Five foods you should never put in your air fryer - but Brits still ignore advice

Air fryer enthusiasts often praise their countertop gadgets as a cost-effective and superior cooking method compared to traditional ovens. However, cooking experts have highlighted some common blunders people make with these devices.

If you're an air frying aficionado or a newcomer to the trend, heed this advice: there are certain foods you should never attempt to cook in your air fryer. Opt for a conventional oven instead when preparing recipes that include these items.

As noted by the Huffington Post, one of the top foods to avoid in your air fryer is anything with wet batter. The air fryer isn't equipped to crisp up such coatings – it's not a deep fryer, after all.

Attempting to cook wet-battered foods will likely result in a sticky mess, so it's best to steer clear.

Additionally, cooking expert and recipe developer Brenda Peralta advises against cooking bacon in your air fryer. "Bacon is a fatty food, and when it is cooked in an air fryer, the fat can drip down and cause smoke or splatter. This can make the bacon difficult to cook evenly, and it can also produce a lot of smoke and odors," she explains, reports the Mirror.

You should think twice before attempting to cook certain items in your air fryer, as not everything turns out crispy and delicious. For example, fresh greens like kale tend to be too light for the air circulation and could end up causing quite a mess without cooking evenly, leaving you with unsatisfactory kale crisps.

Thought about cooking cheese in your air fryer?

Culinary director of ButcherBox, Yankel Polak advises against it. "An air fryer is actually NOT a deep fryer. When you make something like a mozzarella stick in a deep fryer, an instant outer crust is formed...In an air fryer, this does not happen, and you'll instead end up with a gooey, cheesy mess," he explains.

Also, when a craving for homemade burgers strikes, expert and author Anna Vocino suggests sticking to the traditional oven over the air fryer. "Air fryers are not ideal for grilling red meat. You'd be able to get the inside of a burger to medium rare, but the outside wouldn't get that 'char' that you want on a burger. Plus, it's really messy," she warns.