Air fryers are the talk of the culinary world. From celebrity chefs to passionate home cooks, it seems that everyone’s snapping up an air fryer. If you’re thinking of doing the same, we don’t blame you; they’re incredibly versatile small appliances. But one of the most common questions people ask about air fryers, is ‘what exactly can you cook in an air fryer’? Keep on reading to find out…
How do air fryers cook food?
So, what exactly can you cook in an air fryer? To answer that question, we’ll first need to look at how air fryers cook food.
Now, before we continue, we need to dispel a common misconception around air fryers.
Yes, they may be called air fryers, but they don’t actually fry food.
Air fryers actually cook food using convection. Put another way, air fryers use a heating element and a set of fans to blow and circulate hot air around food. In many air fryers, this hot air can reach temperatures of 180ºC to 200ºC.
Because the foodstuff is ‘enveloped’ in hot air, it cooks evenly, with the outside cooking first and the heat progressively cooking the food deeper and deeper. Note that it’s not just the temperature of the air that is doing the cooking, but the fact that is moving. This is the ‘convection’ at work.
Think of air fryers as working in a similar way to traditional fan-assisted ovens (although, as we’ll see, they’re far more efficient).
Those technical details aside, because air fryers cook using convection, you are able to cook a wide variety of foodstuffs with little to no oil. As a result, air fryers produce cooked meats and vegetables that are far healthier than the equivalent foods cooked in something like a deep-fat fryer. It’s for this reason that air fryers are sometimes called health fryers instead.
And, even with little to no oil, air fryers can still cook chicken and other meats so that they have the delicious, crunchy texture that is traditionally achieved using unhealthy frying in fats and oils. Air fryers create foods that are both healthy and tasty. Win, win!
Guide - want to know more about how air fryers work, their benefits and features? Then read our essential guide to buying an air fryer.
What cooking methods can you use with an air fryer?
Now that you’ve got a clearer idea of how air fryers cook food, we’ll now look at the different cooking methods you can use with an air fryer.
Because of how they work, you can use the following cooking methods with an air fryer:
- Roasting.
- Spit roasting.
- Baking.
- Grilling.
As you can see, air fryers are suitable for any cooking method that centres on the use of ‘dry heat’, rather than wet heat (e.g. boiling, steaming).
Foods you can roast in an air fryer
If roasting is one of your preferred cooking methods, then you’ll love an air fryer. Because roasting involves the use of dry heat which is circulated around a foodstuff, you can use an air fryer to perfectly roast both meats and vegetables. In other words, you can roast foods with an air fryer in the same way you would roast foods in a traditional oven.
Examples of foods that you can roast in an air fryer include:
- Roast beef.
- Roast chicken.
- Roast potatoes.
- Roast carrots.
- Roast parsnips.
Roasting foodstuffs in an air fryer can often enhance the food’s flavour due to the Maillard effect. The Maillard effect causes foods such as beef to ‘brown’ and enhances the meat’s flavour.
In order to achieve the best finish when roasting foods in an air fryer, you may need to apply a few drops of cooking oil. However, this is often only required for vegetables. Meats tend to have enough embodied juices to cook without the need for additional oil.
If you buy an air fryer that has the correct features, you can also spit roast foods. These types of air fryers are often known as all-rounder, multifunctional or all-in-one air fryers as they allow you to cook foods in many different ways. They will typically incorporate a ‘spit’ feature or ‘rotisserie’ function. This will allow you to spit roast foods such as whole chickens.
Foods you can bake in an air fryer
As baking is another cooking method that is based around the application of dry heat, air fryers are great for baking a variety of foods.
Baking involves the transfer of heat from the surrounding air into a foodstuff, whilst simultaneously moisture and other liquid elements move outward and escape from the foodstuff.
In other words, any foods that you would traditionally have baked in an oven, can be baked in an air fryer. Examples include:
- Brownies.
- Pizza rolls.
