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AirfryerHQ

What do you want to cook?

Pick what you have actually got. Every page gives a temperature and a time range, states the size, quantity and appliance it assumes, and tells you how to know it is done rather than trusting the clock.

Fresh, from frozen and reheating are three different questionsOne food at the top branches into three states. Fresh means raw and unfrozen, and the question is whether it has reached its safe core temperature. From frozen means cooked straight from the freezer, which takes longer at a similar or slightly lower temperature, and the same core temperature rule applies; a frozen time is never derived from a fresh one. Leftover means already cooked and being reheated, which is governed by a reheating rule — piping hot throughout — rather than by the original cooking rule. All three converge on the same final step: the food is done when it reaches its target, not when the timer ends. Where AirfryerHQ holds no observation for a state, it says so and refuses rather than adapting a figure from a neighbouring state.One foodFreshRaw, not frozenCook to a safe coreFrom frozenFrom the freezerLonger, not derivedLeftoverAlready cookedReheat rule appliesDone is a temperature, not a timeThe clock says when to check
The same food, three different questions. Each state has its own governing safety rule, so a frozen time is never derived from a fresh one and a reheat is never derived from a cook. Where we hold nothing for a state, the page says so instead of adapting the nearest number.

Poultry

The category air fryers are best at and the one with the least room for error: every cut here has a core temperature it must reach, and the surface browns long before the middle is finished.

  • Chicken breast

    Lean, tapering and unforgiving: the cut with the narrowest window between cooked and dry.

    FreshFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken thigh

    Fattier and far more forgiving than breast, and it wants to be cooked past its safety target rather than to it.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken wings

    The cut air fryers do genuinely better than an oven, provided the skin gets long enough to render.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)From frozen

  • Chicken drumsticks

    Bone-in, skin-on and slow: the cut where every published time is longer than people expect.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Whole chicken

    The showpiece cook, and the one where a single thermometer reading is not enough to call it safe.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken tenders

    Thin strips that cook in a third of the time of a breast and dry out in half of it.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Bone-in chicken thighs

    The same muscle as a boneless thigh and a genuinely different cook — four minutes longer and ten degrees cooler.

    FreshFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken leg quarters

    Thigh and drumstick in one piece, which makes it the largest bone-in cut most people cook.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken sausages

    Leaner than a pork sausage, and charted at a lower temperature for exactly that reason.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken jerky strips

    Five to seven hours at 70°C — dehydrating raw poultry, which is a safety question first.

    Marinated

  • Turkey burgers

    Ten to thirteen minutes, and the published instruction is not to flip them.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Turkey jerky strips

    Five to seven hours at 70°C, on the same published figure as chicken and beef.

    Marinated

  • Duck breast

    Thirteen to fourteen minutes, and every minute of it is about the fat under the skin.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Duck legs

    Thirty to thirty-five minutes from frozen, and the published instruction is to prick the skin.

    From frozen

Potatoes

More air fryer cooking happens here than anywhere else. Almost every problem in this group is the same problem — too much in the basket at once.

  • Frozen chips

    The single most cooked food in this appliance class, and the one crowding ruins.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Roast potatoes

    Parboiling is not optional, and it is what the air fryer cannot do for you.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Potato wedges

    Thicker than chips, so the inside has to cook while the outside is already crisping.

    FreshFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Jacket potato

    The longest cook in this catalogue, and the one where an air fryer beats an oven on time and energy.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Homemade chips

    Twenty-five to forty minutes depending on who you ask, and the widest published disagreement in the catalogue.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Baby potatoes

    680g whole at 200°C for fifteen minutes — the quickest whole-potato option.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Frozen chunky chips

    Charted twenty degrees COOLER than thin frozen fries, which surprises everybody.

    From frozen

  • Chunky homemade chips

    Twenty to twenty-four minutes at 200°C, and thirty minutes of soaking beforehand.

    Fresh

  • Frozen roast potatoes

    Fifteen to eighteen minutes at 200°C from frozen — a third of the time from raw.

    From frozen

  • Potato rösti

    Fifteen to eighteen minutes at 180°C for 250g, shaken part-way.

