The Top Five Foods You Should Never Cook in an Air Fryer and What to Do Instead

Have you ever wondered why some air-fried foods just don't turn out quite right? I'm about to reveal the top five things you should never make in an air fryer and what you could do instead. My name is Kathy, and I love to empower air fryer owners. Many of my viewers call me either their Air Fryer Coach or the Air Fryer Queen. Ready to learn more? Let's go!

1. Fresh Broccoli

This first one might be a little controversial. Fresh broccoli is not good when cooked in the air fryer. The delicate ends get charred and burnt, and the broccoli itself dries out. I've tried different times and temperatures, but I'm just not a fan. Do you agree or disagree?

What to Do Instead: Use Frozen Broccoli Frozen broccoli cooks up nicely in the air fryer. Just pop it in the basket and cook at 300°F for about 10 minutes. It's the easiest air fryer side dish. If you prefer fresh broccoli, here's a hack: chop and wash your fresh broccoli, place it in a bowl with a little water, and microwave it for just 2 minutes. This parboiling process keeps it from drying out in the air fryer. Then, season your broccoli and air fry at 400°F for 5 to 8 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

2. Wet-Battered Foods

Avoid air frying anything with wet batter, like hand-dipped corn dogs, funnel cakes, or deep-fried Oreos. These foods need to be deep-fried in hot oil to get that crispy finish.

What to Do Instead: Use Prepackaged Dough Instead of wet batter, use prepackaged dough like Pillsbury. Wrap it around Oreo cookies or candy and air fry for a fair-food effect. For meats and vegetables, dredge the food in flour or cornstarch, dip in an egg wash or buttermilk mixture, and then coat with breadcrumbs or crushed chips. Mist with oil before air frying for a crispy finish.

3. Cakes

Air fryer cakes are usually not worth the effort. You can't fit an entire cake pan in the air fryer, and the batter takes a long time to cook through, often burning on top.

What to Do Instead: Make Lava Cakes or Cupcakes Lava cakes cook beautifully in the air fryer, with crispy tops and gooey insides. You can also make cupcakes, which cook faster than in an oven. Just be aware that they might turn out a bit lopsided due to the high-speed fan.

4. Pasta

Boiling water in an air fryer is not practical, so cooking pasta from scratch in an air fryer is not recommended.

What to Do Instead: Baked Mac and Cheese For baked mac and cheese, soak your pasta in hot water first, then air fry in a dish covered with foil at 360°F for 20 to 30 minutes. This results in a delicious, fully cooked baked mac and cheese dish.

5. Melting Cheese

Melting cheese in an air fryer can be messy and problematic, as the fan blows it around, making it hard to clean.

What to Do Instead: Add Cheese at the End Add cheese at the very end of cooking. The warmth from the food and the air fryer will melt the cheese perfectly without the need to turn the air fryer back on. For cheeseburgers, just place the cheese on the patty and let it sit in the warm air fryer for a minute. Use parchment paper liners to catch any mess and keep your air fryer clean.