An air fryer<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is your ticket to fast, clean and surprisingly healthy meals<\/span><\/span> — think perfectly crispy bacon<\/span><\/span>, fries<\/span><\/span> and chicken without a stovetop splattered in grease and regret.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether you just tore open the box or you’ve been air-frying everything in sight for years, a few smart techniques can take your results from good to genuinely great. It’s the rare kitchen gadget that actually earns its counter space. The catch? Owning one and knowing how to use one are two very different things.<\/p>\n That’s where we come in. From must-have accessories to rookie mistakes<\/span><\/span> you’ll want to avoid, these expert-backed tips will help you squeeze every last bit of crispy, golden, deeply satisfying goodness out of your machine.<\/p>\n Larger air fryers have advantages, but you’ll need to cook food for longer than smaller machines to achieve the same crispiness, which can lead to drying out.<\/p>\n <\/span>Pamela Vachon\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you haven’t bought an air fryer yet, the first decision to make is arguably the most important: What size to get. Air fryers are often measured in quarts, the smallest being around 2 and the largest about 8.<\/p>\n Because of the wide range of sizes, before buying, check the air fryer’s measurements and make sure you have the counter space\u00a0and wall outlets<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to accommodate it.<\/p>\n When you’re\u00a0cooking french fries in the air fryer<\/span><\/span>, it’ll work best if each piece of potato is a uniform size. Cutting by hand can be challenging, so my advice is to buy a cutter<\/span> that’ll help you out. It’s one of the fastest, easiest-to-use tools you can add to your kitchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additional air fryer accessories,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0such as tongs, silicone basket liners<\/span>, meat thermometers<\/span><\/span> and olive oil sprayers<\/span> can elevate your air-frying experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fries especially benefit from a flip.<\/p>\n <\/span>Brian Bennett\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For making fries or something similar (tater tots, chicken fingers<\/span><\/span>, brussels sprouts<\/span><\/span>, and so on), you’ll want to give the basket a good shake at least once during the cooking process. This will move the food around and ensure nothing sticks to your air fryer.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you’re cooking something like chicken wings<\/span><\/span>, make sure to flip them halfway through the process so they end up perfectly crispy on all sides. \u00a0<\/p>\n Remember, your air fryer is essentially a little oven. If you were cooking, let’s say, chicken breasts in a regular oven, you wouldn’t stack them on top of one another, would you? No, so it’s the same deal here. You’ll want to spread them out as best you can, and don’t overload the basket. And never, ever layer your chicken wings, tenders or anything of the sort.\u00a0<\/p>\n Try to never overcrowd your basket.<\/p>\n <\/span>Thai Liang Lim\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you want more room in your air fryer, you can purchase metal racks<\/span> that can give you double the amount of cooking space.\u00a0<\/p>\n Don’t pile sprouts and other food in the basket or they won’t cook evenly.<\/p>\n <\/span>Alexandra Able\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Overloading the air fryer will cause your food to heat unevenly, knocking down the quality of your food. If you’re cooking a lot of food, doing it in batches is best to ensure quality.<\/p>\n If you want to make an old favorite in your air fryer, there’s an easy way to adapt nearly every oven recipe for air fryer use.<\/p>\n Typically, you’d lower the cooking temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. If the oven recipe calls for 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 Celsius), the fryer is set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 Celsius). Similarly, you’ll need about 20% less cooking time, though this can certainly vary, depending on the kind of food, the cooking temperature and so on.<\/p>\n If you need help, this guide to converting recipes to your air fryer<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is here to help. It’ll convert standard cook times and temperatures.<\/p>\n Clean the coils above your air fryer cooking basket for a safer kitchen and better tasting food. \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span>David Watsky\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Though the air fryer can occasionally seem like magic, there’s one task it can’t handle: cleaning itself. Unfortunately, that step is solely on you, but we’ve rounded up our\u00a0best air fryer cleaning tips<\/span><\/span> to help you out, including how to clean one of the most overlooked areas of your air fryer.\u00a0<\/p>\n An inexpensive oil sprayer will come in handy when making air fryer fried chicken.<\/p>\n <\/span>Flairosol<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n One big selling point for air fryers is that food cooked in them requires less oil than other methods. That’s good news but it doesn’t mean you won’t need any oil. I find that certain foods, such as chicken, vegetables, and fish, benefit from a gentle mist of olive oil, but be careful not to soak them in oil, since the superconvection heat tends to supercharge any fat or oil in the basket.<\/p>\n The best way to spread a light and even coating is with a cheap $8 oil sprayer<\/span><\/p>\n You can make a whole chicken in the air fryer in 15% less time than in the oven.