My brother told me to stop crowding the basket, and he was totally right

For months, my air fryer chicken thighs came out pale and soggy on one side. I was just piling them in, thinking more food at once was efficient. My brother, who got his air fryer a year before me, kept saying 'give them space, like cookies on a pan.' I finally listened last week and cooked just four thighs instead of six. They browned all over and got that crisp skin in about 22 minutes. Has anyone else found a specific number of pieces that works best for their model?

2 comments

2 Comments

theawest1d ago

Thinking more food at once was efficient" is the biggest trap with those things. I did the same thing with fries and ended up with a box of sad, steamed potato sticks. My air fryer manual basically says to lie to yourself about its capacity. What model do you have?

wendy6741d ago

You saying "sad, steamed potato sticks" is exactly what happened to my first batch of wings. I used to pack it full thinking I was saving time. Now I do two smaller batches and the difference is crazy, everything actually gets crispy. My manual said the same thing about capacity, it's basically a suggestion for how to get bad food. I have the Cosori 5.8 quart one.