The air fryer has become my go-to cooking method for dozens of foods, many of which I never thought I’d make in the speedy countertop cooker. Even with all its versatility, there are still some foods the air fryer just doesn’t handle well.
While the air fryer blasts chicken thighs, potato wedges, salmon filets and even burgers to crispy-outside, juice-inside perfection, the air fryer’s style of super hot fast-moving air is too intense for other foods.
Certain recipes that require precision cooking, low and slow temps or a proper sear are not a good fit to be cooked by the mighty air fryer.
Before you start throwing fancy cuts of steak and bags of spinach in the air fryer, head my advice: The air fryer is great for cooking a lot of things but not everything.
Here are six foods I’ll never cook in the air fryer.
Spinach and leafy greens
Crisped spinach and kale don’t make particularly good eats.
Leafy greens are a big no when it comes to air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you’d want to eat.
Steak
Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.
Steak reheats well in the air fryer, but it’s not a good place for it the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I’ve tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don’t come out as well compared to when they’re cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet or grill.
Unbreaded chicken breasts
Chicken breast without breading isn’t the best candidate for the air fryer.
Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts, however, don’t have much fat and will dry out easily.
Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs and you’ll be OK, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery.
Large cuts of meat
Pot roast and other large pieces of meat typically require low and slow methods of cooking.
Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked with a low and slow method such as braising or smoking. Avoid the air fryer with its hot blast of convection air when cooking large cuts of meat and opt for the Dutch oven, slow cooker or pellet smoker.
Uncovered broccoli
The air fryer will singe broccoli unless it’s covered in foil.
If you wrap your broccoli in foil, you can use the air fryer to roast it — and quickly. But leave it uncovered and exposed to the hot convection air and you’ll end up with sizzled broccoli ends that are anything but delicious.
Shellfish
Clams and mussels are better left for the pot than an air fryer basket.
Shellfish such as clams and mussels need liquid to cook without drying out. They are also easily overcooked, which can lead to a chewy rubbery morsel that you don’t want anywhere near your plate. Avoid the air fryer when cooking most shellfish.
If you’re looking for a great air fryer, here are CNET’s top-rated models for 2024. And these are the best air-frying toaster ovens for 2024.
