10 things I wish I knew before buying an air fryer
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My air fryer improved my cooking, but there are some things I wish I knew before buying it.
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It’s small, so you can’t cook for many people, and you can’t cook multiple foods at once.
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I needed a cookbook and olive oil to successfully use my air fryer.
After hearing so many friends and people on social media raving about their air fryers, I decided to find out what all the fuss was about.
Throughout 2020, air fryers seemed to be the hot kitchen gadget, so when the holidays came around that year, I decided to buy myself one.
Instantly, I understood why so many people have fallen in love with the kitchen appliance. It became a game changer in my kitchen, allowing me to cook dinner in minutes and fry chicken, vegetables, and other foods without submerging them in oil.
Even though the appliance changed my cooking lifestyle for the better, there were still a few things about the air fryer that surprised me and that I wish I knew before I made the purchase.
There are many different types of air fryers, and the one you choose is important.
There are many air fryers on the market, but they mostly boil down to two models: a convection-oven air fryer and a basket air fryer. The first resembles a mini toaster or convection oven. On the other hand, the basket air fryer is the more traditional air fryer that uses a drawer-like compartment to cook food.
I was not expecting there to be so many options, so I had to do a lot of research to make sure I was making the right decision. In the end, I decided to buy the Cuisinart convection-oven air fryer for around $100 because it has more capabilities, like broiling, toasting, and roasting.
Air fryers can take up a lot of counter space.
Though some are small enough to fit in a cabinet, the air fryer I bought could not easily be stored away. Measuring 11.75 inches by 12 inches, my air fryer needed plenty of counter space, which surprised me. When I unboxed the new appliance, I needed to find 2 feet of counter space in my small Brooklyn apartment.
Eventually, I found a spot next to my microwave — it has become what I call the appliance corner.
Everything cooks so fast — sometimes too fast.
When cooking in an air fryer, most foods take less than 15 minutes to fully cook. Typically, I’m used to waiting 20 or 30 minutes to bake chicken breasts in the oven. While the chicken breasts bake, I usually wash the kitchen and tidy up.
But when I use an air fryer for chicken breasts, it takes between 10 and 15 minutes. I’ve tried to clean the dishes and the kitchen in that time frame, but the ding of the fryer always sounds before I’m finished. It means I’ve had to adjust my cooking routine.
Sometimes, things cook so fast that I don’t even realize they’re done. One night, I cooked a meatloaf, and it was finished in under 15 minutes. I was expecting it would take closer to 20, so I left it in there too long. That night, I had burned meatloaf for dinner.
You have to flip most foods halfway through for an even cook.
Using my air fryer, I’ve found it’s difficult to get an even cooking texture. Most times, the top of the food becomes crispy and delicious, while the bottom remains soggy. For example, when I made breaded chicken cutlets, one side was crunchy, while the other looked mushy.
I learned quite quickly that I had to flip the food halfway through to get the underside crispy as well. It’s not something I was used to doing with a regular oven.
Some air fryers come with a basket and a tray, and it’s confusing when you should use which.
My air fryer came with a basket and a tray. Some recipes I’ve used told me to use the tray and others told me to use the basket. When I’m not using a recipe to cook dinner, I often struggle to decide which is best to use. I tend to lean toward the basket when I’m attempting to fry something and the tray when I’m roasting.
Following an air-fryer cookbook — especially in the beginning — is a lifesaver.
Since my air fryer looks so much like an oven, I’ve caught myself using it like one. Instead of following a recipe, there have been a few times where I’ve just thrown food in and set the temperature to 375 degrees. In these instances, the meal never turns out great because it’s not a typical oven. It’s an air fryer that relies on temperature and timing controls that I’m not familiar with just yet.
When I follow an air-fryer-specific recipe that tells me what to put the temperature on and how long to cook it for, the food always turns out much better.
Many air fryers are best for one to two servings and can’t really be used for big dinners.
Though the air fryer was bigger than I expected, and I struggled to find counter space for it, the space where food is cooked is quite small. I can’t imagine you can cook for a large group of people with this appliance — at least not in the model I own. You’d have to cook in batches.
Some recipes I’ve followed said I should put in only two strips of chicken breasts at a time to ensure even cooking and then do a second batch.
I’d recommend staying away from the air fryer if you’re cooking for more than two people.
Similarly, you can’t cook the meat and the vegetables at the same time.
I’m used to baking chicken and vegetables on one giant sheet in the oven. That’s not possible in an air fryer because of its size.
One night I was cooking chicken, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts, and they all needed to go in the air fryer, according to their recipes. Instead of putting them all on one tray, as I would have with a traditional oven, I had to cook the chicken first, then the vegetables. By the time everything was finished cooking, the meat was cold.
Olive oil is still necessary when cooking with an air fryer.
A common misconception is that air fryers completely eliminate the need for olive oil. The truth is that most recipes I’ve used still want me to drizzle olive oil on my food so that it will crisp up in the air fryer. But it is important to note that I’ve used significantly less olive oil with the air fryer than I would have if I traditionally fried my foods.
When the food is cooking, it’s difficult to check if it’s done.
Though my air fryer has a window, the space inside is so small that it’s difficult to see if something is cooked or not. With basket air fryers, there is no window, so it’s impossible to see how your food is doing. Instead, you have to rely solely on the timer.
Many times I’ve had to open the door, let out the precious heat, and pull out the tray just to see if something is cooked through.
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