Hot take: Overcrowding the air fryer basket isn't the enemy everyone says it is

Tried cooking 2 pounds of frozen fries in my basket last week in Phoenix and they came out perfectly crispy after a single shake at 8 minutes. Has anyone else found that popular tip about single layers is just people being way too careful?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher5947d ago

Frozen fries are different though. Fresh cut potatoes need more room for steam to escape or they get soggy. That single layer rule comes from restaurant kitchens where they're cooking fresh. And even with frozen stuff, try doing 4 pounds in the same basket. Guarantee you'll get a soggy mess on the bottom. The air needs to move around each piece. That's basic physics, not overthinking. One pound is the sweet spot for most basket sizes. Pushing it to two is just rolling the dice.

harris.emma7d ago

Isn't it funny how people turn cooking tips into hard and fast rules these days... everyone's so scared of messing up that they forget the equipment can handle more than the internet says. I overcrowd my basket all the time and as long as you give it a good shake things turn out fine. Feels like the same overthinking that makes people afraid to overwater plants or skip a step in a recipe.

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