Guides
Written by Christian Weber. Every claim that can be sourced is sourced — to a manufacturer's own chart, to the USDA, or to a university extension service — and where the sources disagree, the guide says so instead of picking one.
The 25-degree rule, explained — and when it fails
Everyone repeats "drop 25°F and cut the time 20%". We went looking for who says it, found nobody official, and found three foods where it is wrong.
Why your air fryer food comes out soggy
Soggy air fryer chips are almost always one of five things, and four of them are about water. Here is how to work out which one you are doing.
Safe internal temperatures for air frying
The full USDA safe minimum internal temperature chart, plus why an air fryer changes cook times but never changes these numbers, and where to put the probe.
Foods you should never put in an air fryer
One food the USDA specifically tells you not to air fry, three that are genuine fire risks, and several that just come out worse than another method.
Preheating: when it matters and when it is a waste of time
Preheating an air fryer matters enormously for a four-minute cook and barely at all for a forty-minute one. Here is the rule, and how long it actually takes.
Air fryer vs oven: what actually changes
An air fryer is a small convection oven. What that means for your electricity bill, your cook times, and the handful of jobs an oven still does better.
Cooking from frozen without a cold middle
Frozen food is what air fryers are best at. The trick is a lower temperature than you expect — here is the pattern hidden in the manufacturer charts.
How basket size and wattage change your cook times
Why the same recipe takes different times in a 4 qt basket and a 9 qt oven-style unit, and how to calibrate your own machine against a published chart.
Parchment, foil, and what is safe in the basket
Loose baking paper in an air fryer is a genuine fire risk, not a fussy warning. What is safe, what is not, and the one rule that prevents the problem.
Reheating leftovers in an air fryer
An air fryer makes leftovers crisp again where a microwave makes them soft. The temperatures that work, and the one safety number that applies to all of them.
Why your air fryer is smoking
Smoke from an air fryer is almost always rendered fat hitting the element, not a fault. Five causes, ranked by likelihood, and the fix for each.
How much oil to use in an air fryer
Some foods need no oil at all, some need a teaspoon, and using none at all on vegetables is why they burn. Which is which, and which oil to use.
Your first week with an air fryer
What to cook first, the four habits that decide whether you use it daily or shelve it, and the one purchase that makes everything else reliable.
Looking for a specific food?
The index has sourced times and temperatures for every food, with the safe internal temperature where one applies.