In this article, we will answer the question “Can you put foil in an air fryer?”, and what are the benefits or dangers associated with it along with the working of an air fryer.
Can you put foil in an air fryer?
Yes, you can put aluminum foil in an air fryer. Air fryers have become the talk of the town and rightfully so. Air fryers save you the effort of cleanup after cooking and are an excellent choice to lead a healthy lifestyle. Because you can cook your food in little to no oil. Isn’t that amazing? Read on if you want to know what kind of foods do not go well in the air fryer when wrapped in foil.
How to use foil in an air fryer safely?
Do not use foil at the bottom of your fryer
If the heating coils and fans are installed at the bottom of your fryer, avoid placing foil at the bottom, or else you are just hindering the proper airflow. This will result in undercooked food and the waste of electricity because you will have to cook it for longer.
Do not cover the mesh entirely
The mesh at the bottom of the food basket should not be covered entirely. Let the airflow from all directions. Try poking the foil with holes and placing it at the bottom.
Weight your foil down
The foil should not come in contact with the heating coils at the top of the fryer or else it will get tangled by the coils. It could result in a fire or damage to your fryer. The only way to go about it is by wrapping your food with aluminum foil and placing it on the basket. Tightly wrap your food with the foil.
Do not overload
Do not place more food in your fryer than its capacity or else it will prevent an even airflow and damage your appliance in the longer run.
Working principle of an air fryer
The principle on which an air fryer works is convection. The heating coils or fans present in the crest of the fryer help distribute heat evenly throughout the fryer. It has a container with a webbed bottom to allow the heat to circulate from the bottom as well. When you insert the container back into the fryer, the mesh bottom gets blocked by a solid bottom platform which helps collect the drippings on your food while it is being fried.
It can heat food up to 200°C temperature. The timer can be used to adjust the cooking time and temperature can be adjusted according to your food.
How dangerous is it to use foil in an air fryer?
There are three reasons why using an air fryer is dangerous.
- You are using it the wrong way that could damage your appliance(discussed above)
- You are wrapping the wrong foods in the foil.
By wrong foods, we mean anything that is spicy, acidic, or too salty. These foods include tomato, lemon, vinegar, chili, etc. The science behind it is that the acidity or the tanginess of these foods will start to decompose aluminum under high temperatures causing the aluminum to leech into your food. This makes your food taste oddly metallic. Eating food that has high levels of aluminum over a longer period of time has been associated with retarding cognitive functions resulting in Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Is there any good use to put foil in an air fryer?
Yes, certainly there is and it serves the same purpose as it does with a regular oven. So, using aluminum foil in an air fryer solves three problems:
- Prevents the drippings from your food and locks the flavor inside it.
- Helps heat spread evenly throughout the food and prevents undercooked or overcooked food.
- Saves you the time and effort to clean up the bottom of the fryer by preventing the drippings.
Whenever you coat your meat with marinades and sauces, you want every bit of it to get absorbed into the meat so that you can enjoy the flavor to its full potential. In this case, aluminum foil comes to the rescue, and not only this, you won’t have to clean the stubborn greasy drippings from the bottom of your fryer.
What is an apt alternative to foil?
Use parchment paper or baking paper. It is much lighter than the foil and is not toxic. For better results, poke holes in the paper or buy ready-made parchment paper with holes in it that sit nicely at the bottom of the basket without blocking the airflow.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “Can you put foil in an air fryer?”, and what are the benefits or dangers associated with it along with the working of an air fryer.
