c/air-fryer-recipes

PSA: Skip the expensive air fryer liners, they're a scam

I bought a pack of those silicon air fryer liners for $15 last month thinking theyd keep my basket clean. First use with some frozen fries and the thing floated up and touched the heating element. Melted plastic smell filled my whole kitchen and I had to air out the house for hours. Bought a pack of plain parchment paper circles on amazon for $3 and they work way better. Anyone else have a liner fail on them or am I just unlucky?

My buddy's wife said air fryer chicken is "too dry" so I changed one thing

She told me she hates air fryer chicken breast because it always comes out like shoe leather. I showed her how to brine it for 30 minutes in salt water before cooking at 375 for 12 minutes and she texted me last night saying it was the juiciest chicken she's ever made. Anyone else have a go-to trick for keeping meat from drying out in the air fryer?

Spent 45 minutes trying to figure out why my chicken was raw. Forgot to plug the air fryer in.

Just learned that air fryers use way less oil than I thought

I was reading the manual that came with my new air fryer and it said you only need like a teaspoon of oil for a whole batch of fries. I always thought you needed at least a tablespoon or two to get them crispy. Tried it last night with frozen fries and a quick spray of olive oil and they turned out perfect. Has anyone else found that less oil works better for certain foods?

Tried frozen wings straight in the basket vs preheating for 5 minutes first, night and day difference

The preheated batch came out way crispier and less greasy, even with the exact same temp and time on the same brand of wings, has anyone else noticed that much of a difference from just preheating?

My sister told me to stop putting raw chicken in my air fryer...

She came over last week and saw me tossing raw chicken thighs straight into the basket with just salt and pepper. She went OFF about how you need to pat them dry first or they'll steam instead of crisp. I tried her method of patting dry and adding a little oil and honestly my chicken came out SO much better. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on their air fryer habits?

Made restaurant style wings in my air fryer last night and it finally clicked

I was at Buffalo Wild Wings last month watching a game and realized I was spending $18 on wings I could make at home. Tried the baking powder trick at 380 for 25 mins and they came out crispy just like theirs. Anyone have a go-to sauce recipe that doesn't use a ton of sugar?

Discovered the spray oil trick after burning garlic powder on everything for 3 months

I kept getting that bitter burnt taste on my fries and finally realized if I just spray the oil on the food instead of mixing it in the bowl, the garlic and paprika don't scorch into the basket and now everything comes out perfect, anyone else have a seasoning timing issue they fixed by accident?

Tried breading chicken with panko instead of flour mix and it all slid off in the basket last night

The panko just wouldn't stick even after egg wash, so I ended up with naked tenders that were actually pretty good, anyone else have a breading fail turn into a happy accident?

Question about reheating pizza compared to 10 years ago

I stopped by my parents house last Sunday and they were still using the microwave for leftover pizza. I brought over my air fryer and showed them how the crust gets crispy again in about 4 minutes at 375. My dad said it tasted just like the pizza shop from 1982. Has anyone else gone back to a relatives house and realized how much cooking has changed just in the last decade?

That week I tried air frying frozen chicken breasts without oil... big mistake

I always see people saying you don't need oil in an air fryer for frozen stuff, but I learned the hard way last Tuesday. My three chicken breasts came out like leather hockey pucks, totally dry and chewy. I spritzed them with a little avocado oil on Thursday and they were completely different, juicy and tender. Has anyone else had better luck skipping the oil on certain things?

My air fryer chicken came out like rubber 4 times in a row this week

I tried making boneless thighs at 375 for 12 minutes and they were tough as shoe leather. Then I bumped it to 400 for 10 minutes and somehow got the same result. Finally figured out I was overcrowding the basket because my wife bought a 5 pound pack. Has anyone else had a run of bad batches like this or am I just doing something dumb?