- Breads and rolls.
- Cookies.
- Puddings.
- Muffins.
Because air fryers are so efficient, you’ll often find yourself having to shave minutes off your usual baking times! For example, many air fryers are able to bake bread rolls in as little as 10 minutes.
Tip - if you think you’ll be baking often, then select an air fryer that features cooking racks. This will make it much easier to bake your foods and remove them when they’re piping hot! Some air fryers even feature multiple tiered cooking racks, so you can bake different items separately from each other.
Foods you can grill in an air fryer
Fan of grilled foods? Then you’ll be pleased to know that it’s entirely possible to grill foods in an air fryer.
To achieve the best grilling experience, it’s recommended that you preheat your air fryer to a maximum temperature of about 200ºC. Once your fryer has hit that temperature, you should next drop the temperature by about 20ºC.
When adding meat to be grilled in your air fryer, you should ensure it has been cut to even proportions and is at room temperature.
Note that when grilling meats in an air fryer you want to cut it thicker than you would for a normal grill. This is because air fryers cook far quicker than traditional grills. Likewise, you’ll want to cut your grilling time as well (a general rule is to halve the time you would normally grill for).
If you want to achieve those classic ‘grill lines’ on your foods, then choose an air fryer that comes with a ‘grill plate’ (sometimes called an air fryer chargrill). If your air fryer doesn’t include a grill plate, you can find them on many online marketplaces.
Depending on what you’re grilling, it can be advisable to pre-soak the food in water before putting it in the air fryer. Why? Because air fryers cook at such high temperatures, and so quickly, you can run the risk of accidentally drying out the meat. For example, if you’re cooking small pieces of meat - such as chicken on a skewer - you definitely want to pre-soak them!
With all that in mind, what exactly can you grill in an air fryer? Examples include:
- Meats of all kinds - especially beef.
- Skewers and kebabs.
- Vegetables - especially potatoes, corn on the cob, peppers, and tomatoes.
As with the other cooking methods listed in this article, drier foodstuffs such as firm vegetables will benefit from a few light drops of oil to achieve the best finish.
Are there any foods you can’t cook in an air fryer?
Whilst there aren’t any foods that you absolutely can’t cook in an air fryer, there are some that won’t exactly come out well…
Some examples of foods that don’t work well in air fryers include:
- Most greens such as lettuce.
- Fresh cheese.
- Battered foods.
- Raw vegetables.
Can you cook multiple foods at the same time in an air fryer?
As you can see, air fryers are massively flexible little appliances that can cook a huge range of foodstuffs. Whether you want some baked goods for the weekend, or some grilled chicken for a summer luncheon, an air fryer will do it all.
However, if you’re putting on a bit of spread and have multiple items of food you want to air fry, you won’t want to have a situation where one set of food goes cold whilst the other set cooks.
The answer? Buy an air fryer that allows you to cook multiple foodstuffs at once.
It’s now possible to buy what are known as dual basket or dual drawer air fryers. As their name suggests, these are air fryers that feature two independent sections where foods can be air fried.
The very best dual basket air fryers - such as those from Tower - allow you to cook two different foods, each with different cooking times, simultaneously. So, you can set a timer for one basket, and a completely different timer for the other basket.
Some air fryers even come with ‘smart finish’ features, which allow you to cook separate foods at different times and temperatures, and have them be ready at the same time.
The result is that you can cook pretty much an entirely air-fried meal in one go. Talk about time savings!
Can you put foil in an air fryer?
Many popular recipes call for the use of aluminium foil to enhance the cooking of meats and vegetables.
But, is it safe to put foil in an air fryer?
The answer is ‘it depends’. You will see many culinary commentators stating that it’s okay to line the bottom of your air fryer's basket (and nowhere else) with foil. In fact, they claim that doing so can enhance the finish you can achieve with delicate meats such as fish.
We, however, would strongly recommend checking with the manufacturer of your particular air fryer to ensure doing so is safe.
