TL;DR — An air fryer excels at anything you want crispy: frozen foods, vegetables, chicken wings, fries, bacon, and reheating leftovers, and it also roasts, bakes small items, and cooks proteins well. It struggles with wet batters, large roasts, and anything that needs a lot of liquid. The HomeWhisk team compiled this from cooking guidance and aggregated owner feedback. The air fryer is essentially a compact, fast convection oven — so it does most of what an oven does, faster, and with better crisping, within its size limit.
The HomeWhisk editorial team researches kitchen equipment by analyzing manufacturer specifications, cooking guidance, and aggregated user reviews from major retailers and cooking communities. This guide reflects established air-fryer cooking principles, not personal testing.
New air fryer owners often use it only for frozen fries and then let it gather dust — missing most of what it can do. Because it’s really a small, powerful convection oven, its range is wide. Here’s what cooks well, what to avoid, and how to get the best results. For choosing a model, see our best air fryer guide.
How an Air Fryer Actually Cooks
Understanding the mechanism explains what it’s good and bad at — and it’s simpler than the name suggests.
An air fryer doesn’t fry. It’s a compact convection oven: a heating element warms the air, and a powerful fan blasts that hot air rapidly around the food in a tight chamber. The fast-moving hot air cooks the surface quickly and evenly, crisping and browning it — mimicking the texture of deep frying using the food’s own fat (or a light spray of oil) rather than a vat of oil.
This mechanism explains everything:
- It’s great at crisping because the concentrated, fast-moving hot air dries and browns surfaces efficiently.
- It’s fast because the chamber is small and preheats in a minute or two.
- It struggles with wet batter because there’s no oil to set the coating — the fan just blows liquid batter off.
- It’s limited by size because the chamber is small and food needs a single layer for the air to circulate.
Once you think of it as “a fast convection oven that crisps,” what to cook (and what not to) becomes obvious.
Foods That Are Perfect for the Air Fryer
These are the categories where the air fryer genuinely shines — often better than a conventional oven.
Frozen foods are the air fryer’s home turf: fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, spring rolls, and frozen vegetables come out crispy and hot far faster than in an oven, with no preheat wait. This alone justifies owning one for many households.
Vegetables roast beautifully — broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, and asparagus get crispy edges and tender centers with just a little oil, faster than oven-roasting.
Chicken is excellent: wings turn out crispy without deep frying, and drumsticks, thighs, and breasts cook juicy with browned skin. Wings are one of the single best air-fryer foods.
Bacon cooks crisp and renders fat into the drawer (add a little water underneath to reduce smoking).
Other proteins: salmon, shrimp, pork chops, steak, and sausages all cook well and quickly, with a nice seared exterior.
Reheating is a hidden superpower — leftover pizza, fried chicken, and fries come back crispy instead of soggy (as they would in a microwave). Many owners use the air fryer more for reheating than anything else.
Foods That Also Work (With Care)
Beyond the obvious crisping jobs, the air fryer handles more than most people try — with a few adjustments.
Baked goods in small batches: cookies, muffins, small cakes, and even bread rolls bake in an air fryer, though you’ll do smaller batches and should lower the temperature and watch closely (the fan bakes fast). Oven-style air fryers handle baking better than baskets.
Roasted small cuts: a small whole chicken, a pork tenderloin, or a meatloaf fit in larger air fryers and roast well. Just check your unit’s capacity — large roasts won’t fit a basket.
Eggs and breakfast: hard-“boiled” eggs (cooked in the shell), baked eggs, and breakfast potatoes work. Some make frittatas in an oven-safe dish inside the fryer.
Toasting and reheating bread: garlic bread, croutons, and toast crisp up nicely.
Foods needing a dish: anything saucy or that might make a mess (a small gratin, baked oatmeal, a dip) works if you put it in an oven-safe dish or foil that fits the basket — this contains liquid and expands what you can cook. Use only air-fryer-safe dishes and never block all airflow.
The key with these: smaller portions, keep an eye on them (the fan cooks fast), and use a container for anything wet.
What NOT to Cook in an Air Fryer
Knowing the limits saves you from messes and disappointment. A few things genuinely don’t work.
Wet batters (traditional beer-battered fish, corn dogs dipped in liquid batter) are the classic failure: with no oil to set the coating, the fan blows the wet batter around, making a mess and an uneven result. Use dry breading or pre-coated frozen versions instead.
Large roasts and whole turkeys don’t fit and can’t cook evenly — the air fryer’s small chamber is the limit. Use the oven for big cuts.
