Certain Meats Should Not Be Cooked in an Air Fryer, Experts Advise

Air fryers have revolutionized home cooking, offering a faster, healthier alternative to traditional frying with easier cleanup. However, experts caution that not all foods are ideal candidates for this popular appliance, especially certain cuts of meat.

According to advice shared by Southern Living and detailed in the Daily Express, large bone-in meat pieces, such as whole chickens or steaks that still have bones, are best prepared using conventional oven methods. The circulating hot air in an air fryer can lead to uneven cooking, leaving some parts overcooked while others remain raw, even if they appear done.

Better Homes & Gardens warns that air fryers are simply not designed for these larger cuts, making oven baking a more reliable choice for achieving evenly cooked results. While smaller portions of meat, like chicken wings, fried chicken pieces, and bacon, fare well in an air fryer, larger items present challenges.

Steak preparation, in particular, encounters limitations. Even bone-in steaks, which tend to be more flavorful and less prone to overcooking, might not fit into the air fryer basket. Furthermore, the typical maximum temperature of most air fryers, around 230 degrees Celsius, is considered too low for optimally cooking steaks, according to All Recipes.