I know that many of you, like me, have jumped on the air fryer band wagon. I’m quite a newbie at the whole thing, but I have been very impressed with the things I’ve made so far. I love having English muffins toasting in there while I’m whipping up some cheesy ham and eggs for my husband and I for a nice romantic breakfast. We have three young children so we’ll take our romantic meals whenever we can get them!

The other night I reheated our leftover fried chicken and it crisped up perfectly, just like it tasted the first night! This made me so excited about the air fryer!

The air fryer is a kitchen appliance that is very similar to a convection oven which both use hot air circulating around the food to cook the food. It ends up getting very crispy and tastes “fried”, but it uses very little to no oil so you can have some of your favorite naughty foods like chicken wings and fries that taste very similar but are much healthier.

Along with pressure cookers, I feel like these have been all the buzz the last couple years. I finally got my hands on one so I wanted to talk about some of the basics of it.

Here are seven common mistakes you might be making with your air fryer that you should try to avoid doing.

1. You Forgot to Preheat

It only takes the air fryer about three minutes to preheat, but it is a very important step. Preheating the air fryer allows the food to cook the most evenly and because the temperature and airflow will be at the right levels when you put the food in, the food can cook to crispy air fried perfection!


2. You Aren’t Cooking Enough Vegetables

If you aren’t making fried vegetables in your air fryer on the regular, you are really missing out! You can make anything from stuffed peppers to asparagus to loaded baked potatoes in a snap!

It is perfect for making veggie-based meals and sides that are lower in calories and fat.



3. You Are Only Cooking Foods That Are Already Fried

If you were only reheating things like chicken wings, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, tater tots, etc., you are really missing out on the benefits that making these foods from scratch brings, like having lower calories and fat. Those foods are already dunked in hot oil, but by making them from scratch, you can control the very little oil that you will need to achieve the same result! 


4. You Are Overcrowding the Basket (or Tray)

Your food needs some room to breathe if it is going to cook the way you want it to. You might be tempted to make a big batch all at once, but you won’t get the crispiness you desire—or if you are making something like chicken wings from scratch, it will not be cooked all the way through and evenly. 

The standard size air fryer really only makes enough food at a time for two people. You could consider buying a bigger air fryer if you were wanting to make more food at a time to cook for a family or just get on board with the idea of several smaller batches.

If you have an air fryer with trays like I do, make sure there is space between every item. Or if you have a basket like most air fryers, make sure to give the basket two or three shakes while cooking to make sure everything gets dispersed evenly.



5. You Aren’t Baking In It

You might not think of the air fryer first and foremost as a little oven that you can bake in, but it’s basically the grown-up version of an easy bake oven. You can make some of your favorites like donuts, banana bread and apple turnovers. There are so many fun options that you can try! And once again, you get less calories and fat from your favorite desserts :)


6. You Are Using Too Much or Too Little Oil

You really only need 1 to 2 teaspoons for most recipes, or 1 to 2 tablespoons for breaded items. You can actually just mix your oil right in with the breadcrumbs if you are making something like chicken fingers or fish sticks. For other recipes, you can just brush them lightly with oil. Just make sure to read your recipe carefully to see how much oil it calls for.


7. You Are Not Washing it Properly or Frequently Enough

You really should hand wash the basket and tray with every use. Some models of air fryers have parts that you can put in the dishwasher. Just make sure to check your manual carefully to find out if that is possible for yours. You may be tempted to leave crumbs or debris at the bottom, but those food particles will burn quickly the next time you fire up the machine. It should be wiped down inside and out after every use. Hot water and soap work just great.

Do you have any other tips to share for other air fryer users? I cannot wait to start making desserts and other unexpected items in the air fryer! I think I’m going to whip up a batch of banana bread today :)