Five things you should never cook in your air fryer revealed

An air fryer is such a useful kitchen gadget for cooking things quickly and it doesn't cost the earth to run or buy.

It rose to popularity during the Covid pandemic and has stayed popular ever since with its versatility and quickness winning the hearts of many.

There are now cookbooks dedicated to it and some have even got rid of ovens altogether, instead investing in big air fryers as they simply don't need big ovens any more.

But in the same way you would never cook whole eggs in the oven, The Express has warned of five things you should never cook in an air fryer.

Broccoli is one of the foods that should never be cooked in an air fryer / Rafa Jodar, iStock

The first is anything with a hearty sauce - think of a spaghetti bolognese, chilli con carne or a casserole as examples.

The liquid could be blasted by the hot air which could splatter all around the interior of the air fryer which would not only be really messy but very dangerous as well.

The second is anything in wet batter, such as anything that is deep fried like fish at a chippy.

With there being no hot oil in the basket, the batter would drip everywhere and cause damage to the air fryer but flour-based batters or panko breadcrumbs are an alternative.

The third is popcorn as air fryers don't get hot enough to pop the kernels and these can become lodged in the device and make it short out.

The fourth is more of a preference than anything but it's broccoli.

That's because when broccoli is cooked in the air fryer, it dries it out making it tough and quite bitter. Oven cooking or pan frying with a few herbs and spices are much better options.

And the fifth is dried goods, such as pasta and rice, as these both need to be boiled first.

An air fryer can be used to reheat dishes containing either of these though and a pasta bake could be made crispy on top in an air fryer once it's cooked.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.