Can you stack food in an air fryer?
In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “can you stack food in an air fryer” with an in-depth analysis of stacking the food in an air fryer that can prevent the proper circulation of hot air in the fryer.
Moreover, we are going to highlight what foods can be stacked and what foods cannot be, and what alternatives to stacking can be used to cook a large number of foods simultaneously.
Can you stack food in an air fryer?
Stacking food in an air fryer is not usually recommended as it requires proper ventilation of hot air throughout the food to completely cook it. It also depends upon the size as well as the weight of the food material that is going to be cooked as fries can be stacked just like other deep fryers as burgers cannot be.
The cooking in the air fryer is dependent upon the exposure of food to hot air that circulated throughout the food surface to cook it. In this regard, if the food surface is hidden and cannot come into contact with hot air, the food from that part will remain uncooked and even dangerous if consumed so. You can find more about stacking in an air fryer here.
Foods to the stack:
You can stack some foods in the air fryer because of their small size and weight as this can allow the proper flow of hot air throughout the food material. Moreover, the strong air pressure in an air fryer can also be able to move them slightly and in this way, almost all the parts come in contact with the hot air and become cooked.
Some of the foods that can easily be stacked in an air fryer are fries, donuts, vegetables that are cut into small pieces, small potatoes, mozzarella sticks, and chicken wings. All these food items are smaller in size and can be cooked easily.
Foods not to stack:
You should not stack foods that are heavier and denser, such as meat cuts (even frozen meat) and large-sized vegetables. This will not allow the air to properly flow through the surfaces that are joined with one another and will result in the production of food with uncooked surfaces.
As we all know that uncooked foods are a source of many potential risks among which the main issue is the ingestion of microbes that will cause food poisoning.
Some of the foods that should not be stacked when cooked in an air fryer are steak, fish, chicken breasts, burgers, ribs, and chopped pork. All these foods are cooked in large-sized pieces and need to be cooked more carefully so that even a slight carelessness can result in a major problem with adverse health outcomes.
Solutions for stacking food in an air fryer:
Some accessories can be used to stack foods in an air fryer. These are most commonly employed for those food products that are larger and cannot be cooked in larger amounts in an air fryer.
Air Fryer Rack
Nowadays, uniquely designed air fryer racks are coming on the market that enables you to stack your food in an air fryer. These racks contain layered partitions on which you can lay your large-sized meat pieces in layers and allow them to be cooked. There is enough space in between these layers of racks through which the hot air can easily flow and cook the food evenly.
If your air fryer is big enough to support different sizes of racks, you can use more than one rack to cook different sizes of food items. This can increase the capacity of an air fryer to cook foods that cannot be cooked through stacking in normal single-layered racks to about 150%.
Furthermore, these racks are easy to clean and handle. You can just place them in the dishwasher. For handling, you just need to insert and remove the racks in the air fryer cooking basket. These racks are easily affordable and can be purchased from anywhere without worrying much.
Large air fryer:
Another option that you may use to cook large amounts of foods through air frying at the same time is to buy larger air fryers. Different sizes of air fryers are available that can be chosen as one’s own preference and needs.
The normal range of sizes for air fryers is 3-quart to 16-quart. A 3-quart air fryer is suited best for side dishes, a 5-quart air fryer is suitable for small families that do not need to cook too much food, a 6.5-quart air fryer is appropriate for cooking whole chickens and meat pieces, a 10-quart is suitable for large families and a 16-quart air fryer is best for larger families or for restaurants that need to prepare multiple meals.
Conclusion:
In this brief guide, we answered the question “can you stack food in an air fryer” with an in-depth analysis of the results of stacking food in an air fryer. Moreover, we discussed what alternatives can be used to stack food in an air fryer and what foods should be stacked, larger air fryers, and what should not be.
