When it comes to convenience when cooking a selection of quick meals, it is hard to beat an air fryer. These healthy food preparers have gained popularity over recent years and, although they are our best friend in the kitchen, there are some limitations as to what you can place inside and some things that you certainly should not put in an air fryer.
It is recommended that air fryers are used to prepare frozen foods, heat up fried meals, and even bake cookies. You can even fry bacon inside this appliance but do not let the air fryer name fool you. It isn’t a fryer at all. Think of it more like a convection oven that uses a small amount of oil.
Air fryers circulate hot air via an internal fan for a quicker cooking process. This works an array of food but not all. Despite its popularity and ingenuity, an air fryer can ruin certain foods. Some meals can become dry, get overcooked, or just end up making a mess of the fryer.
Let’s take a look at some of the foods that are in the “no go zone” for air fryers:
- Broccoli – This healthy veggie tends to become very dry in an air fryer.
- Roasts or full chickens – The basket or cooking rack of an air fryer is usually quite compact so larger roasts may not fit. A whole chicken can end up dried out with a solid interior.
- Fried foods with wet batter – There is nothing to set the wet batter in foods such as fried fish or corn dogs. Traditional batter will just drip off into a mess.
- Cheese – Tends to melt into gooey chaos but you can use frozen cheese to combat this issue.
- Rice – Heating coil and fan can’t raise the temperature high enough to boil water for cooking rice.
- Raw vegetables – These can end up very soggy.
- Olive oil – Can smoke and burn under the high heat of air fryers.
- Delicate leafy greens – Can not be evenly cooked in an air fryer.
- Medium rare burgers – The inside of the burger won’t have time to brown but with a little patience, an air fryer is ideal for well done burgers.
Can air fryers catch fire?
Air fryers are pretty new in the world of cooking contraptions. As with anything relatively new, people start to worry about its safety and whether it has been tested thoroughly enough.
Well, all electrical appliances have the risk of malfunctioning but with intensive testing, this is thankfully a rare occurrence. When it comes to air fryers, they should not catch fire. There have been some rare reports of air fryers catching on fire but this is highly unlikely.
With proper, responsible use, you should not experience any risk of fire when using these healthy countertop convection ovens. Two main risks pose a threat to your air fryer. This is how you personally use it and if it has been shipped with a fault.
Although highly unlikely, this dangerous possibility comes with every electrical device you purchase. Just think of the alternative for an air fryer. A deep fat fryer with a vat of boiling hot oil. That poses many more hazards that can be highly dangerous.
Problems with overheating usually only occur when too much oil is added which can cause smoke. This is when too much oil gathers and gets to a smoking point. As long as you use your air fryer with the necessary precautions, you should be absolutely safe from fire.
What are the disadvantages of an air fryer?
Although air fryers are healthy substitutes for the more oily and fatty deep-pan fryers, there are some drawbacks to using one. Just like all products, there are pros and cons which should be taken into consideration before investing in one.
Let’s take a look at some of these disadvantages below:
- Air fryers are hard to clean – Although easier to clean than a deep fryer, the air variety is still a frustrating device to get sparkling again. You should clean all of the parts after every use. This includes the frying basket and the pan. Otherwise, food residue and fat can accumulate which becomes very stubborn to clean off and even unhealthy.
- Longer cooking times than conventional deep fryers – Air fryers tend to heat up at around the same time as deep fryers but once they have pre-heated, a deep fryer can fry food much quicker. For instance, fries in a deep fryer may take 10 minutes to cook while an air fryer could see you waiting for up to 20 minutes. However, this can depend on the brand and quality of your air fryer.
- Costlier than deep fryers – Yes, air fryers are more expensive but they can cook foods that deep fryers can not and in a healthier manner. Air fryers are far more versatile in your kitchen when cooking fish, steaks, vegetables, bread, and much more. This extra cost is typically worth the investment over time.