    From frozen

  • Potato gratin

    Fifteen to eighteen minutes at 200°C for a 400g portion — and it must be in a dish, not loose.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)

  • Potato cubes

    Twelve to eighteen minutes at 200°C with half a tablespoon of oil.

    Fresh

Prepared and processed foods

Breaded, frozen and packaged foods, most of which arrive with instructions written for an oven. Where the packet is right, we say so; where the coating falls off, that has its own answer.

  • Frozen chicken nuggets

    Follow the packet — and know why the packet is right about this one.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Pizza (reheating)

    The clearest case where an air fryer beats every other tool in the kitchen.

    Leftover (reheating)

  • Breaded chicken breast

    A coating that wants high heat over meat that does not, cooked from frozen in most kitchens.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Fish fingers

    Six to ten minutes from frozen at 180–200°C, and better than the oven method on the box.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Breaded scampi

    Nine to fifteen minutes from frozen, and the two published figures disagree by a lot.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Hot dogs

    Three to five minutes, and the failure is splitting rather than undercooking.

    PrecookedLeftover (reheating)

  • Fish cakes

    Ten to twelve minutes for four, and the middle is the part that lags.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)

  • Battered fish fillets

    Eleven minutes at 200°C from frozen, published as a single figure rather than a range.

    From frozen

  • Chicken goujons

    Eight to ten minutes from frozen — the quickest breaded poultry there is.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Chicken Kiev

    Sixteen to eighteen minutes at 190°C from frozen, and the temperature is lower on purpose.

    From frozen

  • Frozen chicken burgers

    Fourteen to fifteen minutes at 200°C from frozen for six.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Frozen chicken steaks

    Fourteen to fifteen minutes at 200°C, the same as a chicken burger and a different shape.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Vegan burgers

    Seven to nine minutes fresh — the same as a beef burger, and for different reasons.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)

  • Frozen vegan sausages

    Eight minutes at 180°C, against nine to twelve for a frozen pork sausage.

    From frozen

  • Frozen vegan nuggets

    Ten minutes at 200°C, less than half the time of chicken nuggets by weight.

    From frozen

  • Frozen veggie burgers

    Twelve minutes at 200°C from frozen.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Whole frozen pizza

    A fit problem before it is a cooking problem, and the answer depends on your appliance.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)Chilled

Pork

Fat is the theme. Bacon and sausages render onto a hot surface, which is why this group is the commonest cause of a smoking air fryer.

  • Sausages

    Skins that brown early and centres that finish late — the classic false-done food.

    ChilledFreshFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Bacon

    Fast, easy and the commonest cause of a smoking air fryer — rendered fat on a hot surface.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)Cured

  • Pork chop

    Ten to fourteen minutes at 180°C, and bone-in versus boneless is a real difference in every chart that separates them.

    FreshChilledFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Pork loin joint

    A 1.25kg joint at 180°C for around fifty-five minutes — a genuine roast in a drawer.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Boneless pork chops

    Fourteen to seventeen minutes, against a flat fourteen for the bone-in version.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Pork loin steaks

    Four to five minutes on direct heat — the shortest pork cook in the catalogue.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Pork tenderloin

    Eighteen to twenty-two minutes whole, and the taper is the whole difficulty.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Pork loin ribs

    Eleven minutes on direct heat, which is a browning time rather than a cooking one.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Bacon chops

    Seven to eight minutes — a cured chop, which browns faster than an uncured one.

    Cured

Red meat

The group where air frying is a genuine compromise rather than an improvement, and it is worth knowing which way the compromise runs before you commit a steak to it.

  • Steak

    Air frying is a compromise for steak, and it is worth knowing which way the compromise runs.

    FreshFrom frozen

  • Beef burger

    Minced, so it must be cooked through — and the published times range from seven to eighteen minutes across five manufacturers.

    FreshChilledFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Meatballs

    Seven minutes at 190°C for inch balls — fast, and minced, so cooked through.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Roast beef joint

    A 1.8kg joint at 190°C for forty-five to fifty-five minutes, in a 9-litre machine.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Lamb chops

    Eight to twelve minutes at 200°C for inch-thick chops, and pink is fine.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Rack of lamb

    A 650–900g rack at 190°C for around twenty-two minutes.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Thick-cut steak

    A 3cm steak, which is where this appliance stops being a compromise.

