The Type Of Food Deep Fryers Will Always Cook Better Than Air Fryers

If the past few years have taught us nothing else, it's that an air fryer is a truly revolutionary appliance that is well worth bringing into your kitchen. However, while there is a seemingly endless amount of unique foods to make in your air fryer, there are some that are simply not ideal. More specifically, foods that use a wet batter, like homemade onion rings and beer-battered fish, should be kept far away from the inside of this appliance.

To gain further insight into the shortcomings of air fryers compared to traditional deep fryers when dealing with wet-battered foods, we spoke with Lynne Just, chef and consumer test kitchen manager at Hamilton Beach. "A deep fryer's hot oil will seal the wet batter on the food and will result in a nice, crunchy exterior," Just explained. An air fryer just can't do the same thing because the food isn't being submerged in hot oil. "This results in the batter dripping off of the food. You won't achieve the same crunchy exterior," she said.

Aside from the subpar result, trying to make wet-battered foods in the air fryer is way more trouble than it's worth when it comes to cleaning. "It can also create a big mess inside the air fryer that can burn on the bottom of the air fryer," Just shared. And no, adding a spritz of oil won't make air fried foods taste deep fried — additional oil just adds to the mess.

While wet-battered foods are on the list of things to never put in an air fryer, there is technically a loophole you can use if you deem it absolutely necessary. According to Lynne Just, freezing the wet-battered food can make it suitable for the air fryer. However, despite it being a possible solution to your problem, it doesn't quite make up for all of the downsides. "You will not achieve the same results as a deep fryer," Just stated, but the result is passable if you follow her advice: "Put them in the air fryer frozen, spritz with a little cooking spray, and turn as needed to achieve a crispy result." She also suggested swapping out a wet batter for a crumb coating, like panko bread crumbs or crushed-up crackers, as foods prepared this way are much better suited for the air fryer.

Air frying store-bought fried snacks is a different story, as those have already been pre-fried before they were packaged. This means they are at a much later stage in the process than your homemade wet-battered foods and need less time and heat to cook. Make sure to properly preheat your air fryer. Using high heat early on in the process ensures the food properly crisps, and lowering the temperature slightly will allow it to finish cooking through without burning.