c/air-fryer-recipes

My frozen chicken wings turned into a hockey puck disaster last night

I was trying to make a quick dinner in my apartment in Columbus, and I grabbed a bag of frozen wings from the freezer. I figured I could just toss them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for like 20 minutes and be done. Big mistake. I checked them after 10 minutes and they were already looking super dark on the outside but still rock solid inside. I pulled them out and they were basically inedible, burnt on the outside and icy in the middle. I ended up having to thaw them in the microwave for 3 minutes first, then I did them at 375 for about 15 minutes and they came out perfect. I guess you really can't just cook straight from frozen with some things. Has anyone else found a better way to handle frozen wings without having to plan ahead to thaw them?

A warning about frozen fries in the air fryer...

I made a batch of frozen crinkle cuts for my kids on Tuesday and they came out with a weird, almost burnt plastic smell. I checked the basket and found a small, melted piece of the fry bag had stuck to the bottom heating element during preheating. Has anyone else had packaging melt and ruin a meal like that?

I had to choose between parchment paper and a basket liner for my air fryer chicken wings

I was making wings for the game last weekend and got stuck on this. I had a roll of parchment paper with holes and a silicone basket liner I got on Amazon for $12. The parchment lets air flow but can burn at high heat, and the liner is safer but makes things less crispy. I went with the parchment at 400 degrees for 22 minutes, flipping halfway. Big mistake. The edges charred black and smoked up my kitchen, setting off the alarm. The wings were okay in the middle but had a bitter taste. I should have used the liner and just cranked the heat at the end. Has anyone found a good middle ground for keeping things crispy without the fire risk?

My sister told me I was 'wasting' my air fryer on frozen fries

We were at my place in Austin last month, and I was making a quick snack. She saw me put a bag of store-bought fries in the basket and said, 'You have this whole machine and you're not even making them from scratch?' I told her that after a long day, the 12-minute cook time for perfect, crispy fries is exactly why I bought it. It's not a waste if it gets a real meal on the table fast. Has anyone else had someone give them grief for using the 'easy' button on weeknights?

I just threw out $15 worth of chicken wings because of a bad air fryer tip

Okay, so I saw this recipe online that said to cook frozen wings for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. It sounded easy, right? I put a whole two-pound bag in my basket, set the timer, and walked away. Big mistake. When I came back, they were totally burnt on the outside but somehow still icy in the middle near the bone. It was a total mess. I had to toss the whole batch, which felt awful. I think the problem was putting in too many at once straight from the freezer. Has anyone else had this happen? What's the real trick for getting frozen wings to come out right without wasting food?

My sister in Denver made these crispy chickpeas in her air fryer last weekend.

She just tossed a can of them with a little oil and some chili powder, then ran them for about 12 minutes at 380. I tried it at home and they came out way better than when I've tried baking them. What other simple snacks do you guys make in the air fryer?

Had a total air fryer disaster last Thursday that ruined dinner

I was trying to make crispy tofu for a stir fry, something I've done a bunch of times. I pressed the block for 30 minutes, cut it up, and tossed it in cornstarch like usual. My mistake was I got distracted by a work call and left the pieces in a single, crowded layer instead of spacing them out. Ten minutes in, the smoke alarm went off. I opened the fryer to find a solid, stuck-on sheet of burnt cornstarch glue on the bottom of the basket, with half the tofu pieces welded to it and the other half still soft. The whole kitchen smelled awful for hours. I had to order pizza, which felt like a real defeat. Has anyone else had a cornstarch coating fuse into a nightmare like that, and how do you stop it?

TIL you can apparently cook a whole egg in the shell using an air fryer, which I discovered after my roommate's bizarre 'experiment' last night.

Found the evidence on a cooking blog while frantically googling 'can air fryers explode eggs' after hearing a loud pop from the kitchen.

Overheard a neighbor say frozen fries in the air fryer are a waste of time

I was at the community mailbox yesterday and my neighbor, Mike, was talking to someone about how frozen fries in the air fryer never get crispy like the deep fryer at the diner. He said they always come out soggy or burnt. That got me thinking because my experience has been the total opposite. I make frozen crinkle cuts from the store brand at least twice a month for my kids. The trick for me is to preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees, shake the basket once halfway, and maybe add an extra minute or two past the bag time. They come out golden and way less greasy than the oven. Maybe his model runs hot or he's overcrowding the basket? Has anyone else found a specific brand or type of frozen potato that just nails it every time in the air fryer?

