An air fryer is one of the best kitchen appliances right now. The appliance can make a wide range of foods ranging from fish to vegetables. In addition, the appliances can grill, reheat and even bake. As a result of its popularity, versatility and ease of use, many people have bought this amazing cooking appliance. Many people are using the appliance in the right way. However, there is a good number of people making mistakes when using the air fryer. Here are the top 8 mistakes you should avoid when using an air fryer;
1. Buying an Air Fryer Without Proper Planning and Research
An air fryer is not a simple appliance that you can just buy without proper planning and research. It is an appliance you need to meet most of your cooking needs. Therefore, you should have a budget for it, and research online to know the most ideal air fryer for your cooking needs. In addition, you should know the space available in your kitchen to place or store the air fryer. Don’t buy an air fryer that is too big for your space. Besides that, planning and researching will prevent you from buying a cheap, low-quality brand of an air fryer.
2. Not Cleaning Your Air Fryer After Every Cook
When air frying, you use little or no oil. In addition to that, when you cook meat, the air fryer can get greasy in the inside. If you don’t clean the air fryer after every use, it will start to smell awful. The smell can end up in your food which is not a good thing. Also, the grease and other food particles not cleaned after use can contaminate what you are cooking next. Therefore, the best way to avoid smell and food contamination is to clean your air fryer thoroughly after every cook.
3. Overcrowding the Frying Basket
When cooking food for a whole family with your air fryer, you will be tempted to overload the fry basket. This is one of the mistakes many people make and complain that the food didn’t cook well. Well, you have to understand that the air fryer cooks food using hot air circulating at high speed around the food in the cooking basket. Therefore, if you overcrowd the basket, air circulation will be affected. This means that some parts will cook while others will not. In short, your food will not cook evenly. Therefore, don’t overload the fry basket, and your food will cook evenly.
4. Not Using Oil at All
Although the air fryer can cook food using no oil, it’s advisable to use little oil. You should apply non-stick spray oil to the basket or grilling pan when using an air fryer. The spay oil prevents the food from sticking to the basket or pan. Besides that, you can sprinkle/spray some oil to your food for it to get tastier and crispier. On the other hand, if you don’t use some oil, the food will get stuck to the fry basket, and won’t be as crispy and tasty as expected.
5. Neglecting to Hold Fine and Light Ingredients Together
An air fryer uses hot circulating air to cook food. If you put light ingredients such as slices of bread or vegetable leaves that are not held together, they will be blown all over inside the air fryer. This also applies to seasoning ingredients such as salt and pepper. When these ingredients are blown all over, they can clog the filter of the air fryer, and that can lead to malfunctioning of the device. Also, some of the ingredients can get burnt if they come in to contact with the heating element, making the appliance to produce smoke. Therefore, hold light ingredients/food together with a toothpick, and put some oil to the seasoning before putting food inside the air fryer.
6. Forgetting to Preheat Your Air Fryer
Most air fryer brands available require preheating to cook food as expected. However, if you forget to preheat your air fryer to the appropriate temperature for at least 3 minutes before putting food in the air fryer, your food is likely to be undercooked. Therefore, preheat your air fryer before cooking, and your food will cook evenly at the recommended temperature.
7. Not Shaking, Tossing or Flipping Your Food During the Cooking Process
When cooking French fries with your air fryer, you should shake the frying basket more often. This allows the fries to cook evenly. Also, you need to flip those chicken breasts, that fish and other meats. This will ensure that the meat is cooked evenly. However, if you don’t, the meat can burn on one side, and even get stuck to the fry basket or the grilling pan. Above that, the meat will not cook evenly. Therefore, shake the fry basket (for chips) or flip what you are cooking (chicken breasts, chicken wings, fish and more) in an air fryer for best cooking results.
8. Concluding Food is Done by Checking the Color and Texture or Checking the Timer
This is a big mistake done by many people out there. They just check the color and texture of the food to conclude whether food is done or not. Others use the timer, and when the time set is up, they conclude that the food is done. However, this is not how things are done. You need to use an instant-read meat/food thermometer to check if your food is ready. The thermometer is very accurate, and will not disappoint you at any time.
Final Words
People make many mistakes when buying and using air fryer. The mistakes are costly and can make you eat contaminated or undercooked food. In addition, the mistakes can make your air fryer smell, and even malfunction. Therefore, avoid these top 8 mistakes when using your air fryer, and you will enjoy tasty, crispy and healthier meals.
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