There are ten types of food that experts warn you should never cook in an air fryer
Another year, another 12 months for the humble air fryer to be the undisputed king of your kitchen.
Those who have these nifty little kitchen appliances swear by them, and they'll certainly let you know all about that subject should you ever get stuck talking to one.
However, you would absolutely not want to spoil either your beloved air fryer nor your prospective meal by putting the wrong foods into it.
They're really handy and can cook a plethora of dishes but that doesn't mean you can chuck whatever you like in there and let technology do its thing.
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According to the experts at Real Simple there are 10 things you should keep out of the air fryer, whether that be because they make it a pain to clean or they're liable to ruin your meal.
Leafy greens
If you're looking for somewhere to stick your healthy vegetation then the air fryer is possibly not it.
Some veg can do pretty well in there but according to those in the know you're running the risk of spoiling your leafy greens if you pile them in.
Broccoli is apparently particularly bad in an air fryer, though since your humble author thoroughly detests broccoli I suspect I wouldn't consider it much of a loss.
Don't be shellfish
When eating shellfish you want to know you're munching down on that delicious denizen of the deep and not be feeling like you're chewing your way through the sort of thing you'd use to rub out mistakes with pencils.
Cooking shellfish in the air fryer can make them horribly rubbery and you should be trying to cook them in a liquid instead.
You owe it to yourself and your food to prepare it properly.
It ain't easy being cheesy
Cheese in an air fryer? Don't you even think about it, sunshine.
Because of the way the air fryer works your cheese will heat up at different times compared to the rest of the stuff in there.
If you're not careful you'll leave yourself with a 'huge gooey mess' which is probably not how you want your dish to work out as the layer of cheese will melt long before the rest of the food in there will cook.
Then imagine what sort of cleaning up job you'd be expected to do.
Big meaty bones
Even if you have an air fryer large enough to take the more sizeable cuts of meat on the bone it's still a bad idea.
See, the air fryer will struggle to thoroughly cook something so large and you'll be stuck wondering which bits are safe to eat and which aren't.
There's a reason why your oven is a beloved and dependable staple of the kitchen, so please keep the larger cuts of meat and bone in there and out of the air fryer.
Lashings of sauce
According to kitchen specialist Laurie Klein foods with 'sauces or batters' are the worst things to be air frying, not so much because of how they cook but due to the gargantuan cleaning job you'll have left yourself with after the meal.
Your alternative is letting it fester into something horribly unhygienic, which sounds like a horrible idea.
Perhaps you could prepare the sauce in some other way and pour it over your air fried food after you've plated it up.
Bread's dread, baby, bread's dread
Breaded or battered foods are undoubtedly popular, but the Hamilton Beach Brands expert Klein warns there's a risk of them dripping everywhere.
Once again that's a major cleaning job for you to handle and it can be really tricky to actually get this stuff to cook the way you want it.
Your bread or batter covering is liable to be deformed and destroyed by the air fryer, so you might mess up your machine and your meal at the same time.
Popcorn
I know the price of popcorn at the cinema has reached an unreasonably high amount but trying to make it in your air fryer is not the solution.
Some brands won't reach temperatures hot enough to pop the kernels but there's a much more significant danger.
Some bits of popcorn could get lodged in the air fryer's heating element and lead it to short circuit, which would cause a fire hazard that could destroy your air fryer and possibly your kitchen along with it.
Uncooked grains
It's fine to stick grains that are already cooked into your air fryer, but the uncooked versions of these foods are meant to be made in water and sticking them in the air fryer is just the wrong thing to do entirely.
Make sure you cook them properly the first time around.
Mouth-watering hamburgers
If you want to grill your meat properly then keep it out of the air fryer, lest you find that you've ruined them.
You surely don't want to ruin an unforgettable luncheon by ruining the meat in your meal.
If you want a burger that's well done through then the air fryer might suffice but for those who want it to be a little bit rare and juicy on the inside but with that deliciously cooked exterior then it's not the appliance of choice.
Baked goods
While you can bake things in an air fryer there are some recipes of baked goods which would be ruined in there and even if you're making the right thing you could be doing it all wrong.
That's because many recipes for baking aren't set for air fryer use and you might spoil it.
According to the experts if you want to shift a baking recipe from the oven to the air fryer then you'll need to cut down on the time and temperature of the bake by about 25 percent each.
You wouldn't want to overdo it, would you?
Topics: Food And Drink
Joe Harker