5 Foods That You Should Never Put In An Air Fryer
As far as countertop appliances go, air fryers have particularly passionate advocates... and particularly passionate detractors.
Some swear by this tool’s ability to quickly fry vegetables, meats, doughs, leftovers and frozen snacks without the use of oil, while others view air fryers as overrated and overpriced products that clutter your counter.
If you fall into the first category (or if you’re an air fryer newbie who’s intrigued by the possibilities), then a knowledge of which foods are most conducive to this cooking method will prove useful, as will an understanding of which foods never belong in an air fryer.
We asked chefs, cookbook authors and recipe developers to offer their opinions, and they gave us this list of five foods that thrive in the air fryer and five foods that do just the opposite.
Foods That Do Well In An Air Fryer
Brussels Sprouts
If you want to make vegetables with crispy exteriors and warm, tender interiors without compromising their nutrition by frying them in oil, the air fryer is the perfect tool. One hearty veggie that air fries especially well is the Brussels sprout.
“As long as the sprouts are seasoned accordingly and prepped well before they’re placed in the air fryer, you can make them work,” said Mike Sheerin, the executive chef of François Frankie in Chicago.
The “seasoning and prepping” process that Sheerin mentions can be done by drizzling the sprouts with olive oil, adding a hefty pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and using your hands to toss the sprouts until they’re fully coated. That will allow you to maintain the interior moisture while also getting a crunchy outside. “The crunchiness is so satisfying,” said Monica Lynn, a recipe developer and the author of “5 Square Low-Carb Meals.”
Try this recipe: Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts from Well Plated
Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Like Brussels sprouts, potatoes excel in the air fryer because this cooking method gives them a “crispy outside and tender inside,” said Yankel Polak, the head chef and culinary director of ButcherBox. He added that the starch content of potatoes “works really well with this appliance.” The air frying method offers impressive potato-cooking versatility, working for French fries, home fries, potato skins, “roasted” potatoes and hash browns.
Try this recipe: Easy Air Fryer Potatoes from Le Creme de la Crumb
Plantains
Plantains are also starchy plants, which gives them an edge where air frying is concerned. “Plantains easily dry and cook in air fryers because they are more solid with less external moisture content,” said Michael Haas, the owner and recipe developer behind Angry BBQ.
Try this recipe: Air Fryer Plantains from Piping Pot Curry
Falafel
Now we come to this writer’s personal favorite air fryer dish: the fried chickpea fritters known as falafel. The air fryer does a masterful job of “building a quick external crust while warming the interior,” said Olivia Roszkowski, a chef-instructor of health-supportive culinary arts at the Institute of Culinary Education. The process is as efficient as it is effective; in less than 15 minutes, you can air fry a dozen falafel to perfection.
Try this recipe: Air Fryer Falafel from Simply Recipes
Breaded Chicken
When it comes to air-fried meats, our experts largely agreed that chicken lends itself especially well to this form of cooking. “The fat content in the meat and the skin of the chicken allows the meat to stay juicy while the skin gets nice and crispy,” said Trisha Pérez Kennealy, a culinary educator and owner of the Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, Massachusetts.
When cooking “chicken tenders with a crunchy coating like panko, the air circulation in the air fryer ensures even cooking, crispiness and a beautiful color,” Kennealy said.
Polak also likes to cook breaded chicken in the air fryer, and he recommended the following preparation steps: “To ensure [that] breading stays on the chicken, make sure to moisten each piece with a swipe of olive oil or mustard. Additionally, don’t put TOO much breading on ― this can lead it to being blown off by the airflow of the appliance.”
Try this recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Breast from Little Sunny Kitchen
Foods That Shouldn’t Be Air Fried
Burgers
Some air fryer ads and sponsored influencer posts insist that the air fryer can be used to cook absolutely anything without a drop in quality. As much as we’d love to believe that, the facts don’t support that claim. Case in point: the classic hamburger.