Leafy greens loose (raw spinach, kale not weighted down) get blown around by the fan and can hit the heating element. Kale chips work only if you weight them or watch closely.
Foods needing lots of liquid: you can’t boil, steam heavily, or cook soup, rice, or pasta in an air fryer — it’s a dry-heat appliance. Use a pot or a multi-cooker for those. (For those jobs, see our best toaster oven guide’s oven-style units, which are still dry-heat, or a separate appliance.)
Cheese alone (loose, un-breaded) melts and drips through the basket into a mess. Breaded cheese (mozzarella sticks) is fine because the coating contains it.
Very greasy foods without a drip strategy can smoke — add a little water under the basket for fatty foods like bacon and sausage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What foods cook best in an air fryer?
Anything you want crispy: frozen foods (fries, nuggets, spring rolls), vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes), chicken wings and other chicken cuts, bacon, and quick-cooking proteins like salmon and shrimp. Reheating leftovers — pizza, fried chicken, fries — is a standout use, restoring crispiness a microwave can’t. The air fryer excels at crisping and browning surfaces quickly, so foods that benefit from a crunchy exterior come out best.
Can you bake in an air fryer?
Yes, in small batches. Cookies, muffins, small cakes, bread rolls, and similar baked goods work, though you’ll typically lower the temperature (the fan bakes fast and hot), do smaller quantities than in an oven, and watch closely to avoid over-browning. Oven-style air fryers handle baking better than basket models thanks to more even space. Use air-fryer-safe pans that fit with room for air to circulate.
What should you not put in an air fryer?
Avoid wet batters (they blow around without oil to set them), large roasts and whole turkeys (they don’t fit or cook evenly), loose leafy greens and loose cheese (the fan scatters them or they drip through), and anything needing lots of liquid like soup, rice, or pasta (it’s a dry-heat appliance). Also avoid overcrowding, and add water under fatty foods like bacon to prevent smoking. Use dry coatings and appropriate containers instead.
Can you cook raw meat in an air fryer?
Yes. Chicken (wings, thighs, drumsticks, breasts), steak, pork chops, salmon, shrimp, sausages, and more cook well from raw, coming out juicy with a browned, seared exterior — often faster than an oven. Use a meat thermometer to confirm safe internal temperatures, since air fryers cook fast and cook times vary by unit and thickness. Just don’t try large roasts that exceed the chamber size or won’t cook through evenly.
Do you need oil in an air fryer?
Very little or none. Foods with their own fat (bacon, chicken skin, marbled meat) need no added oil. For lean foods and vegetables, a light spray or toss with a small amount of oil helps them crisp and brown — far less than deep frying. Avoid aerosol non-stick sprays, which can damage the basket’s coating over time; use a refillable oil sprayer or toss food in oil in a bowl first.
Can you reheat food in an air fryer?
Yes, and it’s one of the best uses. The air fryer reheats leftovers like pizza, fried chicken, fries, and roasted vegetables far better than a microwave, restoring crispiness instead of leaving them soggy. Use a moderate temperature (around 350°F) for a few minutes. Many owners find reheating becomes their most frequent air-fryer task. It’s especially good for anything that was originally crispy and went limp in the fridge.
Related buying guides: best blender, best instant pot and best stand mixer.
The Bottom Line
An air fryer is a fast, compact convection oven that does far more than frozen fries: it crisps frozen foods, roasts vegetables, cooks chicken and other proteins beautifully, and reheats leftovers better than any microwave. With care, it also bakes small batches and roasts small cuts. Its limits are wet batters, large roasts, loose light foods, and anything needing liquid. Think “fast oven that crisps,” cook in a single layer, and use a dish for messy foods, and you’ll use it far more than you expected. See our best air fryer and best toaster oven guides for the right model.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The 5-fan speed system paired with precise temperature control delivers consistent, even results across all nine cooking modes.
- PFAS-free ceramic coating addresses a growing health concern that standard nonstick coatings raise for frequent users.
- The included recipe book with cooking charts, developed by in-house chefs and registered dietitians, gives new users a practical starting point.
- A customizable preheat function lets you optimize results when time allows or skip it entirely for faster, no-fuss cooking.
Cons
- At 6 quarts the unit has a larger countertop footprint, which may be a constraint in smaller kitchens with limited counter space.
- With zero published user reviews at launch, long-term durability of the ceramic coating under daily use remains unverified.
Details
The Cosori TurboBlaze is a 9-in-1 countertop air fryer that replaces your deep fryer, dehydrator, and toaster oven for everyday family cooking.
