crumbs that are left over from last time are also more likely to burn and affect the crispness and taste of your meal.
Most air fryers can be cleaned easily and quickly. Just use some warm soapy water and give the parts a quick scrub.
4. Rotating
Just like cooking in a pan or in the oven, food often needs to be rotated. If you want that amazing crispness an air fryer is known for, just turn your food over a few times! Be sure to check out our amazing air fryer recipes for finger foods, too!
5. Avoiding Soggy Meat
This is a common problem people can struggle with. If your meat is coming out soggy, it probably wasn’t dry enough in the first place.
As it turns out, it’s a good idea to blot extra moisture away with a paper towel or something similar. When your food is too wet it takes longer to cook, doesn’t brown well, and can come out soggy.
6. Using Oil In Your Air Fryer
Even if you’re not deep-frying your food items, you still need oil if you want things to really crisp up. No one likes half soggy half crisp fries! The good news is that you will use significantly less oil than a deep-fat fryer.
With a small amount of oil either wipe or spray your food. It’s better to oil the food directly rather than the inside of the air fryer. This is because you want the food to be evenly crispy.
Using oils that have a low smoke point is also a good idea as air fryers are very hot. Coconut oil and canola oil are both good choices.
7. Temperatures
Air fryers get very hot. It is a good idea to check on your food at least once throughout the cooking process. You don’t want your food to burn and you also don’t want fire-safety issues.
Make sure your air fryer is placed carefully away from flammable items. To keep yourself safe, use tongs and pot holders when moving food and pieces of the air fryer.
8. Buying Mistakes
When buying an air fryer it’s important to consider what you need it for. Are you cooking just for yourself and want to save space? Then you might be able to buy a small air fryer.
Check out these other space saving tips if you live in a small apartment. However, if you’re planning to serve at a party it can get really annoying to do all the food in small batches. Quality matters too, you get what you pay for!
9. Air Frying Light Foods
If you’re having trouble cooking your foods thoroughly, you should know that it is difficult to fry foods that don’t weigh much. Air fryers work to evenly cook your food by moving the hot air around the fryer quickly. This means that light food will kind of just blow away!
For instance, your leafy vegetables and some lighter breads simply won’t cook as well because they’re not weighed down. This can be solved if you are cooking other things as well, as you can hold down the lighter items.
There are also oven-style air fryers out there. These work much better with light food items.
10. Not Knowing All The Options
The worst mistake you can make as a beginner is to not realize all of the capabilities of your air fryer. Did you know you can make delicious baked goods like cookies and cakes?
It also takes the place of an oven in a lot of ways. Your typical roasts and fun dinner dishes like grilled ribs are all possible with an air fryer!
With Air Frying Mastered: What's Next?
If you really want to up your cooking game after the air fryer, you need the right materials. Make sure you have the best cookware around by checking out our review! For all of your restaurant reviews and cooking needs, we’re here for you!
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