Can air fryers cook frozen foods?
Yes! It’s entirely possible to cook frozen foods in an air fryer.
Whether you want to cook oven chips straight out of the freezer or you’ve got some frozen leftovers to heat up, an air fryer will typically defrost and then cook food far quicker than a traditional oven.
Are air fryers worth it for cooking?
The answer to this question depends on how you define ‘worth’, but if you’re looking for a way to cook meals that saves you time and money, is healthy, and creates delicious foods, then we’d say yes!
Air fryers are absolutely worth it for cooking.
Let’s look at each of the key points that back up this statement.
Health savings
Health savings may seem like a strange way of putting it, but if you think about it, every time you cook something in an air fryer you’re effectively saving your health.
By drastically reducing - or even eliminating - the need to add oil to your food, an air fryer can significantly reduce the amount of fat in your food.
In many cases, air fryers can reduce the amount of oil you need to cook food by 99%!
Cost savings
Air fryers allow you to cook pretty much the same range of foods as a traditional kitchen oven, but far more efficiently.
Given the current state of energy costs, this isn’t an insignificant point.
According to leading air fryer manufacturer Tower, an air fryer could ‘save you up to 50% on your energy… which could reduce your energy bills by £210 per year’.
Naturally, the exact savings to be gained will vary from household to household, but it’s certainly true that air fryers are far more energy efficient than traditional ovens. This is because they’re far more compact, cook much quicker and use the latest convection technology.
Time savings
When you’ve got a million and one things to do around the house, the less time you have to spend cooking the better!
Air fryers have speed on their side, being able to cook all kinds of foods far quicker than traditional ovens.
To give you some tangible examples, an air fryer will typically be able to cook french fries in about 15 to 20 minutes. This compares to about 25 to 30 minutes to cook french fries in a traditional oven.
In fact, in some cases, air fryers can reduce cooking times by half!
Our top air fryer cooking tips
Whether you’re going to be roasting, baking or grilling in your air fryer, there are some handy tips you should follow each time you cook with it.
Preheat your air fryer
For the best results, it’s recommended that you preheat your air fryer before putting the food in.
The best way to heat your air fryer (e.g. the temperature to set and the duration to preheat), will typically be listed in the manufacturer’s instructions that come with your air fryer.
Leave space!
Whilst it may be tempting to cram lots of food into your air fryer, it’s important that you leave enough space within the cooking basket/drawer for air circulation.
Remember, air fryers cook food using convected heat. So, if there’s not sufficient space for air flow, you’re unlikely to achieve the best results.
Agitate your food
To ensure that your food achieves a nice uniform, consistent finish, it’s a good idea to give the cooking basket/drawer within your air fryer a shake halfway through the cooking process.
Think of this in the same way that you would give a tray of chips a shake in the oven to make sure they’re cooked all-over.
Note - make sure you check the specific manufacturer instructions on this point. Some air fryers - such as paddle air fryers - don’t require you to shake the food as the air fryer moves the food around for you.
Check your food frequently
Although many air fryers come with pre-set cooking programs, it’s a good idea to check your food whilst it’s in the air fryer.
This is especially worth doing when you’re first getting used to your new air fryer. As air fryers cook food far more quickly than traditional ovens, it can be easy to misjudge things and more than fry your food!
Comet: the home of your new air fryer
Are you in the market for a new air fryer? Then luckily you’re only a few clicks away from owning a brand new air fryer from a leading brand such as Tower, Swan, Tefal, Russell Hobbs and more.
Not only do we offer express delivery - so can be air frying in no time - but we offer a range of payment options to help you spread the cost. These include PayPal Credit and Klarna Pay in 3. With only three, interest-free payments, you can have a brand-new air fryer taking pride of place in your kitchen.
Shop the complete air fryer collection at Comet now.
For more buying guides, advice and information, explore the Comet blog…
