Air fryer recipe fails: what causes them and how to fix them

So you finally joined the ranks and bought an air fryer, but you're struggling to get your food just right and wondering if you've wasted your money.

Don't give up just yet. There's a bit of a learning curve with some air fryers, so you might need to tinker before you get recipes right.

Read our tips and avoid these common air fryer cooking complaints.

Not bought one yet, or looking to upgrade? Our round-up of the best air fryers reveals which models impressed in our test lab.

My chips are undercooked 

This is a very common mistake, especially if you're not used to air fryers. Getting the perfect golden-brown chips can take a few tries, as the time and temperature depend on things such as the power, size and type of your air fryer.

Undercooking or overcooking chips the first couple of times is normal, but if it keeps happening, here are some things to try.

Don't overfill the basket or the tray

Make sure the food can comfortably fit in the air fryer, with enough space to cook evenly.

The capacity of air fryers is usually measured in litres. Retailers or manufacturers indicate how many litres of liquid can fit in the basket.

We show this as a measurement in grams in each of our air fryer reviews because we think it's more useful.

However, this measure isn't always the optimum capacity for best cooking results. Our tests show that the optimum cooking amount is generally significantly smaller than the manufacturers state.

To find your air fryer's optimum capacity, consult the instruction manual or take some time to experiment.

Shake or stir the basket or tray often during cooking

Instructions often state that you should only give chips a quick shake or a stir, but we've found that doing this more regularly during cooking gives the best results.

If your air fryer doesn't have a viewing window, you'll have to open it during cooking. This will let out some hot air, so you want to avoid doing it too frequently. But at least a couple of times during cooking should help achieve a more even colour and tastier chips. 

Our air fryer vs oven comparison will help you choose the best appliance for your cooking job.

My air fryer emits smoke and an unpleasant smell

This usually happens if you cook without cleaning your air fryer first. 

Each time you use it, grease, crumbs and small bits of food collect at the bottom of the basket. If you don't clean them out before using it again, they can burn and cause unpleasant smells or smoke. If you continue cooking, this can affect the taste of your food.

Clean your air fryer after every use

Some removable air fryer parts are dishwasher-safe, but most will need to be washed by hand. 

The longer you leave food in the air fryer, the harder it is to clean it, so we'd recommend doing it immediately.

Luckily, almost all air fryer baskets or trays are covered in non-stick coating, which makes them quick and effortless to clean.

The simplest way to clean out tougher-to-remove bits is to immerse the tray or basket in hot soapy water and let it soak, to soften and lift off the food. Then simply wash it off and let the basket or tray air dry.

For more tips, see how to clean an air fryer.

My chicken comes out tough and dry

There could be many reasons for this, but two of the most common are cooking it for too long or at the wrong temperature.

If you're using manual temperature settings, remember that oven cooking instructions don't automatically translate to cooking in the air fryer.

Adapt cooking time and temperature according to your appliance instructions

Pre-set programs can come in handy, although you'll still want to check on your food from time to time to make sure it's cooking nicely. Alternatively, you can experiment with time and temperature. 

If you're not sure how to tell when your chicken is done, consider investing in a meat thermometer, which makes it simple to check the chicken's internal temperature during cooking. The temperature inside a cooked chicken piece should be around 75ºC.

Add a small amount of oil

Some experts also recommend patting your chicken dry before putting it in the air fryer, or adding a small amount of oil.

As with any food cooked in the air fryer, stir or rotate your chicken during cooking to ensure all sides cook evenly.

Let it rest

As with traditional oven cooking, resting chicken and other meats for a short time after cooking will allow the juices to settle back into the meat.

Want an air fryer you can trust? See our guide to reliable air fryer brands.

My batter drips everywhere and makes a mess

Air fryers aren’t the most appropriate appliance for cooking foods with wet batter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cook cakes, pancakes or onion rings. You just have to do it correctly.

Basket air fryers might look similar to deep fat fryers, but they work very differently. You should never attempt to pour wet batter straight into the basket. Air fryers blow hot air around the basket, so important heating elements could get covered and prevent the appliance from working correctly.

Coat battered food with crumbs

If you're preparing foods such as onion rings, fish or chicken nuggets, try making the batter thicker, then dry coating it with breadcrumbs or cornflour before cooking. This will prevent the batter from dripping all over the basket.

Using an oven-safe dish, or rack that fits in the basket, will also help to prevent a mess.

Use a mould for cakes and desserts

Don't pour cake batter directly into your air fryer tray. If you're baking a cake or other dessert that involves wet batter, use a silicone tin, oven-safe glass bowl, cupcake tin or mould. This will ensure your food cooks properly, without creating too much mess.

Air fryer liners tested: silicone vs paper vs reusable sheets

What not to put in your air fryer

You can get away with cooking almost anything in an air fryer, but some foods will cause a lot more mess than necessary and might even pose a safety risk.

• Popcorn – Cooking popcorn might not work because most air fryers don't reach a high enough temperature to pop the kernels. The microwave will do a much better job. 
• Pasta and pasta sauce – You can't use an air fryer to cook raw pasta, as you need to put it in boiling water. Cooking pasta sauces isn't impossible, but it's messy, so it's probably not worth the trouble. You can use an air fryer to reheat pasta and sauce that's already been cooked, but the microwave is a more efficient way to do this.
• Toast – Not impossible, but the results are likely to be disappointing compared to a toaster. The air fryer can dry out the bread and crumbs can get stuck at the bottom of the basket as the toast is blown around during cooking. You'll also need to flip it halfway. It's just not worth the effort.
• Rice – Like pasta, cooking rice from scratch requires water. An air fryer isn't a go-to appliance for boiling and steaming – you're better off sticking to a slow cooker or a pot on the hob.

Want an appliance that does more than just air fry? See our guide to the best multi cookers.

The best air fryers from our tests

Which? members can sign in to see the top three air fryers from our tough lab tests, rated on key factors such as quality of cooking, cooking time, energy efficiency and how easy the air fryer is to use.

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