The before and after on my chicken wings after I started flipping them halfway

I used to just toss wings in and let them go, but after 3 batches of soggy bottoms I finally tried flipping them at the 8 minute mark. Now they come out even crispy on both sides - has anyone else noticed that makes a bigger difference than the temp or oil?

Stop putting raw frozen chicken in the air fryer without thawing first

I saw three people in a row on here brag about cooking frozen chicken breasts and then complain about dry, rubbery meat, and it's because the outside burns before the inside hits temp, so just take the extra 20 minutes to thaw it or at least pound it flat first.

Bought a $70 air fryer liner set and it was a total scam

I got this pack of silicone liners off Amazon for like $70 thinking they'd save me cleanup time. Put one in for some chicken wings at 400 degrees and the whole thing shriveled up into a tiny melted mess. The holes in the bottom of the basket got blocked too so the air couldn't circulate right. Has anyone else tried those and had better luck or is there a cheaper hack that actually works?

Watched my aunt try to air fry a whole frozen turkey for Thanksgiving

She popped a 12 pound frozen bird in her little 6 quart basket, slammed the drawer shut, and proudly said "it'll be done in 45 minutes." I had to gently explain thermodynamics while the smoke alarm started chirping. Has anyone else had to talk a relative out of a dangerously ambitious air fryer plan?

Serious question, is frozen broccoli better in the air fryer than fresh or am I crazy?

Tried fresh florets tossed in oil at 400 for 8 mins and they came out sad and burnt on the edges, then tossed a bag of frozen ones in for 12 mins and they were crispy and perfect, has anyone else found frozen veggies actually work better than fresh in theirs?

My buddy swore 10 minutes was the magic number for chicken thighs and he was dead wrong

So my friend Dave kept telling me to cook air fryer chicken thighs at 400 for exactly 10 minutes, no flip. I tried it three times last month and every batch came out raw near the bone. Finally checked mine with a meat thermometer and they barely hit 150 after 10 minutes. Now I do 18 minutes at 380 with a flip halfway through and they hit 165 every time. Has anyone else run into bad advice from people who just guess the time?

Shoutout to parchment paper liners for air fryer basket

I was always scrubbing my air fryer basket after every use, like a solid 10 minutes with a brush. Then my sister told me to try those pre-cut parchment paper liners with holes in them. Last night I made breaded chicken thighs at 400F for 18 minutes and the basket barely had a crumb on it. Has anyone else found a specific brand of these liners that hold up better than others?

Drying herbs in the air fryer changed my seasoning game

I used to either dehydrate herbs in the oven for 6 hours or buy the expensive jars at the store. Last week I tossed fresh rosemary and thyme from my garden in the air fryer at 170F for 8 minutes and they came out perfect, still green and crumbly. Anyone else tried drying stuff besides the usual veggies?

The day I realized I was overcrowding the basket

I kept wondering why my fries came out soggy every time, even after following recipes to the letter. Then my buddy stopped by while I was cooking and said, 'Dude, you're stacking them like you're prepping for a crowd.' He showed me his basket half full with everything in a single layer. Now I do smaller batches and they actually get crispy. Anyone else have that "too much in the basket" moment?

My sister told me my chicken wings were soggy and now I preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes every time

Air fryer basket coating started peeling after 4 months - anyone else have this?

Went to dump out some fries last night and noticed these little black flakes all over my food. Checked the basket and the non-stick coating is just flaking off in chunks. I only got this thing in January, feels like a waste of $60.

Used to flip chicken halfway through every time

I always flipped my chicken breasts at the 8 minute mark because every recipe said to. Saw a post here last week from someone who just lets them sit the whole time and tried it, came out way juicier. Anyone else skip the flip?

Found a weird trick for getting frozen fries crispy

I read a post on the Serious Eats website that said to spray frozen fries with a tiny bit of water before air frying. The science is that the steam helps the outside crisp up faster. I tried it on a bag of store brand crinkle cuts and it actually worked way better than just oil. Anyone else have a weird pre-cook step that makes a difference?