Caution: These 8 Foods Crash and Burn in an Air Fryer
In our years of testing air fryers, we've found that these mighty machines do far more good than harm, but some foods just aren't meant to be cooked in these machines. While chicken wings and thighs thrive and hot dogs and burgers emerge as tasty as if you'd seared them over a blazing grill, others wimper and wilt when confronted with that fast, convection heat.
That's why I've learned -- sometimes the hard (and crispy) way -- to ban certain foods from the air fryer entirely. Spinach, kale and leafy greens are one food category you should never cook in an air fryer unless the goal is to make chips. Shellfish? Another food that gets downright demolished by all that power. Even boneless chicken breast can dry out in an air fryer if it's not protected by breading or a coating of flour.
After too many culinary flops, I've officially blacklisted these eight ingredients from the air fryer zone.
1. Boneless pork chops
Boneless pork chops dry out too easily for an air fryer.
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A perfectly cooked pork chop is a thing of beauty but leaner cuts of the other white meat can dry out in a hurry. Bacon, bone-in pork chops and fattier cuts of swine can handle the air fryer but lean, boneless pork chops and tenderloin tend to dry out when subjected to the blast of high heat. If you're going to use the air fryer to cook pork chops, do so at a lower temperature and use some fat to keep things from getting too dry.
2. Spinach and leafy greens
Crisped spinach and kale will not turn out well in an air fryer.
CNET
Leafy greens are a big no when it comes to air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you'd want to eat. Solid veggies including Brussels sprouts, squash and zucchini fare well in the air fryer, but leafy greens are best when sautéed, stewed or steamed.
3. Steak and most cuts of beef
Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.
Molly Price/CNET
Steak reheats well in the air fryer, but it's not an ideal place to cook it for the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I've tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don't come out as well compared to when they're cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet or grill.
The exception to the beef rule is burgers. Ground beef won't get stringy and the air fryer's intense heat allows you to get a crusty seer without overcooking the middle. Here's how to make a bacon cheeseburger in the air fryer.
Read more: Best Meat Delivery Services
4. Boneless chicken breasts
Unbreaded chicken breasts are not the best candidates.
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Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts don't have much fat and will dry out easily. Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs and you'll be OK, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery.
5. Large cuts of any meat
Pot roast typically needs low and slow methods of cooking.
Ry Crist/CNET
Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked with a low and slow method such as braising or smoking. Avoid the air fryer with its hot blast of convection air when cooking large cuts of meat and opt for the Dutch oven, slow cooker or pellet smoker.
6. Naked broccoli
The air fryer will singe broccoli unless you cover it in foil.
CNET
If you wrap your broccoli in foil, you can use the air fryer to roast it (quickly). If you leave it uncovered and exposed to the hot convection air and you'll end up with sizzled broccoli ends that are anything but delicious.
7. Shellfish
Clams and mussels are better for a pot instead of an air fryer.
CNET
Shellfish such as clams and mussels need liquid to cook without drying out. They are also easily overcooked, which can lead to a chewy rubbery morsel that you don't want anywhere near your plate. Avoid the air fryer when cooking most shellfish.
8. Most baked goods
Cake and cookie recipes don't typically translate well from the oven to an air fryer.Read more: Best Seafood Delivery Services
You can certainly do some baking in the air fryer but use caution since the air fryer's super convection behaves differently than a normal oven's convection heat.
Baking a cake or batch of cookies in the air fryer using the time and temperature called for in a recipe will often result in an overcooked, dry or burnt dessert. When baking in an air fryer, use recipes that are specific to an air fryer and don't assume an oven recipe will translate.
If you're looking for a great air fryer, here are CNET's top-rated models for 2025. For more, these are the best air-frying toaster ovens for 2025.
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