Fried Food with Wet Batter

If you’re looking to make deep fried food healthier by cooking it in the air fryer instead, it’s unfortunately not going to work. Without the flash heat of a deep fryer oil bath to give it that signature crisp coating, your batter will just drip off while the food cooks.

Broccoli

While the thought of making broccoli in your air fryer might sound similar to roasting broccoli in your oven, it’s actually quite different. Broccoli doesn’t retain much moisture, so it will turn too dry with oil, and it might just turn into dust without it.

Entire Roasts/Whole Chickens

It’s true that air fryers can cook more than just snacks, but for a full roast or a whole chicken, an air fryer is too limiting. Even if it does somehow fit, the overcrowded space will not allow your bird to cook evenly.

Most Cheese

Foods that involve melting cheese, like grilled cheese or jalapeno poppers, can create a lot of issues. Most cheese is bound to make a mess, and the heat blast from an air fryer can easily burn the cheese too.

Hamburgers

Everyone has their preference on how they like their hamburgers, and if you like a medium-rare patty, the grill is better. A medium-rare burger is difficult, due to the air fryer’s forced-air method of cooking, which will cook the inside of the patty but not give the exterior the desired sear.