<\/p>\n <\/span>David Watsky\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Yes, fries<\/span><\/span> and chicken wings<\/span><\/span> are some of our favorite air fryer staples, but you can make many other foods as well. CNET has a rundown of some of the best air fryer foods<\/span><\/span>, and if you want specific recipes, we have those too. Below, I’ve gathered seven additional recipes you’ll definitely want to try:<\/p>\n Are you sold on the air fryer magic but still don’t know which fryer to buy? Here are the best air fryers of 2026<\/span><\/span>, ranked by CNET’s resident expert, to help you decide.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Writer<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Tyler is a writer for CNET covering laptops and video games. He’s previously covered mobile devices, home energy products and broadband. He came to CNET straight out of college, where he graduated from Seton Hall with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. When Tyler’s not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. You can reach him at tgraham@cnet.com.<\/span> See full bio <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Editor<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Corin Cesaric-Epple is an Editor at CNET covering home and kitchen tech and meal kits, and reporting regularly on artificial intelligence. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Before joining CNET, she covered crime at People Magazine and national and international news for NBC Local Television Stations.<\/span> See full bio <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An air fryer<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is your ticket to fast, clean and surprisingly healthy meals<\/span><\/span> — think perfectly crispy bacon<\/span><\/span>, fries<\/span><\/span> and chicken without a stovetop splattered in grease and regret.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether you just tore open the box or you’ve been air-frying everything in sight for years, a few smart techniques can take your results from good to genuinely great. It’s the rare kitchen gadget that actually earns its counter space. The catch? Owning one and knowing how to use one are two very different things.<\/p>\n That’s where we come in. From must-have accessories to rookie mistakes<\/span><\/span> you’ll want to avoid, these expert-backed tips will help you squeeze every last bit of crispy, golden, deeply satisfying goodness out of your machine.<\/p>\n Larger air fryers have advantages, but you’ll need to cook food for longer than smaller machines to achieve the same crispiness, which can lead to drying out.<\/p>\n <\/span>Pamela Vachon\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you haven’t bought an air fryer yet, the first decision to make is arguably the most important: What size to get. Air fryers are often measured in quarts, the smallest being around 2 and the largest about 8.<\/p>\n Because of the wide range of sizes, before buying, check the air fryer’s measurements and make sure you have the counter space\u00a0and wall outlets<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to accommodate it.<\/p>\n When you’re\u00a0cooking french fries in the air fryer<\/span><\/span>, it’ll work best if each piece of potato is a uniform size. Cutting by hand can be challenging, so my advice is to buy a cutter<\/span> that’ll help you out. It’s one of the fastest, easiest-to-use tools you can add to your kitchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additional air fryer accessories,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0such as tongs, silicone basket liners<\/span>, meat thermometers<\/span><\/span> and olive oil sprayers<\/span> can elevate your air-frying experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fries especially benefit from a flip.<\/p>\n <\/span>Brian Bennett\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For making fries or something similar (tater tots, chicken fingers<\/span><\/span>, brussels sprouts<\/span><\/span>, and so on), you’ll want to give the basket a good shake at least once during the cooking process. This will move the food around and ensure nothing sticks to your air fryer.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you’re cooking something like chicken wings<\/span><\/span>, make sure to flip them halfway through the process so they end up perfectly crispy on all sides. \u00a0<\/p>\n Remember, your air fryer is essentially a little oven. If you were cooking, let’s say, chicken breasts in a regular oven, you wouldn’t stack them on top of one another, would you? No, so it’s the same deal here. You’ll want to spread them out as best you can, and don’t overload the basket. And never, ever layer your chicken wings, tenders or anything of the sort.\u00a0<\/p>\n Try to never overcrowd your basket.<\/p>\n <\/span>Thai Liang Lim\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you want more room in your air fryer, you can purchase <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
1. Buy an air fryer that’s the right size<\/h2>\n
2. Invest in the right air fryer accessories<\/h2>\n
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3. (Almost) always shake and flip<\/h2>\n
4. Don’t layer or crowd the basket<\/h2>\n
5. Adapt oven recipes<\/h2>\n
6. Don’t forget to clean this part of your air fryer\u00a0<\/h2>\n
7. Go easy on the oil, but you may need some<\/h2>\n
8. Take some chances<\/h2>\n
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\n Kitchen and Household Guides
\n <\/h2>\n
\n Appliances
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\nWhen Tyler’s not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. <\/p>\n![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/818a65d7a5d92568a34050e9dce7392cf8ba2257\/hub\/2025\/08\/12\/48b367c6-71ad-4e5f-a62a-3b9dd93aab95\/0015.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=64&width=64\")
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1. Buy an air fryer that’s the right size<\/h2>\n
2. Invest in the right air fryer accessories<\/h2>\n
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3. (Almost) always shake and flip<\/h2>\n
4. Don’t layer or crowd the basket<\/h2>\n