Showerthought: Air fryer bacon is way faster than the oven

I looked it up on a cooking blog called The Kitchn. They said bacon cooks in about 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Tried it this morning with thick cut. It was done before my coffee finished brewing. Anyone have a good time for turkey bacon?

Appreciation post: I picked frozen fries over fresh potatoes for my air fryer

The frozen ones came out way crispier in 12 minutes, no oil needed. Anyone else find fresh spuds just get soggy in there?

My air fryer basket handle snapped off while I was making dinner last night

I was pulling out a batch of frozen fries, gave it a good tug, and the plastic handle just broke clean off. It happened around 7 PM, right when I was getting hungry. I had to use tongs to carefully lift the hot basket out for the rest of the night. Anyone know a good way to fix this, or am I just buying a whole new basket?

My neighbor Gary told me to stop soaking my fries before air frying them

He said it was a waste of time and they'd be crispier if I just patted them dry and tossed them in a little oil. Tried it last night with some russets, and he was totally right. Anyone have other 'shortcut' tips that actually work?

My air fryer just saved a disastrous Tuesday dinner...

I forgot to thaw the chicken, so I tossed the frozen pieces in for 25 minutes with some oil and seasoning. Came out perfectly crispy when I was sure we'd be ordering pizza.

Spent $18 on a silicone air fryer basket and it's a game changer for small stuff

Okay, I need to say this about air fryer chicken wings

Everyone says you need to pat them totally dry and use cornstarch for crispy skin, but I just hit 50 wings made my way (just a little oil and seasoning, straight from the package) and they were perfect. My friend in Chicago tried my method and said hers were soggy, but I think her air fryer basket was too crowded. Has anyone else skipped the extra drying step and still gotten good results?

Pro tip: don't trust the frozen food box times for your air fryer

I was making frozen mozzarella sticks in my Cosori last night, following the box which said 10 minutes at 400. At 8 minutes, I opened the basket and they were already burnt black. I had to toss the whole batch. I think the air fryer just cooks way faster than a regular oven. Has anyone else found a good rule of thumb for adjusting those times?

Just hit 100 batches of air fryer chicken wings in my apartment kitchen. That's a lot of wings.

Warning: I almost gave up on air fryer chicken wings because of one mistake

Honestly, I made wings two ways last weekend. I patted them dry and tossed them in cornstarch, like a recipe said. The other batch I just dried and seasoned. The cornstarch batch came out with a weird, tough skin after 20 minutes at 400. The plain batch was perfectly crispy and juicy. The difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a bad experience with using cornstarch on wings in the air fryer?

My wife insisted on an air fryer for Christmas, and I thought it was just a trendy toaster oven.

Honestly, after making perfect crispy chicken thighs in 15 minutes flat last Tuesday, I'm a total convert. Anyone got a killer recipe for frozen french fries that actually gets them crunchy?

I thought air fryer grilled cheese was a dumb idea until my friend in Chicago made one.

She used sourdough bread and a full tablespoon of mayo on the outside instead of butter. Cooked it at 370 degrees for exactly 6 minutes. Came out perfectly crispy and melty, way better than my stove method. Anyone have other weird sandwich tricks that actually work?

I tried spraying my chicken with water halfway through the cook and it actually saved my dinner

Hit 50 uses on my air fryer in just a month and the basket coating is already peeling.

I cook everything from frozen fries to chicken thighs, so it's getting heavy use. Anyone else see this happen so fast, or did I get a bad unit?

Unpopular opinion: I think we're all using the wrong oil for air fryer potatoes

Three years ago, I started with canola oil for my fries, like most recipes said. Last month, I switched to avocado oil after reading about its high smoke point. Last week, I did a side-by-side test with a batch of russets from the farmer's market. The avocado oil batch was noticeably crispier and didn't have that faint greasy taste. Has anyone else found a specific oil that makes a real difference?

A quick heads up about frozen fries in the air fryer

I keep seeing people just dump a bag of frozen fries straight in the basket, and they always come out soggy on one side. The problem is they're packed too tight. I learned this after three tries with a bag of crinkle cuts. You need to spread them in one layer with space between, and shake the basket halfway. It makes a huge difference. Anyone have a good trick for cooking a full bag without doing it in batches?