The #1 Food You Should Never Cook in Your Air Fryer

Sorry to say, but the air fryer is not the place for batter-fried chicken or tempura. The wet, messy batter won’t set and crisp the way it does in a deep fryer or a pot, and will end up dripping down into the bottom of the air fryer basket versus creating a crunchy coating. “In an air fryer, it’s best to use a coating that can help develop a crust,” says Papantoniou. Try a crumb crust or breadcrumbs, instead.

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While some air fryers have a “bake” setting, you’re still better off doing anything delicate, like a soufflé or a custard in the oven, where you can truly control the heat. “Traditional air fryers don’t have heating elements on the bottom,” says Papantoniou, which can lead to uneven baking for fussy items that need much more finesse.

“I also don’t typically recommend cake,” says Papantoniou. While you can bake one in there, the top-down style of cooking in an air fryer isn’t ideal. “The cakes I’ve made either crack or dome in the air fryer,” says Papantoniou. Stick to smaller baked goods in the air fryer, like scones, cookies, even donuts — and leave the layered cake for your oven.

According to Papantoniou, not all air fryers are created equally. “Some can cause light things like leafy greens and toast to blow around, but not all,” she says. If you’re not sure how your air fryer compares, choose a recipe with a heartier, heavier green, like kale or Swiss chard. “The best way to incorporate greens is to fold it into roasted vegetables so that the residual heat helps it wilt without blowing away,” says Merker.

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Just as with delicate leafy greens, for some air fryers, toast might be too light and the rapid air circulation inside your air fryer might lift it up, causing it to burn or cook unevenly. Whether your model can handle toast or not, Papantoniou warns that “one annoying thing about toast in an air fryer is you usually have to flip it.” A.k.a., you’re better off just using a traditional toaster, toaster oven or an air fryer toaster oven.

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Anything too liquid-y is a guaranteed splatter waiting to happen in the hot air circulation of an air fryer. Not only can it be incredibly messy, but Papantoniou warns that it can be downright dangerous, too. For anything brothy or saucy like soups, stews, or chilis, stick to your slow cooker. Or, use your air fryer to caramelize roasted vegetables, then toss them in your blender for a silky-smooth soup.

Air fryers are great for reheating or even crisping up cooked grains, but they’re not known for cooking uncooked grains or pasta from scratch, since that usually requires both moisture and super high heat. That said, if you’re bent on trying this method: Ward off against splatters, mess, and uneven cooking, by using an air fryer-friendly pan and cover it with foil to help trap steam.

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