Turns Out, There's A Wrong Way To Cook Eggs In The Air Fryer

There is a right way and a wrong way (or, more likely, multiple right and wrong ways) to do anything, and knowing the former is undoubtedly more useful. However, knowing the latter is generally more entertaining, as highlighted by a funny, yet relatable TikTok video in which someone tries to use their air fryer to cook eggs and learns the hard way how not to do it. For future reference, if you also wish to cook eggs in an air fryer, don't just pour them into heat-safe cups (they use silicon cups) and crank up the heat. The eggs may not turn out as you'd wish.

Unless, of course, what you have in mind is a big mess of eggy goo scattered all over the inside of your air fryer, since that's egg-zactly what you are likely to get. As to why this happened, the video did not delve into an explanation, but several commenters suggested the air circulating inside of an air fryer can have this effect on the exposed raw eggs. One person noted that eggs aren't the only affected foods, and claimed when they tried to make air fryer grilled cheese, the gusty winds inside the appliance blew the top slice of bread right off their sandwich.

As established in the TikTok video, cooking raw eggs in an air fryer can be a recipe for disaster. How can such a disaster be averted? As one commenter suggested, one way to air-fry eggs sans shells is to air-poach them instead. Add a few tablespoons of water to a heat-safe cup or ramekin, then preheat the water with the air fryer. When it gets hot, cook the eggs at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 or 6 minutes. Cook them a little longer if you like a firmer yolk.

@airfryergirluk

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♬ Oh No – Kreepa

You can also cook eggs in the closed containers they come in. No, not the cartons, as it's doubtful they'd fit, but right in the shells. Water can be your friend here too. To boil an egg in the air fryer, start by soaking the eggs in lukewarm water as the appliance heats up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The purpose of the water in this method is to warm up the eggshells, thus keeping them from cracking and making a mess. Once the eggs and the fryer are warm (or lukewarm, in the case of the former), take the eggs out of the water, pat them dry, and "fry" them — shells and all — for 14 to 15 minutes if you want hard-boiled eggs. If you prefer a soft-boiled egg, between 9 and 10 minutes will do. 11 to 13 minutes results in medium-boiled eggs.