c/air-fryer-recipes

Found a simple hack for getting crispy tofu without all the oil

I kept ending up with soggy tofu in my air fryer no matter what I did. Then I tried pressing it for 20 minutes, then tossing it in a tiny bit of cornstarch before popping it in at 375 for 12 minutes. It came out super crispy on the outside and soft inside. Has anyone else tried this trick or got another method that works better?

Thought frozen veggies in the air fryer would be soggy but turned out crispier than fresh after 6 minutes at 400 degrees

I used to only buy fresh broccoli and Brussels sprouts for my air fryer because I thought frozen would release too much water and just steam, but after trying a bag of frozen cauliflower florets from Aldi last week I was shocked how they got that golden crunch on the outside while staying tender inside, so which side are you on for frozen versus fresh veggies in the air fryer?

Hit 500 air fryer recipes tested in 6 months and most are garbage

I set a goal to try 500 different air fryer recipes by the end of the year. I hit it last week, and honestly 60% of them were either dry or bland. The crispy Brussels sprouts from 'AirFryerEats' and the chicken thighs from a blog called 'Crispy Kitchen' were the only ones worth repeating. Anyone else find most recipes online just don't work with real air fryers?

Blew my mind that air frying frozen chicken nuggets at 400 instead of 375 saves 3 whole minutes per batch according to the manual I finally read

I found that stat buried on page 14 of the instruction booklet I threw in a drawer two years ago and now I'm mad at myself for wasting all that time has anyone else ever found a hidden tip in their air fryer manual that actually worked

Had someone tell me my wing sauce was 'drowning the food' and I tried less

A buddy at a cookout last weekend said I was just eating sauce with a side of chicken wing. I used to dump a half cup of buffalo sauce right in the air fryer basket and shake it around. Tried just tossing the wings in a tablespoon after they came out crispy. Huge difference. Actually tasted the chicken skin and the seasoning I put on it before cooking. Anyone else get called out for overdoing sauce?

PSA: That cheap spray oil works way better than the expensive avocado oil stuff

My aunt told me at a family cookout last month that she uses plain Pam for her air fryer and her chicken wings come out crispier than mine with the fancy bottle, and now I'm honestly questioning why I spent $12 on that cold-pressed brand.

Tried that $15 silicone air fryer liner and almost ruined dinner last night

Picked up a pack of those silicone basket liners off Amazon for like 15 bucks thinking they'd make cleanup easy. First use with some breaded chicken thighs at 400 degrees and the thing started smoking like crazy, smelled like burning plastic. Had to pull everything out and finish in the oven, wasted a whole batch. Anyone else have bad luck with those liners or did I just get a cheap brand?

My sister-in-law told me to stop preheating my air fryer and I thought she was nuts

She said just put the food in cold and let it heat up together, which seemed wrong to me since every recipe says preheat first. I tried it with frozen chicken tenders and they came out just as crispy in the same amount of time. Has anyone else ditched the preheat step or am I messing up my results?

Went to a friend's house last weekend and saw their air fryer overflowing with frozen chicken tenders

They just dumped a whole bag in there, no spray oil, no shaking halfway through, and the bottom ones came out all soggy while the top ones were burnt. I tried to give them tips but they said it's fine because it's just easier that way. How do you handle people who refuse to use an air fryer the right way?

I used to think air fryer wings were overhyped until I tried dry brining

For months I just tossed frozen wings in the basket and they came out soggy every time. Then last weekend I salted 2 pounds of wings and left them uncovered in the fridge for 8 hours before cooking. The skin came out crispy like deep fried and the meat was juicy. Anyone else had better luck with dry brining versus just seasoning right before?

Burnt my third batch of chicken wings because I didn't preheat the basket

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.