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Frying whole pieces
Clearly, the first problem with frying whole pieces is whether the amount of food fits in the air fryer. But even if the piece of meat fits in the fryer, frying whole pieces is only suitable for traditional frying methods. The reason is that an air fryer cannot cook your meat evenly.
The meat near the heating element will burn easily, while the part farther away may not be fully cooked. The main reason for this is air fryer overload. Since air needs space to circulate, the best cooking method for the air fryer is to cut the food into smaller pieces. If you’re frying chicken, make sure the breast side is down, with the skin on top, as the air fryer heats from top to bottom.
Cheese
Because the air fryer doesn’t actually ‘fry’ food, if you try to fry cheese without a crust, it will melt and create a messy mixture in your air fryer. You should only ‘fry’ frozen mozzarella sticks, as other types of cheese should not be cooked in an air fryer, including grilled cheese (grilled cheese can easily burn in the air fryer due to the high pressure from the hot air stream). It’s best to use traditional cooking methods for these types of food.
Raw grains
Grains like rice and pasta may become crispy after being placed in the air fryer, but these foods need to be cooked before going into the air fryer. The air fryer cooks food by drying it out, so if you try to cook a dish that requires water in the air fryer, it won’t taste good. Even if your air fryer has a compartment to add water, it won’t get hot enough to boil the water and cook your grains properly.
