Mistakes That Everyone Should Avoid When Using the Air Fryer

Mistakes That Everyone Should Avoid When Using the Air Fryer

The air fryer has grown in popularity in recent years for some obvious reasons.  The increasing pace of our busy lives and demands on our time make cooking more of a burden now than ever.  Versatility, ease of use and speed of cooking make the air fryer an easy choice for the modern generation. However easy it is to cook in an air fryer, there are still some things that can go horribly wrong if you donโ€™t know what youโ€™re doing.

The following advice is exactly what I wish I had read before buying and using my air fryer.  Itโ€™s a handy resource that will ensure you avoid the major pitfalls of using this great little appliance. 

Youโ€™re probably wondering, reallyโ€ฆ. whatโ€™s the worst that can happen if I just charge ahead and play it by ear?  This list of mistakes that everyone should avoid when using an air fryer will tell you just that.

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#1 Air Fryer Mistakes to Avoid :  Buying a Cheap, Low-Quality Brand of Air Fryer

Although the air fryer has been around for a long time, its popularity has surged over the past three years.  Manufacturers all over the world saw a golden opportunity to make money producing this appliance.  Unfortunately, where many producers havenโ€™t been able to compete in quality, they have tried to compete in price.  What does this mean for you?  It means the air fryers on the market vary in quality hugely, and it's easy to buy a dud.

What makes one air fryer better than another? The first and most obvious answer to that is the durability of its parts.  Have you ever purchased one of those cheap non-stick pans that looks perfectly fine? Then within about a week, all of the non-stick coating is peeling off.  

You donโ€™t want the non-stick coating on your air fryer peeling off within a few weeks.  This is an easy shortcut for a manufacturer to save on costs.  The problem is, in general, itโ€™s very difficult to tell if an air fryer is built with quality materials just by looking at it. So how do you avoid making a terrible purchase if you canโ€™t tell the difference yourself?

Amazon Reviews  

Because of the share volume of sales that go through Amazon, itโ€™s a great source for product reviews.  Some air fryers have more than a thousand reviews and also include answers to questions from the manufacturer.  There are a few things to remember when reading Amazon reviews though.  

First, the number of reviews matters.  An average 5-star rating doesnโ€™t mean very much if only four people have reviewed the product.  In contrast, if 500 people have reviewed the product, thatโ€™s an excellent sign.  

Second, remember that most reviews are posted within a short time of receiving the product.  This means that the majority of reviews donโ€™t account for the long-term quality of an item.  

And finally, remember that sometimes, knock-off versions of the more popular products slip through the cracks on Amazon.  This might mean a certain brand has great reviews for one seller and horrible reviews for another.  

In this instance, find reviews from the seller who has the longest track record of sales for that branded item.  That is likely to be the true version of the item.

Genuine โ€œTop 10 Best Air Fryersโ€ type Comparison Reviews   

Get onto some legitimate websites that do Top 5 or Top 10 product comparisons.  These usually involve well-researched in-depth summaries of each item.  They also allow you to compare the most important features of each product. This can be a super helpful way to stop you from purchasing a low-quality air fryer.  But please donโ€™t be duped.  

There are so many websites with articles like these created entirely to sell a specific air fryer.  The product reviews in this case, are biased to make that product look better than it is.  How can you tell a legitimate website?  Does it refer to reviews verified by Trustpilot?  

If yes, thatโ€™s a good start.  Does the website undertake comparison reviews for a broad range of products?  If yes, this is also good.  Does the website try to sell you any of the products?  If so, then it may not be very trustworthy.

#2 Air Fryer Mistakes to Avoid : Take Care with the Placement of Your Air fryer

Yes, I know it sounds simple.  And it really is.  But the consequences of not placing your air fryer in the right location can be very costly.

Air fryers create a lot of heat.  An oven creates a lot of heat too.  However, an oven has been specifically placed in a fixed position in your kitchen so that it operates as it should.  Air fryers, on the other hand, are meant to be portable. They allow the user to plonk them basically anywhere they like.  

But just because something is portable doesnโ€™t mean it can or should go anywhere. If you want your air fryer to be around long-term, placement is important. Here are the things you need to do when you are looking to place your air fryer.

Give your Air Fryer Space for Airflow   

There needs to a decent amount of airflow around your air fryer so that it can operate effectively.  If youโ€™re able to have 5 inches of space around the edges at all times, thatโ€™s ideal.  If not, it should have a minimum of 3 inches.

