7 Foods You Should Never Cook in Your Air Fryer, According to Experts

If there's one small appliance that has taken kitchens everywhere by storm over the last few years, it’s the air fryer. Easy to use, easy to clean, and healthier than deep frying, the air fryer has become a kitchen staple. While air fryers can quickly cook and crisp many foods, from chicken tenders to vegetables and everything in between, some foods aren’t air fryer-friendly. We turned to the experts to determine which foods are better cooked in an appliance other than the air fryer—here's what they said. 

Foods That Are Light in Weight

Air fryers circulate hot air to cook your food, meaning the physical weight of your food matters more than you might think. “Foods that are very light, such as single tortillas and kale chips, can fly around and get caught in the elements,” says cookbook author Holly Nilsson. If you want to make these foods from scratch, use your oven instead. Alternatively, you can use a food dehydrator to make kale chips.

Cakes

Air fryers are great for cooking, but for baking cakes? Not so much. “The fast-moving air often makes them rise unevenly, so you end up with lopsided treats,” says recipe critic and cookbook author Alyssa Rivers. Cakes made in an air fryer also tend to dry out quickly. Using an oven offers you more control over the final product.

Popcorn

If you love popcorn and want to make it quickly and easily, buy a popcorn maker or use the stovetop, but don’t put it in your air fryer. Most air fryers won’t get hot enough to pop popcorn, but even if yours does, chances are it will pop right into the heating element, creating a safety hazard, says Nilsson.

Raw Grains

Avoid attempting to air-fry grains like rice, pasta, and barley. “Air fryers can’t cook rice or pasta because they’re not meant to boil water, which grains need to absorb and soften,” says Rivers. Adding dry grains to your air fryer will result in hard, crunchy, inedible food, so stick to the stovetop or rice cooker if these items are on the menu.

Whole Roasts

If you’re making a roast for dinner, use the oven instead of your air fryer. Most air fryers aren’t big enough to properly cook large cuts of meat, says Rivers. The meat will cook unevenly, leaving you with some parts that are overcooked and others that are undercooked. You could end up with dry, tough meat or, even worse, meat that's still raw in places. 

Foods With Wet Batters

Deep fryers are perfect for cooking battered foods like tempura, but the air fryer is not. “Instead of turning golden and crispy, wet batters drip down through the basket, leaving you with a soggy, uneven mess,” says Rivers. Sometimes, you have to break out the deep fryer to get the delicious results you're looking for when cooking things like onion rings or corn dogs with a wet batter.

Tough Cuts of Meat

Air fryers cook chicken and other types of meat much faster than other traditional cooking methods, but it’s not the best choice for tough cuts of meat. “Meats like stewing beef, chuck, and ribs benefit from low and slow cooking to break down the tough tissue and make them tender,” says Nilsson. The best way to cook these different varieties of meat is by braising or slow-cooking them. “Ribs can be finished in the air fryer with a brush of BBQ sauce for a little sticky char,” says Nilsson.