I consider an air fryer a medium-sized cooking appliance. They’re much smaller than conventional ovens and a bit bigger than toasters, for instance. The cooking space provided by the air fryer can be measured by the size of the basket that goes inside the air fryer’s cavity. The cooking capacity of an air fryer is measured in quarts, and they’re commonly in the 2-5 quart range. It should be noted that air fryers come in different sizes, and there are certainly large air fryers available on the market. You can find out which size is most suitable for you here.
Cooking in an air fryer can, therefore, come with some boundaries. The amount of cooking space you have at your disposal is no more than the size of the air fryer’s basket. Does this mean you should use up as much of the basket as possible in order to cook bigger batches?
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that I’ve seen a bunch of things go wrong when cooking an air fryer and some of them can be linked to the fact that I overfilled the air fryer basket. So how full can the basket be?
You can fill an air fryer basket to the top but it’s not best practice. Filling the air fryer basket to the top will make it more difficult to ensure that everything is evenly cooked and crispy, as the circulating air will have a hard time reaching the ingredients from all angles. You also risk undercooking food if you fill the basket too much, which is really bad if you’re cooking chicken. Filling the basket to the top works for french fries and vegetables but the basket should be removed and shaken once or twice during the cooking program for optimal results.
Some air fryer baskets come with a “max capacity line” to indicate how much the basket can be loaded with. Overloading the basket means you will have to adjust the cooking time – and it’s hard to tell by how much. Therefore, it’s better to cook in batches, filling the basket just enough so that heat can be distributed throughout the basket with no hindrance.
But you learn as you go, don’t you? When you’ve cooked the same meal 10+ times and experimented with it you learn what you can and can’t do. Generally, I wouldn’t recommend filling the basket to the brim, but if you’ve found that it works for you with certain ingredients, then who am I to say that you’re wrong? These are just simple guidelines provided by the manufacturers. There is one exception and that’s chicken. I already mentioned it but it’s worth saying twice.
When cooking chicken – give every piece the space it needs to be cooked properly inside the air fryer’s basket. Do not overcrowd or stack when cooking chicken. If you’re having problems with the cooking capacity of your air fryer basket – you should tackle the problem from the root. The actual size of the air fryer.
Philips air fryers can, for instance, cook 800, 1200, or 1400 grams of french fries depending on the model. Upgrading from a model that can cook 800 to one that can cook 1400 grams of french fries in one cycle is a huge gap. This is just one example of the difference in sizes. There are other models that can hold even more food in their basket – but this gives you an idea.
So, instead of filling the whole air fryer basket, either cook in batches, look for a larger air fryer or purchase additional accessories for your air fryer. The double-decker cooking rack, for instance. It provides an additional layer of cooking surface but it doesn’t have any walls to keep the food in like the basket does. It’s good for steak, chicken, and other things that usually aren’t stacked – but the basket is much better when cooking fries, etc.
I have received questions regarding specific ingredients so I figured I would answer them at the end of this article. I believe in leaving as few holes in information as possible. I also believe in making adjustments when greater methods have been developed, so If you have found a good way of tackling this problem, leave a comment in the comment section.
Can You Fill an Air Fryer Basket With Chicken Wings?
While chicken wings are very different from thicker pieces of chicken, anatomically, it’s still chicken and you risk undercooking it if you stack wings to the basket’s top. So no, you shouldn’t stuff the air fryer basket with chicken wings all the way to the top. Instead, fill the basket halfway to the top or to the max capacity line and remember to shake it halfway through the cooking cycle.
How Full Can I Fill My Air Fryer Basket With Fries?
The air fryer basket can be filled to the top with fries but you won’t get the best results possible. Filling the basket halfway to the top and shaking the fries twice while cooking is going to give you the crispiest fries. Undercooked potato is, compared to chicken, no danger. Therefore, it’s possible to fill the basket but it’s not best practice. If you do fill it all the way to the top – remember to shake the basket so that all the fries are cooked properly.