Place Your Air Fryer on a Heat Resistant Mat 

โ€‹Itโ€™s a good idea to place your air fryer on a mat or anything else that is made of heat-resistant material. There is a lot of heat going through this little appliance.  Having it sit on a bench that conducts a lot of heat too, isnโ€™t a good idea.  Using a heat resistant pad or mat will stop a heat trap from forming underneath that warps the bottom of your air fryer.

Place Your Air Fryer Somewhere Secure 

โ€‹If you have a busy kitchen or young children, placing your air fryer somewhere secure is very important.  Itโ€™s a light appliance compared to many and can be pulled off the bench or tipped easily.  Having it on a narrow shelf next to other appliances isnโ€™t a suitable spot. It can be easily knocked around while the other appliances are being accessed.  Aside from the condition of your air fryer, itโ€™s a real safety issue for your kids.  Although the outside doesnโ€™t get hot, the draw can be pulled out very easily, and the draw gets extremely hot while cooking.

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#3 Air Fryer Mistakes to Avoid : Cooking Several Times Without Cleaning In Between

Ever been to a fried food takeaway joint and been hit by that unattractively strong smell of seasoned oil?  Itโ€™s not pleasant at all.  If you treat your air fryer like a deep fryer, expect it to smell like one. Cleaning it out once a month will have your kitchen smelling like a deep-fried take-out restaurant.  

You may also notice your deep fryer will smoke a lot more if not cleaned after every cook; this can negatively affect the taste of the food. And lastly, youโ€™ll put yourself at a much higher risk of food contamination if you do this.  Aim to clean your air fryer after every meal thatโ€™s cooked in it.

The air fryer isnโ€™t difficult to clean.  Just use hot water with a bit of dishwashing liquid.  Let the basket soak as long as it needs so you donโ€™t have to scrub off baked-on food.  Three minutes of your time will keep your air fryer fresh, your tummy safe and your kitchen wonโ€™t stink.

#4 Air Fryer Mistakes to Avoid:  Putting Fine Ingredients In Your Air Fryer Unsecured

Air fryers all have one thing in common.  They move air, and they move it at a very rapid pace.  Things like salt, pepper, spices and anything leafy or light is going to blow all over the place.  

It probably doesnโ€™t seem like that much of an issue, but it can be if you cook with these things often.  These tiny bits and pieces end up getting lodged in the filter of your air fryer, and if that gets too clogged, they can cause your machine to malfunction.  

So how do you get seasoning into the food your cooking in the air fryer?  Itโ€™s quite simple really.  Add a bit of oil to the seasoning so that it sticks to the food.  Also, try to put the seasoning, on the bottom side under the weight of the food as much as possible.  

Instead of cooking in the basket use a shallow baking pan (silicone works well), and this will reduce the air that can hit and move around your ingredients.  Just make sure there is some space between the little baking dish and the edges of the air fryer.  This way enough air circulates to get a good cooking result.

A trick for other light foods like anything leafy is to take a crust of bread and anchor the leaves to it with toothpicks.  Your food will stay put this way.

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#5 โ€“ Air Fryer Mistakes to Avoid: Cooking Very Wet or Loose Batters

The air fryer isnโ€™t at all a substitute deep fryer.  Yes, it can cook foods very similarly to make the texture and taste resemble that of a deep fryer.  But, the two machines go about it in a completely different way.

Dipping something in boiling hot oil versus rapidly circulating hot air is actually about as different as it gets.  You can be forgiven for thinking that you can do battered foods in the air fryer.  

Unfortunately, if you do, youโ€™ll get horrible results.  The batter drips away from the food and ends up all over the pan. Itโ€™s a horrible mess to clean up, and youโ€™ll get results nothing like you would from deep frying.

#6 Air Fryer Mistakes to Avoid :  Donโ€™t Cook Raw Vegetables by Themselves. Frozen is Best

Iโ€™m someone who enjoys eating and preparing food.  This advice Iโ€™m giving you goes against every rule in the book when it comes to conventional cooking.  In a stir-fry for instance, cooking with fresh raw vegetables is the only way to go.  If you use frozen vegetables, youโ€™ll end up with a flat, soggy dish once itโ€™s finished cooking.

