5 On Your Side

Avoid cooking these foods in your air fryer

While air fryers offer a healthier take on fried foods, experts say some foods are better off not being air fried.

Posted Updated

By
Monica Laliberte
, WRAL executive producer/5 on Your Side reporter

While air fryers offer a healthier take on fried foods, experts say some foods are better off not being air fried.

Foods that turn out delicious and crisp in an air fryer include some roasted veggies, pizza and even desserts. But, according to Consumer Reports, some foods do not turn out as good — like broccoli.

The time it takes for broccoli’s tough stems to become tender will leave the tops scorched and bitter-tasting, experts say. While the air fryer can cook a burger, it will come out looking gray and without the tasty sear you get from a frying pan or grill.

Air frying chicken creates the same problem. The skin might not brown evenly, and it won’t give you the crisp taste of pan roasting.

Fish will cook in the air fryer, but it is likely to have an unappetizingly hard, rubbery skin.

Additionally, grilled cheese sandwiches will leave a cheesy mess in the bin and the basket that might not be worth it.

According to Consumer Reports editor Paul Hope, battered foods are a recipe for disaster.

"The coating doesn’t set right away like it does when you cook in hot oil, which means that it can drip through the basket and even end up on the heating element," said Hope.

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