My Mom's air fryer comment actually made sense after I burned dinner

So last week I was at my mom's house complaining about how my chicken always comes out dry in the air fryer. She looked at me and said 'honey, you gotta stop cramming it full like you're feeding an army.' I got kinda defensive at first cause I've been using this thing for like 2 years now. But then I tried making just two thighs instead of like six and wow it actually worked. The air circulation is way better when there's space between stuff. I never really thought about how much room matters for getting that crispy outside. Has anyone else figured out the right amount of space for chicken or other meats in their air fryer?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_lane20d agoMost Upvoted

Actually, smaller batches might not be the whole story. I cram my air fryer full all the time and my chicken comes out juicy, not dry. The key is flipping it halfway through and not overcooking it. If yours was dry, maybe you were cooking it too long, not because of space. Air fryers are just tiny convection ovens, so as long as hot air gets around the food, it should work fine. Plus, who has time to cook in small batches when you're feeding a family? That defeats the whole point of using an air fryer for quick meals.

evan29520d ago

Alright, gotta stop you right there @fiona_lane. Stuffed full and still juicy? No way. I tried that once. Chicken was steaming, not crisping. Turned into rubber. You must have some magic air fryer or something. I just don't see how flipping fixes blocked airflow.