TurboBlaze Technology combines a 3600 rpm fan with five adjustable speeds and a 90–450°F range, producing consistently crispy exteriors and moist interiors across all cooking modes.
The 6-quart square basket uses a PFAS-free ceramic nonstick coating, is dishwasher-safe, and runs under 53dB — quieter than most comparable models at full power.
No published user reviews yet means real-world coating longevity and durability claims cannot be independently confirmed at this stage.
Best for families of three to five who want a single appliance handling everything from frozen snacks to slow-proofed bread dough.
How to Use
Select one of the nine presets — Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dry, Frozen, Proof, Reheat, or Keep Warm — then set your temperature between 90°F and 450°F using the five fan speed options to match your recipe’s texture target.
Use the Preheat function when cooking proteins or battered foods for a crispier finish; skip it for reheating leftovers or proofing dough where a gradual temperature rise is preferable.
After cooking, remove the ceramic basket and crisper tray and place both directly in the dishwasher — no soaking or hand-scrubbing required for standard residue.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- EvenCrisp technology produces genuinely crispy results that rival deep-fried texture using only a light oil spray or none at all.
- The 6-quart size fits a 4-pound chicken or two pounds of wings comfortably, making it practical for family meals rather than just snacks.
- Overheat protection and auto-shutoff provide safety for busy kitchens where multitasking is constant.
- The stainless steel exterior resists fingerprints and wipes clean easily, maintaining a polished look on the counter.
Cons
- The 6-quart basket footprint takes up significant counter space, which may be tight in smaller kitchens with limited work surfaces.
- The touchscreen can be sensitive to wet fingers during active cooking, occasionally requiring a wipe before registering inputs.
Details
This is a countertop air fryer that replaces deep fryers, toaster ovens, and dehydrators by circulating superheated air around food. It solves the problem of wanting crispy fried textures without the mess, calories, and smell of oil-based frying.
EvenCrisp technology is the standout feature, using precise temperature control and optimized air flow to brown food evenly without hot spots. The 95°F to 400°F range handles everything from overnight jerky dehydration to searing steaks at high heat.
The stainless steel housing is fingerprint-resistant and durable, while the 6-quart non-stick basket measures approximately 10 inches across and 4 inches deep. At 1700 watts, it heats quickly but requires a dedicated outlet.
The touchscreen interface, while convenient, can be finicky when hands are wet or greasy, and the unit’s width may crowd smaller counters when placed near other appliances.
Best for families of four to six who cook multiple times per week and want to reduce oil consumption without learning complex techniques.
How to Use
Pull out the basket, add food in a single layer without overcrowding, and select a preset or manually set temperature and time. The touchscreen shows cooking stage progress, and most foods need no flipping due to the air circulation pattern.
For crispiest results, lightly spray or toss food with oil before cooking. Preheat for two minutes when cooking frozen foods or when recipes call for immediate searing heat.
After cooking, the basket and tray lift out together for easy transfer to plates. Let the unit cool for five minutes before washing, or place the basket directly in the dishwasher for hands-free cleanup.
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- Massive 26-quart capacity handles full family meals, from whole roasted chickens to multiple sheet pans at once.
- 24 one-touch presets cover everything from air frying and baking to dehydrating and slow cooking without manual temperature adjustments.
- Rotisserie function with included spit and fetch tool delivers evenly cooked, self-basting meats with crispy skin.
- French door design provides wide access and stays cooler to the touch than traditional drop-down doors.
Cons
- Large footprint requires significant counter space—measure before purchasing if your kitchen is compact.
- Learning curve for optimal rack positioning across different cooking modes may require trial and error initially.
Details
This is a countertop convection oven that air fries, bakes, roasts, broils, dehydrates, and slow cooks—eliminating the need for separate appliances. It solves the problem of limited counter space while expanding cooking methods.
The dual-speed fan and 360° air circulation cook food 30% faster than conventional ovens while using little to no oil. Digital controls and 24 presets remove guesswork from temperature and timing.
Stainless steel construction with French doors and tempered glass. Measures approximately 20 x 16 x 13 inches. Weighs around 25 pounds. Interior fits a 12-inch pizza or 6-pound chicken. Racks adjust to multiple heights.
The size is both an advantage and a limitation—it handles large batches but demands permanent counter real estate. Not ideal for small kitchens or infrequent cooks.
Best for families of four or more who cook daily and want appliance consolidation without sacrificing capacity or function variety.
