The air fryer has become the perfect ally for those who love to eat crunchy food without too many guilt. It is fast, practical and promises results with golden shades with very little oil. But be careful: she also has her rules! How many times would you have liked delicious crunchy chips and then find yourself with grace and quite sad tubers? If you don’t want this to happen, you will have to avoid the most frequent errors. Let’s see them together!
Do not correctly preheat the air fryer
Yeah, even the air fryer needs her time to warm up. Like the traditional oven, it must be preheated to ensure uniform cooking. Without this step, you risk giving life to foods that will be cooked only halfway: crunchy outside and raw inside. Have you ever tasted a half raw potato? Pure disappointment. A few minutes of preheating will be enough to avoid mediocre results and obtain a crunchiness in a workmanlike manner.
Overload the basket
The temptation is strong: throwing everything together to save time. But the air fryer is not the Mary Poppins bag. Filling too much the basket prevents correct circulation of hot air, a situation that will not allow food to cook in the right way, with the concrete risk of even burning them. Therefore, try to cook the dishes a little at a time, in small lots. We admit it, this mode will take longer, but your meals will be crunchy and cooked uniformly. In addition, you will also have less difficulties in trying to extract foods at the end of cooking.
Forget to mix food during cooking
Have you ever wondered why some portions of the dish are perfect and others seem a total culinary failure? Probably because you have not mixed. Turn and shake the food, usually halfway through cooking, guarantees uniformity and prevents everything from sticking to the basket. Some high -end fryers do everything alone, otherwise don’t forget to give a nice shrug. The chips and everything else will thank you.
Use a little spray oil
The air fryer is famous for knowing how to cook with very little oil, but “very little” does not mean “zero”. A light layer of spray oil is essential to obtain that really perfect crunchiness. Without, you risk obtaining dry and insipid foods: a slight splash will perform real miracles, acting both on the flavor and on the appearance of the dish. And don’t worry, it won’t ruin the diet!
Cooking frozen foods without defrosting them
I know, the haste is the enemy of perfection, but cooking the still frozen foods, without having made them first defrost before, will lead to disastrous results: the outside will become crunchy too early, while the interior will remain cold and substantially raw. In the event that time is not in your favor, you will have to increase the cooking time by about 50%, and start the low temperature cooking phase, then gradually raise it.
Missing temperature and cooking time
The air fryer is precise, but only if you were too. Setting the correct temperature and time is essential. Too low? You will get raw food. Too high? As a result you will have burnt crust and raw interior. Follow the indications of the recipes and experienced with caution. Better to start with lower temperatures and gradually increase. With a little practice, you will become masters of perfect cooking.
Do not correctly clean the fryer
Cleaning the fryer after each use is essential. Residues of food and burnt oil can in fact alter the flavors and generate unpleasant odors. Nobody wants the biscuits to know chicken, right? In addition, a clean fryer will last longer and will work better. With a little hot water, soap and a good dose of patience you will see always perfect results guaranteed.
Neglect the potential of the air fryer
Many believe that the air fryer serves only for chips and cutlets. Wrong! It is perfect for cooking crunchy vegetables, light desserts, stuffed sandwiches and even hard -boiled eggs. Experience! Let yourself be surprised by the versatility of this appliance. With a little creativity, you will turn each dish into a success.
Cooking with the air fryer can be simple and fun at the same time, as long as you avoid the errors just observed. Take the time to get to know this appliance and don’t be afraid to experiment. With a pinch of attention and some splashes of oil, your dishes will always be a success.
Good cooking (crunchy) to all!
