How to prevent food from sticking in the air fryer? : follow these six tips

The best way to prevent food from sticking together is to follow the steps below in order to achieve even cooking. Pay attention.

In the era of modernization and practical search for cooking our food, there is the air fryer, a tool that allows you to fry fries, meat, fish or chicken without need to apply a lot of oil. However, when using food frequently it can stick and the uniformity is lost, which causes discomfort especially to those who are interested in the culinary world.

An easy tool that is currently trending can be complicated if you don't know much about what it contains to solve it. In this context, the idea is to look for how the food cannot stick to the fryer. Therefore, follow these practical tips to make the most of the artifact. Remember to pay attention, so your food will preserve its uniform cooking.

1. PREHEAT THE AIR FRYER

The first is to preheat the air fryer, a common resource that any cooking element must be preheated. Most brands of air fryers specify that it must be preheated to ensure even cooking in the food.

However, if your air fryer doesn't have a preheat mode in your system, simply set it to the desired temperature and let it run for about three minutes before placing your food. You'll see it'll work.

2. USE OIL IF YOU DESERVE IT

Second has to with the vital ingredient for frying food, oil. In some cases it can contribute, in certain foods, to make them crispy. But others do not need it, there is no obligation to always apply it to cook food.

For example, if your food already has some fat — like red meat or chicken — then you probably don't need the oil as it would only increase fat. Fry it like this for it will turn out crispy. Of course, the ideal would be to use it on vegetables such as fries or in any battered seafood.

3. GREASE THE FRYER BASKET

On the other hand, there is the step of greasing the fryer basket. Yes, even if your food doesn't require oil, always take a few seconds to grease it. In addition, you can do this either by rubbing or spraying a little vegetable oil on the lower racks. The goal is to ensure that your food does not stick to the appliance tray and maintains even cooking.

La freidora de aire ha permitido mayor facilidad en cocinar carnes y papas fritas. Pero a veces se pegan y difícil dar una cocción uniforme a los alimentos.Complexio | Getty Images

4. YOU SHOULD NEVER USE AEROSOLS IN THE AIR FRYER

Key point. Spray oil is known to cause chips in many air fryer baskets. This is why oil spray cans are known to have aggressive agents that damage or spoil the coating of most baskets. Remember that it is better to invest in a bottle of good quality oil and serve in a decent amount.

5. DO NOT OVERLOAD THE BASKET

It is vital to follow this advice. If you want your fried foods to be crispy, you'll want to make sure you don't overfill the basket. The greater the accumulation of food that can heat up and melt, the more likely it will stick in the air fryer. It will also prevent food from becoming crispy and browned.

6. SHAKE THE BASKET DURING COOKING

Finally, when frying small foods, such as chicken wings, chips and similar products, the basket should be shaken every few minutes to ensure even cooking. Without much aggression, because you can also use a pair of kitchen tongs to flip larger foods instead of shaking them. Something like if it were a pan or a pot while cooking over a gas fire.

In that sense, once you open the basket for shaking, the air fryer will temporarily stop, but will resume cooking the food at the same temperature once you return the basket. This will achieve the goal of not sticking.

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