20 Of The Best Air Fryer Tips and Cooking Times Printable

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If you’re a new Air Fryer owner, this post offers up 20 air fryer tips you’ll want to know before you start using it. No need to worry that you’ll miss some little tip that you wish you’d known from the beginning!

I really encourage you to make a Pinterest board for all the new recipes you’re going to make in your new toy. Maybe you’ll want to add this delicious Nashville Chicken, Air Fryer Masked Potato Cakes, or Blackberry Hand Pies for the Air Fryer or any of our delicious Air Fryer Recipes HERE.

If you don’t have an Air Fryer, we definitely recommend getting one! You can find the best deals HERE.

20 of the BEST Air Fryer Tips including a Free Printable

20 Of The Best Air Fryer Tips

1. Keep it away from any surface that can’t handle the heat. In other words, make sure the counter space for your fryer can withstand heat without causing any damage.

2. Pre-heat the air fryer. Turn it on the temperature your food needs and let it heat up for roughly 3 minutes. Always pre-heat unless the recipe says not to.

3.  Your Air Fryer needs to have about 5″ of space around it. It requires good airflow to do its job.

4. Don’t get the basket too full. If you pack lots of food in the basket, you run the risk that everything won’t cook the way it should.

5. Flip or shake your food. At least once during the cooking time, flip everything over or give the basket a good shake to make sure food is cooking evenly.

6. Grease the basket. It will prevent the food from sticking.

7. Do not use sprays like Pam on your Air Fryer. They’ll potentially mess up the coating inside the fryer. Most users choose an oil mister bottle and fill it with good oil.

8. Get yourself some silicone utensils. They’re super handy.

9. Air Fryer liners are a thing. They’re super cheap and they’ll help keep your fryer clean.

10. You can use oven-safe pans in the Air Fryer and may already have pans that fit. You can also shop for all sorts of inserts made specifically for the Air Fryer.

11. Reheat pizza like a champ. Preheat to 160F, put the pizza in the basket and cook for 5 minutes.

12. The Air Fryer reheats all sorts of things better than a microwave. While it is truly great at reheating pizza slices, you’re going to love it for almost all your leftovers. Preheat it to 350 and then reheat your food for 5 minutes. You can go longer if need be.

13. Don’t use a lot of oil. At most, you’ll only ever need about 1 or 2 TBSP of oil. Normally you’ll use much less.

14. Save the drippings. All that bacon fat that drops in the drawer? Pour it into a container and keep it for use in another recipe. If the fat is from something you don’t want to save, keep a big jar with a tight-fitting lid that you pour fat into. You can keep the jar in the refrigerator until it’s full and then dispose of it properly.

15. Don’t stack food in the basket. It won’t cook properly.

16. Prevent your spices from blowing away. You can’t drop them in because the same air circulation that cooks your food will blow them all over the place. Instead, mix spices with a little oil and coat your food that way.

17. Frying bacon or some other food that is fatty? Add a couple of tablespoons water in the drawer beneath the basket to help keep the grease from smoking.

18. Excessive smoke coming out of the vent means it’s time for a deep clean. Once it’s unplugged, remove the basket and drawer, and turn it upside down. You can use a soft brush or soft sponge to clean the element.

19. Battered foods can make a mess. A wet batter on food will drip away when you’re cooking. It won’t do anything to make your food crisp. (Using a breadcrumb coating on a lightly oiled food will work better.)

20. Use regular soap and water to clean it after every use. And be sure that you clean it right away after you use it. If you wait it’ll be much harder.

We have created this Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet for you to Print for Free! Print it HERE

Air Fryer Cooking Times Printable

Ready to Get Started With Your Air Fryer?

I’m excited for you to share your experience using it. Do you love it? What do you like about it and what do you wish it would do? We would love to know any Air Fryer Tips that you might have as well!

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