5 foods you should NEVER cook in an air fryer, according to experts

Some foods should never be placed in an air fryer because they can create excessive mess and may pose safety risks. Popcorn kernels may not pop because most air fryers do not reach the temperatures needed, so a microwave is recommended instead. Raw pasta cannot be cooked because it requires boiling water, and pasta sauce is likely to be messy. Toast can be cooked but often dries out bread, allows crumbs to stick to the basket, and requires flipping halfway, making it not worth the effort. Rice also needs water for boiling or steaming, so a slow cooker or pot is preferred.

"“Some foods will cause a lot more mess than necessary and might even pose a safety risk,” Jamie Darlow, a researcher at Which? said. “While the gadget works great for most dishes, there are some things that should always be avoided.”"

"“Topping the list is popcorn. If you're planning a movie night, you might be tempted to pop some kernels in the fryer. However, Mr Darlow advises using the microwave instead - or you could be waiting a while.” “Cooking popcorn might not work because most air fryers don't reach a high enough temperature to pop the kernels,” he said. “The microwave will do a much better job.”"

"“Unsurprisingly, you can't use an air fryer to cook raw pasta, since you need to put it in boiling water. And while cooking pasta sauces isn't impossible, it's messy 'so probably not worth the trouble'. Mr Darlow said you can use an air fryer to reheat pasta and sauce that's already been cooked - but the microwave is a more efficient way to do this.”"

"“Like pasta sauce, it's not impossible to cook toast in an air fryer. However, the results are 'likely to be disappointing compared to a toaster'. Mr Darlow said: 'The air fryer can dry out the bread and crumbs can get stuck at the bottom of the basket as the toast is blown around during cooking. 'You'll also need to flip it halfway. It's just not worth the effort.'”"

Read at Mail Online