    FreshFrom frozen

  • Flank or bavette steak

    Seven to eight minutes for a large 2cm piece, and how you slice it matters as much.

    Fresh

  • Beef jerky strips

    Five to seven hours at 70°C for 6mm strips marinated overnight.

    Marinated

  • Butterflied leg of lamb

    Twenty to twenty-four minutes for a 700g piece — the largest single item charted here.

    Fresh

  • Meat loaf

    Fifty minutes at 150°C — the lowest, longest published figure in the catalogue, and it needs a tin.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

Fish

Fast, forgiving on time and unforgiving on handling. Fish is one of the things an air fryer does better than the alternatives, provided it comes out when it is done.

  • Salmon fillet

    One of the foods an air fryer does better than the alternatives, and quickly.

    FreshFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • White fish fillet

    Eight to twelve minutes at 180°C, or ten at 200°C for a thick loin. No margin either way.

    FreshFrom frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Tuna steak

    Four to six minutes, and it is a decision about doneness rather than a cook.

    Fresh

  • Sea bass fillet

    Six to eight minutes for thin skin-on fillets, and the skin is the reason to bother.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Salmon jerky strips

    Three to five hours at 70°C — two hours shorter than any meat jerky, because of the fat.

    Marinated

  • Whole fish

    Fifteen to twenty minutes for a 300-400g fish, and the size that fits is the real constraint.

    Fresh

Shellfish

Minutes rather than tens of minutes, and the failure mode is always overcooking rather than undercooking.

  • Prawns

    Four minutes at 180°C for 450g. The shortest cook in the catalogue.

    FreshFrom frozen

  • Scallops

    Three to four minutes, patted dry and seasoned — and dry is the operative word.

    Fresh

  • Frozen tempura prawns

    Nine to ten minutes at 190°C from frozen, which is twice as long as a bare prawn.

    From frozen

Vegetables

Cut size decides almost everything here. Most complaints about charred outsides and raw middles are a knife problem rather than a cooking problem.

  • Broccoli florets

    Charred heads and raw stalks — a cutting problem dressed up as a cooking problem.

    Fresh

  • Sweet potato wedges

    Fifteen to twenty minutes at 200°C, and they will not crisp like a potato chip.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Whole sweet potato

    Thirty-five minutes at 190°C — cooler than a jacket potato, and for a reason.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Carrot slices

    Half-inch slices, fifteen minutes at 190°C. Slower than almost any other vegetable.

    Fresh

  • Cauliflower florets

    Twelve minutes at 200°C — double broccoli's time, from the same chart.

    Fresh

  • Brussels sprouts, halved

    Fifteen minutes at 200°C, halved — and halving is not optional.

    Fresh

  • Pepper chunks

    Inch chunks, fifteen minutes at 200°C. They blister; they do not crisp.

    Fresh

  • Courgette sticks

    Half-inch sticks, twelve minutes at 200°C, and cut thickness decides everything.

    Fresh

  • Mushroom slices

    Half-inch slices, five minutes at 200°C. The fastest vegetable in the catalogue.

    Fresh

  • Green beans

    Whole, five minutes at 200°C, and light enough for the fan to move them.

    Fresh

  • Asparagus spears

    Whole spears, six minutes at 200°C, with the tips done first.

    Fresh

  • Corn on the cob

    Halved cobs, six minutes at 190°C, and charring is the point.

    Fresh

  • Aubergine cubes

    Inch-and-a-half cubes, fifteen minutes at 200°C, with far less oil than a pan needs.

    Fresh

  • Parsnip cubes

    Half-inch cubes, fifteen minutes at 190°C — cooler than a carrot, on purpose.

    Fresh

  • Squash chunks

    Half-inch chunks, twelve minutes at 200°C. The cut size is the whole instruction.

    Fresh

  • Sweet potato chunks

    Fifteen to twenty minutes at 200°C for 2.5cm chunks.

    Fresh

  • Frozen sweet potato fries

    Eighteen to twenty minutes at 190°C — cooler and longer than ordinary frozen chips.

    From frozen

  • Whole beetroot

    Thirty to forty minutes with no oil at all — the longest vegetable cook here.

