What Not to Put in an Air Fryer (and What to Do Instead)

Short answer: Keep these out of an air fryer: wet batter, loose leafy greens, cheese on its own, large roasts, popcorn, raw rice and pasta, aerosol oil spray, and loose paper or foil that is not held down by food. Nearly all of them have a workaround, which is listed below. The two that do not are popcorn and big joints of meat; those belong in a pot and an oven.

Why things fail in an air fryer

An air fryer is a small oven with a very strong fan. That gives it two limits:

1. It cannot add moisture. Anything that needs water to cook (rice, pasta, dried beans) or that needs liquid to stay tender (a stew) will dry out or stay raw.
2. The fan blows. Anything light (greens, a loose sheet of parchment, a paper towel) lifts and can hit the heating element in the roof, where it burns.

Everything on this list fails for one of those two reasons, or because it drips through the basket.

1. Wet batter

Beer batter, tempura, pancake batter around a corn dog: it drips straight through the basket holes and burns on the plate below. What stays on the food is patchy.

Instead: dry coatings. Flour, egg, then breadcrumbs or panko, pressed on firmly and misted with oil. Or freeze battered items solid before air frying so the batter sets before it can drip. Frozen pre-battered foods from the store are designed for this and work fine.

2. Loose leafy greens

Spinach, kale, lettuce: too light. The fan lifts them, they fly around, and the ones that land on the element burn.

Instead: kale chips do work if the leaves are tossed in enough oil to make them heavy, laid in a single layer, and held down by a small rack or an oven-safe trivet. Cook at a low temperature (300 °F) and check often. Or just use the oven.

3. Cheese on its own

A naked slice of cheese melts into a puddle in the plate holes. Fresh mozzarella does the same.

Instead: coat it. Breaded mozzarella sticks are a classic because the coating holds the cheese in. Cheese on top of something (a burger, a slice of pizza, a stuffed pepper) is fine, added in the last minute or two.

4. Large roasts and big cuts

A 6-pound chicken or a beef roast browns on the outside long before the center is safe, and most do not fit with room for air to move anyway.

Instead: a 3- to 4-pound chicken in a 5-quart or bigger basket, or cut the meat into portions: thighs, chops, a pork tenderloin, steaks. The cooking times chart covers the cuts that work.

5. Popcorn

Kernels need a confined, hot space and some fat; an air fryer basket gives them neither. Most stay unpopped, and the ones that do pop fly into the fan and element.

Instead: a pot with a lid, or the microwave. No workaround here.

6. Raw rice, pasta and dried grains

They need to absorb water. Hot air does nothing to a dry grain except toast it.

Instead: cook them in water, then use the air fryer to crisp leftovers. Leftover rice tossed with a little oil at 400 °F for 8 to 10 minutes makes crunchy rice; cooked pasta with oil and parmesan makes pasta chips.

7. Aerosol cooking spray

Spray cans contain propellants and emulsifiers (often soy lecithin) that do not burn off at air fryer temperatures. They build up on the non-stick basket as a sticky, gummy film that is nearly impossible to remove and makes food stick.

Instead: toss food in a teaspoon of oil in a bowl, use a brush, or buy a pump-style oil sprayer that holds plain oil with no propellant.

8. Loose paper and foil

An empty sheet of parchment or foil in the basket during preheat lifts straight up into the element. Paper towels (sometimes suggested for catching grease) do the same and can catch fire.

Instead: perforated parchment made for air fryers, cut smaller than the basket, put in with food already on top of it. Foil is fine under food if it is weighed down and does not block all the holes. Nothing goes in during preheat.

9. Very wet marinades and sauces

A chicken thigh dripping with marinade is fine. A dish of food swimming in sauce is not: the sauce splatters onto the element, smokes, and the food steams.

Instead: shake off excess marinade before cooking, and add sauces (barbecue, glaze, honey) in the last few minutes. Sugary sauces burn fast.

10. Delicate fish

Thin flaky fish (sole, flounder, tilapia fillets) can break apart and the fan dries the thin edges before the middle cooks.

Instead: thicker fillets like salmon, cod and halibut work well. For thin fish, a breadcrumb coating holds it together, or use a lower temperature (350 °F) on parchment.

11. Toast (in a basket model)

Slices of bread are light enough to lift, and a basket air fryer toasts unevenly. Oven-style air fryers with a rack handle toast fine.

Instead: a toaster. For garlic bread or bread with a topping that weighs it down, the air fryer is fine at 350 °F for a few minutes.

Things people worry about that are actually fine

• Bacon: fine, with a spoonful of water in the drawer to stop the fat smoking.
• Eggs: hard-boiled in the shell at 270 °F for 15 minutes work well. Fried eggs need a small dish.
• Frozen food straight from the freezer: fine, and better than thawing first.
• Metal pans and racks: fine, as long as they fit with space around them for air to move.
• Glass and ceramic dishes: fine if oven-safe.
• Fresh vegetables: fine; toss with a little oil.

For the mistakes that spoil food that does belong in the air fryer, see our air fryer mistakes guide.

FAQ

Can I put aluminum foil in an air fryer?

Yes, with care. Foil is fine under food in the basket as long as it is weighed down and does not cover all the holes. Never put foil in during preheat with nothing on it, and never let it touch the heating element. Perforated parchment made for air fryers is easier.

Can I put parchment paper in an air fryer?

Yes, if it is weighed down by food. Loose parchment lifts in the airflow and can touch the element. Use pre-cut perforated air fryer parchment, put the food on it before starting, and never preheat with an empty sheet inside.

Can I cook bacon in an air fryer?

Yes, and it is one of the best things to make in it, but the fat drips and can smoke. Put a tablespoon of water in the bottom of the drawer under the plate, cook at 400 °F for 8 to 10 minutes, and empty the grease afterward. A slice of bread in the drawer also catches drips.

Can I use oil spray in an air fryer?

A pump bottle of plain oil, yes. Aerosol cooking sprays, no: they contain propellants and lecithin that build up on the non-stick coating and make it gummy and sticky over time. Toss the food in oil in a bowl instead.

Can I air fry a whole chicken?

A small one, 3 to 4 pounds, in a 5-quart or larger basket. Bigger birds brown outside before the thigh reaches 165 °F. Big roasts, briskets and large joints belong in the oven.