Getting To Know Your Air Fryer

Getting to know your air fryer will be useful as you start using it. There are two different types of air fryers, the basket, and the oven. Today I am going over the basket air fryer. Tomorrow, I will write about the different features of the air fryer oven.

All basket air fryers are basically designed the same, although there are some minor differences, they all include:

Basket
Drawer
Heating Element
Fan
Air Inlet
Air Outlet Openings
Temperature Setting
Timer Setting

Here is A Brief Description of Each of the Parts which will ensure your success as you continue or start your air fryer journey.

Air Fryer Basket

The easiest way to describe the basket is it is where the food goes. When you are cooking with an air fryer basket, the two essential rules to remember:

Spray with cooking spray, which will prevent foods from sticking as you air fry.
Do not crowd the basket. Otherwise, the food will not properly cook. You want a single layer of food in the air fryer, with spaces around the food, so that the food cooks evenly.

Air Fryer Drawer

Most air fryer baskets have a draw, which is separated by pressing the level on the basket. Depending on which model you own.

As you can see, the air fryer basket has holes, so as the fat and oil drip out of the food, it is collected into the drawer.

To clean the basket, it’s best to separate it into two parts, and clean each one separately.

When directions call for you to shake the basket, they want you to remove the drawer from the basket and then shake the air fryer basket, not both the drawer and the basket.

Heating Element

The heating element is located in different places in each air fryer. In most air fryer baskets, the heating element is located directly above the food.

This is one of the best reasons you should flip your food halfway during the cooking process, so both sides are exposed directly to the heating element. This will ensure that your food is cooked evenly during air frying.

This is one reason you also use cooking spray on any bread coating since it will help crisp up your food under the heating element.

Fan

The fan in the air fryer is usually located in the back of the heating element. This circulates the hot air around the air fryer, causing your food to cook.

The fan helps distributes the heat evenly, around the air fryer basket.

Air Inlet

This is where the air comes into the air fryer, which allows it to not overheat. It is very important that the inlet is not blocked, otherwise the air fyrer will overheat.

Safety Concern: You must locate your air fryer inlet and make sure it’s not pressed against the counter or backsplash; otherwise, it will cause damage to these areas.

Air Outlet Openings

As the air fryer is creating all of this hot air circulating around your food, it’s important that the hot air escapes; otherwise, it would be building up hot air. This is where the air is released.

Sometimes when you see steam leaving an air fryer, it’s usually through these openings.

Safety Concern: Locate your air fryer outlet and make sure it’s not pressed against the counter or backsplash; otherwise, it will cause damage to these areas.