    Fresh

  • Dried beetroot slices

    Six to eight hours at 60°C for 3mm slices.

    Fresh

  • Celeriac cubes

    Twelve to fourteen minutes at 200°C for 1.5cm cubes.

    Fresh

  • Onion halves

    Five to seven minutes, and the cut face does all the work.

    Fresh

  • Onion slices

    Six to eight minutes, one temperature level below halves.

    Fresh

  • Kale crisps

    Ten to twelve minutes at 150°C — fifty degrees below everything else in the chart.

    Fresh

  • Portobello mushrooms

    Seven to nine minutes, against five to seven for ordinary mushrooms.

    Fresh

  • Dried mushroom slices

    Six to eight hours at 60°C, and the published instruction is not to wash them.

    Fresh

  • Whole Brussels sprouts

    Twelve to sixteen minutes whole, against eight to ten halved.

    Fresh

  • Carrot batons

    Twelve to fourteen minutes for 5cm pieces — a different form from coins, not a variation.

    Fresh

  • Parsnip batons

    Ten to twelve minutes for 5cm lengths at 200°C.

    Fresh

  • Courgette quarters

    Ten to twelve minutes quartered lengthwise, which is thicker than a stick and better for it.

    Fresh

  • Pepper quarters

    Six to nine minutes on direct heat, skin side down.

    Fresh

  • Stuffed vegetables

    Ten minutes at 160°C — the lowest air-fry temperature for anything savoury in the catalogue.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Dried ginger slices

    Six hours at 60°C for 3mm slices — the shortest dehydrating time in the chart.

    Fresh

  • Mixed vegetables

    Several vegetables in one basket, charted by four manufacturers with a wide band and an instruction to use your own judgement.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

Grains and bread

Bread, rolls and part-baked things, where the air fryer is competing with a toaster and an oven and beats both on small quantities.

  • Grilled bread

    Two to three minutes for thick slices brushed with oil, and three is already too long.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Part-baked rolls

    Six to eight minutes at 200°C, and one of the fastest useful things this appliance does.

    Fresh

  • A loaf of bread

    Fifty-five to sixty-five minutes at 150°C, with a published warning about the dough rising into the element.

    Fresh

Pastry and dough

Pastry wants dry heat and gets it. The care needed is about the filling, which is usually hotter than it looks.

  • Sausage roll

    Thirteen to fifteen minutes at 200°C, agreed by three separate manufacturers.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)Fresh

  • Spring roll

    Eight to ten minutes at 200°C, agreed by three manufacturers, and oven-ready ones only.

    From frozenChilledLeftover (reheating)

Fruit

Mostly drying rather than cooking, which needs a machine whose temperature range goes low enough — not all of them do.

Baking and desserts

A small chamber with a fan is an awkward oven. These work, with the caveats stated on each page.

  • Cake in a tin

    Twenty to twenty-five minutes at 160°C, in a tin, agreed across four manufacturers.

    Fresh

  • Muffins

    Fifteen to eighteen minutes, at 180°C or 200°C depending on the manufacturer.

    FreshLeftover (reheating)

  • Quiche

    Twenty to twenty-two minutes at 180°C, in a tin or oven dish.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)

Dairy

A short group, and one where the surface behaviour matters more than the core temperature.

  • Halloumi slices

    Two to four minutes for 3cm slices brushed with oil.

    ChilledLeftover (reheating)

Snacks

Small, quick and easy to burn while you are doing something else.

  • Frozen hash browns

    600g in eighteen to twenty minutes at 200°C, on a rack rather than in a basket.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Frozen onion rings

    Eight to fifteen minutes, at 180°C or 200°C — three charts, three answers.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Mozzarella sticks

    310g in eight minutes at 200°C, and there is no second attempt.

    From frozen

  • Frozen potato waffles

    280g in eight minutes at 200°C.

    From frozenLeftover (reheating)

  • Frozen breaded mushrooms

    Twelve to fourteen minutes at 170°C — the coolest frozen snack in the chart.

    From frozen

Not finding it?

This catalogue is deliberately smaller and more carefully built than it could be. Where AirfryerHQ holds no figure for a food, it says so rather than adapting one from something similar.