When it comes to air frying, if you cook vegetables raw, they just donโ€™t come out very well.  Iโ€™ve tried them every which way at various temperatures.  The result in the end is always lacklustre compared to the result I get with frozen vegetables.  The edges of the fresh vegetables tend to get charred very easily, and they come out really chewy and tasteless.

I experimented with frozen veggies, and the result was quite the opposite.  A crisp, delicious, well-cooked end product.  Why?  I canโ€™t be sure.  I think it has a lot to do with the fact that frozen veggies have a lot more moisture being icy and the air fryer tends to dry out things with a low oil content that arenโ€™t sufficiently moist.

Many raw food purists probably wonโ€™t like this quality about the air fryer. But the truth is, frozen vegetables are usually frozen very close to the time of picking and can be a lot fresher than the โ€œfreshโ€ produce sitting on the shelves at the stores.  With that in mind, you shouldnโ€™t fret about the nutritional value youโ€™re getting out of frozen veggies.  Theyโ€™re great, and the fact that you can take something straight from the freezer and cook it beautifully in the air fryer is only a positive thing for me.

Well, weโ€™ve come to the end of my list of things you need to avoid when it comes to air fryers.  This appliance is a great little machine.  Itโ€™s super versatile, and itโ€™s helped me to get much more nutritionally valuable meals into my busy life.  If youโ€™re all set to use your air fryer for the first time, I hope this advice sees you avoid many of the mistakes I made in the years to come.  

Happy air frying!

57 thoughts on “Mistakes That Everyone Should Avoid When Using the Air Fryer”

    1. Michaele DeForrest

      Aside from a couple spelling mistakes, draw as oppose to drawer, twice, it was a good review. My main question did not get answered though. I wanted to know why the hot air fryer cannot be used on the stovetop while the stove or oven are not in use.

      1. I use mine on top of our flat cooktop. But I do put a large cutting board underneath it. It will not harm the cooktop BUT we lost a pressure cooker to the cooktop last year when my husband accidentally turned on one of the burners. Itโ€™s just a safety precaution but Iโ€™ve read about many people who have ruined their air fryers the same way.

      2. I use my stove top for different things but always keep knobs off until I need a burner. That way no slip ups with not stove.

  1. Everything has its place, fries in the air fryer, meats in the sous vide, and frozen veggies in the microwave – I’ve never found anything better for frozen veggies!

  2. Thanks for your advice cos l made the mistake of cooking a fresh vegetable.It is my first time of using an air fryer .I have a moulinex air fryer is it good? thanks.

  3. Have you put your fresh vegetables in the freezer the night before and fried them that way? Just curious if this would work.

    1. I was thinking about that myself. It makes sense to me. Let me know if you see a response. I’ll probably try it out. Some times the fresh look great and you can buy organic fresh.

  4. When Casio introduced its digital watches – these were timepieces which had much functionality, even a memory area for telephone numbers – they provided a beautifully drawn instruction booklet. The product was innovative and well thought out.

    In your wonderful article you have ‘done the Casio’ for the air fryer. I don’t yet own one but have often thought that I would do some day. Should I do so I will come to this product in the right way. Thank you so much for your help.

  5. My fresh asparagus accidentally froze in the fridge because the temp was bumped down and they were up against the back of the fridge. I put them in the air fryer anyway and they came out fabulous.

  6. Don’t try and cook Aunt Bessie type frozen roast potatoes in the air-fryer (that’s not been cleaned lately), they are too oily and will cause a LOT of smoke that fills your kitchen, sets off the smoke alarms and goes out the window as if your house is on fire, the man across the road will come running over and shout about the need to call the fire department, but then laugh incessantly when he realises what’s happened, and your house won’t smell very nice. I would’ve lit some candles but the man might come back.
    Just my little bit of air-fryer advice.

  7. I just received a NuWave air fryer last night for my birthday (71).I am up bright & early this morning looking up recipes & making my shopping list! I’m really excited to get at it! I always ( well, almost always), eat healthy. This will give me a chance to eat “fried” food again.

    1. That is exactly why I got an airfryer I never fry things anymore but I like the crispiness of frying and this will allow me to enjoy that taste once again with less guilt ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. I just received my nuwave yesterday and trying to put something in it. Chicken leg and pork chop and some frozen vegetable

  8. Did Brussels in air fryer, marinated in oil and a little balsamic and 8 minutes outer leaves were dark and crispy inside tender…very good!

