I went frozen wings over fresh wings for air frying and I don't get the hype

Everyone in this group seems to swear by fresh wings saying they turn out way crispier. But I tried fresh wings twice last week and they came out rubbery both times no matter what temp I used. So I grabbed a bag of frozen party wings from Aldi for like $7 and honestly they were way better. Came out crispy in 25 minutes with almost no prep. I know people say frozen ones have extra water but mine turned out just fine. Maybe my air fryer runs hot or I just suck at thawing but I'm sticking with frozen from now on. Has anyone else had way better luck with frozen over fresh?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.sage16d ago

Wait... you seriously tried fresh wings twice and they came out rubbery? That's wild to me because I've never had that happen with fresh ones. Are you maybe patting them dry enough before you season them? I always take paper towels and really press down hard to get all that surface moisture off. That extra water is what steams them instead of crisping them up. I actually tried frozen once and they came out kind of soggy for me, like the breading or skin never really got that snap. But hey if yours turn out good then go for it. My air fryer is pretty old and basic so maybe that's why I had trouble. I will say though that $7 for a bag is a steal compared to fresh wings these days. Chicken prices are getting ridiculous.

oscarb7715d ago

@torres.sage did you dry the frozen ones too or just throw them in straight from the bag?

the_charles12d ago

Pressed down really hard with paper towels" is the key part I disagree with, actually. I think people overthink the drying thing. With frozen wings, you don't touch them at all, just dump them in the basket and let the air fryer do the work. The extra moisture actually helps create steam that cooks the inside faster while the skin gets crunchy on the outside. When I pat fresh wings dry, even really hard, they still come out more rubbery than frozen ones for me. Maybe it's because I'm not patient enough to let them sit out and air dry first, but frozen ones just take the guesswork out of it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.