I’m a bona fide air fryer enthusiast<\/span><\/span>, making many of my meals — including breakfast<\/span><\/span> — in the speedy countertop ovens. Yes, the air fryer is forgiving and can turn a modest chicken thigh into a thing of beauty in minutes, but it can’t do everything.<\/p>\n In fact, certain foods are best left out of the air fryer entirely, as they’re more likely to emerge dry, burnt or ruined rather than perfectly crisp. From delicate leafy greens to leaner, unbreaded proteins, knowing the air fryer’s danger zones will keep you from wasting food that would be better off cooked elsewhere.<\/p>\n I’ve been experimenting with air fryer<\/span><\/span> cooking for the past five years. Among the many hits<\/span><\/span>\u00a0are a few big misses. The air fryer, despite its versatility, can dry out food quickly, which is why lean, boneless chicken breasts and pork chops may be best cooked in a cast-iron skillet<\/span><\/span>, on the grill<\/span><\/span> or using a sous vide cooker<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n Below, you’ll find 10 foods that the air fryer can annihilate.<\/p>\n Lean pork is likely to dry out in an air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>Chris Wedel\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A perfectly cooked pork chop is a thing of beauty, but leaner cuts of the other white meat can dry out in a hurry. Bacon, bone-in pork chops and fattier cuts of swine can handle the air fryer, but lean, boneless pork chops and tenderloin tend to dry out when subjected to the blast of high heat. If you’re using an air fryer to cook pork chops, cook at a lower temperature and add some fat to keep them from drying out. <\/p>\n Crisped spinach and kale will not turn out well in an air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Leafy greens are a big “no” when air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you’d want to eat. Solid veggies, including Brussels sprouts, squash and zucchini, fare well in the air fryer, but leafy greens are best when sauteed, stewed or steamed. <\/p>\n Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.<\/p>\n <\/span>Molly Price\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Steak<\/span><\/span>\u00a0reheats well in the air fryer but it’s not an ideal place to cook it for the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I’ve tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don’t come out as well as when they’re cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet<\/span><\/span> or grill<\/span><\/span>. <\/p>\n The exception to the beef rule is burgers. Ground beef won’t become stringy, and the air fryer’s intense heat allows for a crusty sear without overcooking the middle. Here’s how to\u00a0make a bacon cheeseburger in the air fryer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong> Best Meat Delivery Services<\/p>\n See all photos<\/span><\/div>\n Unbreaded chicken breasts are not the best candidates for the air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts don’t have much fat and will dry out easily. Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs, and you’ll be OK, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery. <\/p>\n Pot roast typically needs low and slow cooking methods.<\/p>\n <\/span>Ry Crist\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked using a low-and-slow method such as braising or smoking<\/span><\/span>. When cooking larger cuts of meat, avoid the air fryer’s hot blast of convection air and opt for the Dutch oven<\/span><\/span>, slow cooker or pellet smoker. <\/p>\n The air fryer will singe broccoli unless you cover it in foil.<\/p>\n <\/span>CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you wrap your broccoli in foil, you can use the air fryer to roast it (quickly). If you leave it uncovered and exposed to the hot convection air and you’ll end up with sizzled broccoli ends that are anything but delicious. <\/p>\n Clams and mussels are better for a pot instead of an air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Shellfish, such as clams and mussels, require liquid to cook without drying out. They are also easily overcooked, which can result in a chewy, rubbery morsel that you wouldn’t want anywhere near your plate. Avoid using the air fryer when cooking most types of shellfish. <\/p>\n Cake and cookie recipes don’t typically translate well from the oven to an air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>Esther Chou\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Read more<\/strong>: Best Seafood Delivery Services<\/p>\n You can certainly do some baking in the air fryer but use caution because the air fryer’s super convection behaves differently than a normal oven’s convection heat.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Baking a cake or batch of cookies in the air fryer using the time and temperature called for in a recipe will often result in an overcooked, dry or burnt result. When baking in an air fryer, use recipes\u00a0specifically<\/em>\u00a0designed for an air fryer and avoid assuming that an oven recipe will translate. <\/p>\n Lasagna and deep casserole-style dishes may not warm through before the top starts to burn.<\/p>\n <\/span>David Watsky\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Because the air fryer cooks fast and the heat comes from above, deep casseroles and layered lasagnas may not cook all the way through before burning on top. If you plan to use the air fryer, set it to bake or a lower temperature than you would typically use for cooking chicken wings or hot dogs.