“Unless you like your burgers well done, leave them out of the air fryer,” said Anna Vocino, the cookbook author and recipe developer behind Eat Happy Kitchen. “Air fryers are not ideal for grilling red meat. You’d be able to get the inside of a burger to medium rare, but the outside wouldn’t get that ‘char’ that you want on a burger. Plus, it’s really messy.”
Wet Batters
Several of our experts reminded us that air fryers and deep fryers are not the same thing, and some items that work beautifully in a deep fryer aren’t suitable for air frying. “Foods that have wet batters, like onion rings” are a key example, Kennealy said, explaining that air frying “makes it harder to get the batter to set and become crispy.” In most cases, the result is a texturally-unsatisfying bite that leaves a sticky mess of batter all over your air fryer.
Fresh Greens
It stands to reason that placing fresh greens like kale in an air fryer would produce crisp “chips” ideal for snacking, but Polak said the convection oven-style air circulation in these fryers will cause “greens like kale or spinach to fly all over the place and cook unevenly.” For that reason, Polak advised us to “stick with a normal oven” when making kale chips.
Cheese
Cheese, like wet batter, can’t be its best self when cooked in an air fryer. “An air fryer is actually NOT a deep fryer. When you make something like a mozzarella stick in a deep fryer, an instant outer crust is formed,” Polak said. “In an air fryer, this does not happen, and you’ll instead end up with a gooey, cheesy mess.”
Bacon
The trouble with cooking bacon strips in an air fryer lies in both their fattiness and their size. “Bacon is a fatty food, and when it is cooked in an air fryer, the fat can drip down and cause smoke or splatter,” said Brenda Peralta, a recipe developer for FeastGood.com. “This can make the bacon difficult to cook evenly, and it can also produce a lot of smoke and odors.”
Peralta also told us that “a bacon strip is a small and delicate food, and it can be difficult to flip or remove from the air fryer basket without breaking it.” If you like to cook bacon in batches, then Peralta also has some bad news on that front: “The air fryer basket may not be large enough to accommodate a large quantity of bacon. This can make it difficult to cook a lot of bacon at once, which can be inconvenient if you are cooking for a group.”
Don’t have an air fryer yet? Check out our guide!
HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently selected by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.
Amazon
Ninja 4-quart AF101 air fryer
I'll have you know that not one but two HuffPost audience editors have and recommend this Ninja air fryer, both saying they found it recommended on our site. Editor Gina Escandon says: "I love how simple this air fryer is! It takes care of all the work for me so I can focus on other things in the kitchen." Senior editor Abigail Williams adds that it's a good size for her countertop, works quickly and is "super intuitive" to use.
This 4-quart option can cook up to two pounds of French fires at a time, can air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate and has a "bucket" shape with an easy pull handle.
$69 at Walmart (regularly $89)
Our Place
Our Place Wonder Oven
Shopping writer Tessa Flores says she was mainly drawn to the Wonder Oven "because it looks so good and was an appliance I would actually enjoy displaying on my kitchen shelf." After finally making the purchase plunge, she confirms the performance matches the appearance. "It makes toast to perfection, crips items perfectly on the air fryer setting (just make sure there's none of the included cooking trays beneath the air fryer tray) and reheats leftovers incredibly fast. There's literally no warm-up time compared to a traditional oven."
This stylish, compact electric oven can air fry, bake, roast, toast, reheat and broil. It can hold up to a 4.5-pound chicken and can cook food on different levels, letting you cook on two trays at once. You can get it in four pretty color options.
Amazon
A 7-in-1 Cuisinart air fryer and convection toaster oven
Another multi-faceted toaster oven and air fryer, shopping write Erica Kam likes this 7-in-1 option from Cuisinart. "I’m a novice cook and this thing makes sure I get fed most of the time," she said. "I can reheat leftovers, heat up frozen meals and even hardboil eggs with just a few twists of the dials. It’s also so convenient for smaller portions and limited counter space. As someone living in a tiny studio apartment, I probably would’ve passed on a separate air fryer if I had just bought a toaster oven, so I love that this does it all."
