Why does nobody talk about overcrowding the air fryer basket

I keep seeing folks online piling chicken thighs on top of each other in a single layer that's more like three layers. Tried it myself last month with some drumsticks and ended up with soggy skin and raw spots near the bone. After 3 batches where I actually left space between each piece, they came out crispy all over in about 18 minutes. Why are we still pretending you can fit a whole family meal in one go without flipping halfway?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithbennett10d ago

You ever had a buddy swear up and down they know what they're doing with an air fryer? My mate Dave told me he tried making wings for a party last month. He crammed like 20 wings in his basket, no room between them at all, and cranked it to 400. Came out looking like sad, sweaty chicken with some parts barely cooked. He had to do a second batch properly with a single layer and some flipping, and those came out golden and crunchy. Took him an extra 20 minutes, but nobody complained about the soggy batch because he ate most of them himself. You figure out a trick that finally worked for you?

felix82410d ago

Yeah, but I gotta say, the thing about air fryers that people mess up isn't just the crowding thing. It's the temperature too. 400 is way too high for wings if you want them crispy all the way through without burning the outside. Most recipes I've seen say to start at like 360 or 375 for the first 12 minutes, then crank it to 400 for the last 3 or 4 minutes to get that crunch. Your buddy Dave probably would have had better luck if he did that instead of just blasting them at full heat from the start. Also, drying the wings off before seasoning helps a ton. Pat them down with paper towels, toss them in a little baking powder and salt, let them sit in the fridge for an hour if you've got time. That's the real trick. Makes a huge difference.