The Ideal Temperature For Air Frying Crispy Steaks From Frozen
The idea of cooking steak straight from your freezer to the air fryer may sound strange. But believe it or not, you can indeed grab your frozen sirloin, filet mignon, or just about any tender choice among your favorite cuts of steak and end up with beautiful, evenly cooked piece of meat using nothing but your air fryer, per Thyme & Joy. Better still, the method is easy and means that you can finally stop thawing frozen steaks while you're eagerly awaiting your meal.
Previously, forgetting to take the steaks out of the freezer was almost like having a nightmare for dinner. You had to let the meat defrost while your hunger pangs grew worse and worse. You'd alternatively put the bagged steaks in lukewarm water, still waiting hours for them to thaw safely, or defrost them in the microwave, risking watery and semi-cooked steaks. The air fryer makes these headaches obsolete — but there's a caveat: You need to set your appliance to the perfect temperature.
The winning temperature is between 380 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit
After air-frying a pack of sirloins for 11 minutes, a food enthusiast realized that the popular kitchen appliance can make a nice and juicy steak, as long as it's used at the right cooking temperature. "A lot of air fryer steak recipes have you set the temp around 370℉, but I jacked it up to 400℉ to maximize browning," Claire Lower wrote for Lifehacker. This was her winning temperature after a few experiments, as it avoided the "gray and cold" center she got when air-frying steaks around 370 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're worried that the high temperature could cause your steaks to dry out, Air Fryer Eats says this won't happen as long as you cook them for about 13 minutes for medium-rare. The blog recommends a temperature of 380 degrees Fahrenheit, so you may want to try this method for your first air-fried steak, checking on the meat after about 11 minutes.
Of course, the size and thickness of your steak, as well as how efficiently your air fryer heats, are other variables that affect the ideal temperature for air-frying steaks from frozen. For the best results, ensure that your steaks are about an inch thick and that your fryer is in superb condition.