This baby can air fry, grill, toast, bake, broil and warm. The brand says it's whisper-quiet with a non-stick, easy-clean interior. It's big enough to toast six slices of bread, three pounds of chicken wings, a 12-inch pizza or a 4-pound chicken at a time.
Heads up: Kam's recommended pick is still currently available at Taget, but the model has been discontinued. That said, Cuisinart makes an updated model that we'll also put on your radar later on in this list. Bonus: It's on sale right now!
Target
Cuisinart air fryer and toaster oven
An updated version that's currently on sale, senior editor Claudia Koerner likes this classic but sleek-looking Cuisinart air fryer and toaster oven for making adult food for her and kid staples like fries and nuggies for her little ones.
This machine can air fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, broil, warm and toast. It can toast 6 slices of bread, bake a 4 pound chicken or 12-inch pizza at once with a 60-minute timer and auto shutoff. Best of all, this updated version has a "cool touch" handle, that's made to safely open and close the door.
$149.99 at Target (regularly $229.99)
Walmart
A lavender air fryer from Drew Barrymore's Walmart collection
Another drool-worthy option is this six-quart bucket fryer, recommended by HuffPost editor Lindsay Holmes from Drew Barrymore's home goods collection, Beautiful. "It's powerful, a great size, affordable and perhaps best of all aesthetically pleasing enough to be a fixture on my kitchen counter," said Holmes.
Noting that her last air fryer was bulky, loud and a "pain" to drag in and out of her cabinet, she says this one is big enough to cook everything she needs, without dominating the kitchen. It also lives happily out on display.
This modern, touch-screen option can air fry, roast, reheat or dehydrate. It comes in a bunch of fun colors and can make up to two pounds of French fries.
Amazon
Tovala's 6-in-1 smart oven
One HuffPost editor said her local mom Facebook group is full of love letters to this pricy-but-worth-it 6-in-1 smart oven. It was also America Test Kitchen's #1 smart oven for 2024, beloved for its ability to connect with your phone for extra convenience.
This smart oven can air fry, steam, bake, broil, reheat and toast. It can hold up to a 4-pound chicken, or a 10-inch pizza. Best of all, it lets you set custom, automated cook cycles and control the temperature and timers with your phone. The air fryer even has a "Scannable Grocery" feature, which lets you scan the package of food from many popular brand names and the oven will automatically cook it to the manufacturer's instructions.
Amazon
Cuisinart digital display air fryer
Senior photo editor Chris McGonigal recommended this Cuisinart air fryer and toaster oven with a digital display. McGonigal especially like the toast function, noting it's nice to toast six bagel halves and multiple pieces of bread at the same time.
This machine can air-fry, bake, braise, broil, toast, roast, dehydrate, proof, slow cook, reheat and warm. It's large enough to roast a 4-pound chicken or bake a 12-inch pizza.
$238.99 at Amazon (regularly $299.95)
$238.99 at Walmart (regularly $299.95)
Amazon
A Ninja 5-in-1 indoor electric grill and air fryer
Growth strategist Adam Schubak swears by this "indoor electric grill" that also works as an air fryer. "When I say that this product changed my life, it's not an exaggeration," he said. "I started using this to prepare healthier meals after being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and the various functionalities ensure that I'm never bored with my somewhat restrictive diet. I can't remember the last time I prepared a meal that didn't utilize my Ninja Foodi in some capacity."
If you like the sear and sizzle of food on the grill, this option gives you all of that safely indoors. The 5-in-1 design has a 4-quart crisper basket that can also bake, roast and dehydrate your food.
Amazon
Toshiba air fryer microwave combo
Senior editor Noah Michelson likes this Toshiba air fryer/microwave as a good-looking option that doesn't hog the counter. Unlike some others on our list, Michelson isn't head over heels for this machine but says it's a solid option for people with limited space. "It does do the job and it's amazing to not take up counter space with an air fryer and a microwave," he said. "I held out forever, but they are GREAT and s*** REALLY DOES GET CRAZY CRISPY."
This option from Toshiba can microwave, air fry, bake, broil and defrost. It has a 12.4-inch removable turntable that can fit a 12-inch pizza.
