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Plus six more air fryer mistakes that I've made so you don't have to

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Just how many mistakes is it possible to make with air fryers? Alas, the answer is 'all too many'. These miracles of modern technology are quick, energy-efficient, relatively compact and even healthy if you use a minimal amount of fat with them. However, air fryers do also require you to learn new cooking techniques, and be a little careful with how you use and maintain them.

I’m onto my third air fryer after being bitten by the air frying bug, and I think the best air fryers are a must-have for any kitchen – especially if like me you don’t have much space. In fact, I like them so much I compiled this list of ways an air fryer is better than an oven. But while air frying is undeniably brilliant, there are some mistakes it’s all too easy to make. And I know that because I’ve made them. Here are seven mistakes you don’t want to make when you’re air frying. Number 2 is a particular shocker, and the reason for that alarming headline up there. You won't believe number 2!

You don’t need to use a lot of oil when you air fry, but you do need some – and different kinds of oils have different smoke points. That’s important because the lower the smoke point, the sooner the oil starts to smoke. Ghee has a much higher smoke point than normal butter, while vegetable oils such as sunflower oil are great too. Leave the extra virgin olive oil for your side salads.

Okay ignore entry #1 on the list because this is REALLY using the wrong oil. The only evidence I’ve got for this one is anecdotal rather than scientific, because not a lot of academic research has been carried out into the effects of low-calorie oil sprays on non-stick surfaces. Even so, I’ve found that using cooking sprays that include lecithin – which practically all store-bought ones do – creates a gummy, sticky surface on my air fryer cooking baskets, as well as other non-stick items such as waffle irons. This is incredibly tough to remove and makes food stick where you don’t want it stuck. It's weird that this could happen, but there it is. 

Since I switched to plain vegetable oil from a sprayer the problem hasn’t recurred – now that’s science. If you use a shop-bought spray simply to oil and baste food – ie: the oil goes on the food only and not your cooking basket – you may find you don't experience the sticky gunk problem, but all things considered, I recommend an oil spray bottle from Amazon (opens in new tab) or elsewhere filled with rapeseed, peanut/groundnut or sunflower oil. Olive oil has a lower smoke point, as I just mentioned above, so may not be suitable for air fryer use unless you like cooking at unusually low temperatures.

Frozen vegetables are brilliant in the air fryer. You don’t need to thaw them first, and they become wonderfully crisp as they cook without the sogginess you might expect. And unlike the fresh veg I’ve been getting from the supermarkets lately, frozen vegetables don’t turn to mush fifteen seconds after you get in from the shops so there’s less food waste too.

If you’re cooking greasy foods such as bacon in an air fryer with a basket – and you should, because the results are fantastic – grease will fall down and start smoking. All you need to do to reduce this is to put a small quantity of water, around 1 tablespoon, in the bottom. That makes the grease float on cooler water instead of landing on the hot surface.

If you’re used to traditional ovens you’ll know the importance of not letting the heat out, but that doesn't apply here: with air frying the difference between beautifully crisp and burnt to a cinder can be a fairly short period of time. In addition to shaking the food about halfway through the cook, check it as you get closer to the end of the cooking time. 

Some air fryers can be a pain to clean, but it’s important that you do it properly. Don’t use metal utensils or scourers to remove stuck-on food, as that can damage the non-stick coating, and don’t use cleaning sprays that aren’t designed for food-safe uses. For really stubborn stuff, a paste of baking soda and water will do the trick.

You can get away with just cleaning the basket, tray and pan after a cook, but if you’ve been cooking something particularly splattery you’ll want to wait until it’s cooled down and then make sure you get the heating element nice and clean. If you don’t you’ll get smoke and smells next time you fry. Here's how to clean your air fryer – T3's handy guide.

Drying a freshly washed air fryer basket can be quite tricky, especially if there are lots of nooks and crannies in the main pan. The answer’s right there in front of you though: run the air fryer for a couple of minutes and it’ll dry – and sterilise – itself. Easy!

What you shouldn’t do, despite what TikTok might tell you, is attempt to clean your air fryer by filling it with water and then heating it up. It may or may not clean effectively, but it certainly won’t be good for it in the long term and it could electrocute you, catch fire and/or explode. And that will really ruin the dinner time vibe. 

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written thirteen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote another seven books and a Radio 2 documentary series. When she’s not scribbling, she’s the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR (havrmusic.com (opens in new tab) ).

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