\u00a0 <\/p>\n If you’re looking for a great air fryer, here are CNET’s top-rated models<\/span><\/span> for 2025. For more, these are the best air-frying toaster ovens<\/span><\/span> for 2025. <\/p>\n Loose popcorn in the air fryer is a recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n <\/span>Tetra Images\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Popcorn seems like a good candidate for the air fryer but the quick results aren’t worth the potential danger. As popcorn pops, it shoots sky-high, and those kernels can get caught in your air fryer’s heating element, causing a fire at worst or burnt popcorn at best. If you’re going to make popcorn in the air fryer, you’ll need a foil packet or another heatproof container. <\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Managing Editor \/ Home and Kitchen<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n David lives in Brooklyn where he’s spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. <\/p>\n David earned his BA from Northeastern and has toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. <\/p>\n Right now he’s likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or tinkering with a toaster. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.<\/span> See full bio <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I’m a bona fide air fryer enthusiast<\/span><\/span>, making many of my meals — including breakfast<\/span><\/span> — in the speedy countertop ovens. Yes, the air fryer is forgiving and can turn a modest chicken thigh into a thing of beauty in minutes, but it can’t do everything.<\/p>\n In fact, certain foods are best left out of the air fryer entirely, as they’re more likely to emerge dry, burnt or ruined rather than perfectly crisp. From delicate leafy greens to leaner, unbreaded proteins, knowing the air fryer’s danger zones will keep you from wasting food that would be better off cooked elsewhere.<\/p>\n I’ve been experimenting with air fryer<\/span><\/span> cooking for the past five years. Among the many hits<\/span><\/span>\u00a0are a few big misses. The air fryer, despite its versatility, can dry out food quickly, which is why lean, boneless chicken breasts and pork chops may be best cooked in a cast-iron skillet<\/span><\/span>, on the grill<\/span><\/span> or using a sous vide cooker<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n Below, you’ll find 10 foods that the air fryer can annihilate.<\/p>\n Lean pork is likely to dry out in an air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>Chris Wedel\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A perfectly cooked pork chop is a thing of beauty, but leaner cuts of the other white meat can dry out in a hurry. Bacon, bone-in pork chops and fattier cuts of swine can handle the air fryer, but lean, boneless pork chops and tenderloin tend to dry out when subjected to the blast of high heat. If you’re using an air fryer to cook pork chops, cook at a lower temperature and add some fat to keep them from drying out. <\/p>\n Crisped spinach and kale will not turn out well in an air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Leafy greens are a big “no” when air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you’d want to eat. Solid veggies, including Brussels sprouts, squash and zucchini, fare well in the air fryer, but leafy greens are best when sauteed, stewed or steamed. <\/p>\n Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.<\/p>\n <\/span>Molly Price\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Steak<\/span><\/span>\u00a0reheats well in the air fryer but it’s not an ideal place to cook it for the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I’ve tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don’t come out as well as when they’re cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet<\/span><\/span> or grill<\/span><\/span>. <\/p>\n The exception to the beef rule is burgers. Ground beef won’t become stringy, and the air fryer’s intense heat allows for a crusty sear without overcooking the middle. Here’s how to\u00a0make a bacon cheeseburger in the air fryer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong> Best Meat Delivery Services<\/p>\n See all photos<\/span><\/div>\n Unbreaded chicken breasts are not the best candidates for the air fryer.<\/p>\n <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts don’t have much fat and will dry out easily. Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs, and you’ll be OK, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery. <\/p>\n Pot roast typically needs low and slow cooking methods.<\/p>\n <\/span>Ry Crist\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked using a low-and-slow method such as braising or smoking<\/span><\/span>. When cooking larger cuts of meat, avoid the air fryer’s hot blast of convection air and opt for the Dutch oven<\/span><\/span>, slow cooker or pellet smoker. <\/p>\n 1. Boneless pork<\/h2>\n
2. Spinach and leafy greens <\/h2>\n
3. Steak and most cuts of beef <\/h2>\n
\n 20 Best Kitchen Gifts Under $30
\n <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
\n +17 More
\n <\/span><\/div>\n 4. Boneless chicken breasts <\/h2>\n
5. Large cuts of any meat <\/h2>\n
6. Naked broccoli <\/h2>\n
7. Shellfish <\/h2>\n
8. Most baked goods <\/h2>\n
9. Deep casseroles and layered pasta <\/h2>\n
10. Popcorn <\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\n 1. Boneless pork<\/h2>\n
2. Spinach and leafy greens <\/h2>\n
3. Steak and most cuts of beef <\/h2>\n
\n 20 Best Kitchen Gifts Under $30
\n <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
\n +17 More
\n <\/span><\/div>\n 4. Boneless chicken breasts <\/h2>\n
5. Large cuts of any meat <\/h2>\n
6. Naked broccoli <\/h2>\n