What not to cook in an air fryer

Air fryers get sold as though they cook everything. They do not, and the failures are predictable once you understand the mechanism: a strong fan moving very hot air across the surface of food in a small chamber. Anything that fights that arrangement — liquid that runs, leaves that fly, food that needs to be submerged — will disappoint you.

1. Wet batter

The classic. Beer batter, tempura, anything you dip and drop — it runs off the food and through the crisper plate before the heat can set it, leaving you with bare food and a mess in the drawer. Deep frying works because hot oil sets the outside of a batter in seconds; hot air simply cannot transfer heat that fast. Instead: use dry coatings — seasoned flour on damp food, breadcrumbs, or panko pressed on firmly. Or accept that this is what a deep fryer is for, as we set out in air fryer vs deep fryer.

2. Loose leafy greens

Spinach, rocket, loose kale and the like are light enough to be picked up by the fan and thrown around the chamber, where they hit the element and burn. Beyond the smell, that is a genuine fire risk on a machine with an exposed element. Instead: if you want kale crisps, weigh the leaves down under a rack or trivet, cook a small quantity at a lower temperature, and stay in the kitchen.

3. Plain cheese

Cheese with no coating melts and flows straight through the crisper plate into the drawer, where it burns onto the metal. It is one of the more annoying cleanups you can create. Instead: anything cheese-based needs a barrier — breadcrumbed mozzarella sticks work, halloumi works because it does not melt, and cheese inside something else is fine.

4. Rice, dried pasta and pulses

These need to be cooked in water, absorbing it as they go. An air fryer has no way to hold food in simmering liquid, so dried grains simply stay dry and hard. This is not a technique problem, it is the wrong appliance. Instead: cook them conventionally; already-cooked rice and pasta reheat and crisp perfectly well in an air fryer, and leftover pasta makes excellent crisps.

5. Roasts that fill the basket

A joint or bird that fits snugly leaves no room for air to circulate, so the outside chars while the inside is still raw — the worst of both. It is also very difficult to get a thermometer into food wedged into a drawer. Instead: check your basket honestly against the size of the meat, or use a countertop oven where the food sits on a rack with space around it. Our toaster-oven roundup covers those, and the sizing guide covers what actually fits.

6. Burgers you want pink in the middle

Air fryers are relentless surface cookers, and a burger thin enough to fit comfortably will usually be cooked through by the time the outside has browned. If you like a rare or medium-rare burger with a hard sear, a pan or a grill does it better. Instead: use the air fryer for thicker patties cooked to well done, or for reheating, and accept the trade.

7. Delicate fish, unsupported

Flaky white fish tends to stick to the crisper plate and then tear when you lift it, and thin fillets can be blown about by the fan. Instead: use a perforated liner or a small piece of parchment cut to size — placed under the food, never in an empty preheating basket where it can lift into the element — and handle it with a wide spatula.

8. Popcorn

Kernels are light, they are supposed to explode, and an air fryer basket is not built to contain them. Unpopped kernels get thrown into the element and burn, and the yield is poor because the heat is not concentrated at the base the way a popper or a covered pan concentrates it. Instead: a pan with a lid. Some manufacturers explicitly advise against popcorn — check your manual.

9. Anything in a sauce

Saucy dishes need to simmer, and an air fryer evaporates liquid rather than holding it. Curries, stews and anything braised will reduce to a burnt residue on the bottom of the drawer. Instead: cook the components in the air fryer and combine them with the sauce afterwards — air-fried chicken tossed in sauce at the end is genuinely good, and a much better use of the machine.

The pattern worth remembering

Every failure above is a version of the same rule: an air fryer moves hot air across surfaces. Food that is dry-ish, sits in a single layer, and has some structure will do well. Food that is liquid, light, or needs to be immersed will not. Once that clicks you can predict whether something will work without looking it up — and our how-to-use guide covers the technique for everything on the right side of that line.