    1. So your Brussels sprouts were fresh then? I was hoping I could use fresh and frozen veggies. What do you think?

  9. You can cook roast fresh potatoes, they are just like oven baked. You just need to peel and microwave for five minutes, then spray with canola oil and season. Air fry for five minutes at 180 Degrees C and turn over and cook another five minutes. Delicious

    1. I used my air fryer constantly to cook frozen hamburger patties , worked great I also cleaned the inside with a damp cloth after each use not to mention washing the cook pan , my question is how do you clean the element as apparently as burgers cook grease is flying so each time I used my air fryer it would smoke and set off my smoke alarm !! Hope you can help !!

      1. What I do is let the unit cool down then take a damp paper towel, turn the air fryer upside down or on its side and just wipe the element off. I also do around the outside of the element as the oil collects there.

    2. Sandra Royers-Scheve

      If you are microwaving the potato for five minutes, you might as well leave it in for two minutes more because the microwave is doing most of the cooking anyway….am I right on this?

      1. The notable difference is most microwaves donโ€™t crisp foods properly. Though cooked and browned foods rarely crisp in the microwave.

    1. Reheating in an air fryer, all fast foods including fries and pizza is THE best appliance to use. It brings the food back to life like no microwave can ever do.

  10. Kathy Carranza

    I recently purchased a NuWave 6qt Air Fryer. Haven’t made a lot of items, but enough to know that I am very happy with it. My question: There is a ‘Menu’ button, but when I push it nothing happens. Is it suppose to?

  11. Can you cook like Pre packaged meals like stoufferโ€™s lasagna in the air fryer? I didnโ€™t know because of its hard plastic Tray will melt?? Thank you in advance!

    1. I could not find an answer to this question anywhere, so I just went ahead and tried it. I cooked a tray of Stouffer’s Mac and cheese right out of the freezer in my air fryer at 350 for 20 minutes. The tray did not melt and it came out great!

  12. Bless you for posting this! I just bought an air fryer a few days ago but havenโ€™t used it yet. Youโ€™ve put the spotlight on a issues I may have not otherwise considered until it was too late. Thank you!!!

  13. Trying to eat healthy. Lots of fresh veggies, steamed w/o oil. Not much meat. Would the air fryer or the Instant Pot be better for this?

    1. Just did flank steak cut into strips and wrapped around gn onions, carrots, abd bell peppers cut into matchsticks., using toothpicks to hold the wraps. Season well and spray with oil. Then using a balsamic glaze over the tio after cooked. Came out delicious!

    2. Melt spoon butter add spices mix and brush onto steaks place in basket 10mins at 180c less for rare best steak ever

  14. I cooked fresh sweet potatoe fries drizzled with olive oil & tossed with salt ,pepper & real cane sugar ….. 8 minutes in air fryer…. absolutely delicious !!

  15. Danielle Marie Kobs

    Does it malw a difference which position the rack is in in the air fryer? (Farberware toaster oven/air fryer combo) O
    Its amazing but I wonder if things Im cpoking would cook during the times listed on recipes if I moves the tray up? im following the instructions but the recipes are taking twice as long….

  16. Sandra Royers-Scheve

    I have two air fryers, a smallish one and a large one. Not sure which one to use. Any guidelines?
    My other question is, can I cook chicken or pork chops using Shake ‘N Bake?

  17. I received an air fryer for Christmas this year…LOVE IT. One trick I learned to avoid smoking if you are cooking something with a higher fat content is to put a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. Worked like a charm.

  18. Can I use my air flyer on my Formica counter top? Or should I place a large cutting board under it? Would hate to worn my counter top. Thanks

  19. Thank you for the great tips! I have a question. Can I use a thin sheet of silicon under the mesh basket instead of aluminium foil? Or, even place it under the food being cooked? Will either be a fire risk? Asking because I can reuse the sheet unlike the foil and generate less waste. Also, I’m really concerned about the non-stick coating and the chemicals it can potentially leach into the food. Can a silicon lining at least minimize that?

  20. I’d love to see somebody address the issue of starting temperature of ingredients. Comparing frozen broccoli to room temperature broccoli without adjusting time or temperature sounds like a recipe for disaster one way or the other.

  21. Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed!
    Extremely helpful info particularly the last part ๐Ÿ™‚ I care for such
    information much. I was looking for this certain info for a very long time.

    Thank you and good luck.

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