How to Use
Place the oven on a heat-resistant surface with 4 inches of clearance on all sides. Plug into a grounded outlet. Select a preset or manually set temperature and time using the digital dial.
For air frying, use the included basket on the middle rack. For rotisserie, insert the spit through the center of the meat, secure with forks, and place on the rotisserie supports. The fetch tool removes hot accessories safely.
Preheat when baking or roasting for even results. Toast mode automatically shuts off when the timer ends—no need to monitor. Wipe interior and accessories after each use; removable crumb tray catches drips.
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- Two independent heating zones with separate fans mean you can cook chicken at 390°F in one basket while roasting Brussels sprouts at 375°F in the other.
- Smart Finish calculates different cook times automatically so foods started at different moments finish together without manual timing.
- The 4-quart size of each basket fits enough food for 3-4 people per side, making it practical for family dinners without needing multiple batches.
Cons
- The dual basket design takes up significant counter space at roughly 13 inches wide, so measure your kitchen before buying.
- When cooking two different foods, you cannot monitor both baskets simultaneously without opening them separately, unlike a single-basket model with a window.
Details
The Ninja DZ201 is a dual-basket air fryer designed to solve the batch cooking problem when making full meals. Smart Finish technology adjusts timing so different foods finish simultaneously.
Each 4-quart basket has its own heating element and fan, providing true independent temperature control from 105°F to 450°F. The Match Cook button copies settings across both zones when you want to maximize the full 8-quart capacity for a single food type.
Both baskets and crisper plates are nonstick and dishwasher safe. The unit measures approximately 13 inches wide and weighs around 18 pounds, so it requires dedicated counter space or storage room.
The baskets must be opened separately to check food, and the digital interface requires learning the Smart Finish timing system for best results with mixed foods.
Best for families of four or more who want to cook complete meals in one appliance without waiting for back-to-back batches.
How to Use
Place food in each basket on the crisper plates, select your cooking program, and set temperature and time. For different foods, press Smart Finish and the unit calculates when to start each basket so they finish together.
Use Match Cook when preparing the same food in both baskets to double your capacity. The button copies all settings from one zone to the other instantly, useful for large batches of fries or wings.
Preheat is not required, but adding 3 minutes improves crispiness on foods like frozen items. Shake or flip foods halfway through cooking by pulling out individual baskets. Clean baskets and crisper plates in the dishwasher or by hand with warm soapy water after each use.
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- The clear viewing window saves energy and maintains consistent temperature by reducing the need to open the basket mid-cook.
- Customizable program slots let you save frequently used settings for specific recipes instead of manually adjusting every time.
- Six functions in one countertop unit replace multiple appliances for air frying, roasting, broiling, baking, reheating, and dehydrating.
Cons
- The 6-quart capacity may feel cramped for households regularly cooking for more than four people.
- The clear window can fog up with steam during high-moisture cooking, temporarily reducing visibility.
Details
This is a countertop air fryer that solves the problem of checking food doneness without interrupting the cooking cycle. The clear window and internal light let you monitor browning in real time.
EvenCrisp technology uses rapid air circulation at 1700 watts to crisp exteriors while keeping interiors moist. The six customizable presets store your exact time and temperature combinations for recipes you cook repeatedly.
The unit measures approximately 13 x 13 x 13 inches with a 6-quart nonstick basket. The exterior is black plastic with a stainless steel accent band. The basket and crisper tray are dishwasher-safe.
The touchscreen interface requires some learning time to program custom presets, and the window may fog during steamy cooking tasks like reheating saucy leftovers.
Best for home cooks who air fry multiple times per week and want visibility plus programmability in a mid-sized unit.
How to Use
Preheat the empty basket for three minutes before adding food. This jump-starts the crisping process and reduces total cook time. Use the ClearCook window to check progress at the halfway point.
Program your six custom slots with the recipes you make most often. Press and hold any preset button for three seconds, then dial in your preferred temperature and time. The unit saves these settings automatically.
Shake or flip food halfway through cooking for even browning. The basket handle stays cool enough to grip without mitts. For dehydrating, use lower temperatures between 105 and 130 degrees and extend the time to six to eight hours.
About These Recommendations
The technique above is the point of this guide; the products are here because they help. We have not tested them ourselves — we did not buy or use this gear. The recommendations come from comparing specifications and materials against the patterns in verified owner reviews, so treat them as a shortlist worth researching rather than a verdict from our own kitchen.
Availability and prices change often, so check the current listing before buying. We earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page, which never affects what we recommend.
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