I’m sure you’ve heard of air fryers being praised for their versatility – they can grill, roast, toast, fry, and so forth. Yes, they are quite versatile but only on one side of the spectrum – they make ingredients crispy, not soggy.
Steaming is a method of cooking where ingredients are cooked by the hot steam surrounding them. In order to create said steam, water has to come to a boil and then vaporize to steam.
Water has to boil throughout the entire process to produce new steam. The ingredients aren’t in direct contact with the water but they should be placed so that they come in contact with the hot steam – which makes them moist.
My first thought was that air frying and steaming are quite different from one another. The first method, steaming, requires water while the other is done with no liquids at all (at most a tablespoon of oil).
My curiosity led me to research the topic and this is what I came up with.
You can’t steam food in an air fryer. Putting water in the air fryer will only damage it. Air fryers are designed to crisp food, not make it moist. For that type of cooking, a much better option would be a steamer or a pressure cooker, which are designed to create steam.
However, if you would like to purchase just one appliance and minimize the amount of space used by your army of kitchen electronics I would suggest that you go for a combo that actually can do both – and more.
The Ninja OP301 Pressure Cooker, Steamer, and Air Fryer combination is a beast capable of handling most tasks. If the Ninja OP301 could refrigerate and microwave it would probably replace your entire kitchen.
Don’t believe me? Check it out! Here’s a link to the product listing on Amazon.
What’s the Difference Between an Air Fryer and a Steamer?
When you think about it, it makes sense. The air fryer’s heating element and fan are placed on the top of the appliance – blasting heat downward at the food. It would be quite problematic for the vaporized water to heat food in such an environment.
Secondly, the air fryer has a vent hole which lets out heated and scented air throughout the process. This would cause the heated steam to escape through the vent hole – disrupting the entire process.
To understand why the air fryer doesn’t do a great job at steaming, let’s take a look at both appliances and compare them.
What components does an air fryer consist of?
- The heating element located on top which heats the circulating air.
- The fan located on top which blasts the heated air at the ingredients placed in the air fryer’s basket.
- The basket or pan placed in the air fryer’s drawer on the bottom (this is where the ingredients are placed).
Those are the three primary components of the air fryer. Without them, the air fryer would not be able to do what it does.
How does an air fryer work?
When an air fryer is powered on and a program is cycled, the air fryer’s heating element starts heating the air inside the chamber. This doesn’t take more than 1-2 minutes which makes the air fryer a rapid method of cooking.
During this period, the air fryer’s fan will blast the hot air heated by the element at the ingredients which are cooked and dried out by it – creating a crispy surface.
This, in combination with something called the Maillard reaction, gives air-fried food the distinct taste that many of us have come to love. It also enables the air fryer to crisp food without soaking it in oil, unlike a deep fryer.
This can cut fat content by up to 80% and, therefore, drastically reduce the number of calories in comparison to deep-fried food.
But what’s the Maillard reaction and why does it take place in an air fryer?
The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction that takes place when amino acids and reducing sugars are exposed to heat. As a direct result of the Maillard reaction food exposed to it will:
- Form new flavors and aromas
- Produce a golden brown surface
If you ask me, the air fryer doesn’t exactly replicate the taste and texture of deep-fried food.
Instead, it creates an alternative to it. An alternative that is much healthier and very tasty but still different. If you purchase an air fryer hoping to achieve the exact same results that you would in a deep fryer I believe you’ll be somewhat dissatisfied.
What components does a steamer consist of?
- The heating element responsible for keeping the water warm enough to vaporize.
- The water reservoir which holds the water needed to steam.
- The trays (these often come in tiers of 2 to increase the capacity) which hold the ingredients during the cooking cycle.
- The lid keeps the capsule closed, preventing heat from escaping.
How does a food steamer work?
The food steamer works with moist heat as opposed to an air fryer which cooks by circulating dry heat. These two methods produce completely different results.
Steamers aren’t very complicated, and that’s something they’ve got in common with air fryers. Cooking is a simple procedure that demands very little supervision.
There’s one thing though; you’ve got to make sure that you’ve added enough water to prevent the steamer from boiling dry because it will most likely scorch and damage your pot.
The most essential component when steaming is, of course, water – which is added to the steamer’s water reservoir. The water is then heated by the heating element until it starts to boil, producing vapor.
As the steam rises it surrounds the ingredients placed on the trays, located in a capsule above the water reservoir. The ingredients are then cooked by the hot steam.
Steamed food is nothing like air-fried food in taste and texture.
Air Fryers Aren’t the Best Option For Steamed Food
It’s quite easy to tell why steaming in air fryer wouldn’t be a good idea.
- The placement of the parts: In an air fryer, the ingredients are placed underneath the heating element and there’s not a whole lot of space for liquid.
- Air fryers release heat: Most, but not all, air fryers come with a vent hole that can’t be closed. Some models come with vent holes that can be closed but wouldn’t it be scary to trap steam in an appliance that shouldn’t handle water? It could potentially damage the appliance.
What’s the Best Option For Both Types of Cooking?
If you’re looking for something that offers methods for both types of cooking I think you should look at products like the ones I’ve mentioned above, primarily the Ninja OP301.
While it may not enable you to steam in your air fryer; you should still check out my list of the 21 best accessories for the air fryer. Some of those accessories will single-handedly make your air fryer a much more versatile appliance.
Others will make the process of cooking with an air fryer much simpler. Check them out, you may find something that you will benefit from.
Can You Put Water In an Air Fryer?
In order to steam food you need water, this has probably become quite obvious by now. The air fryer doesn’t have a compartment for liquids. The truth is that the air fryer doesn’t handle water very well. Putting a little amount of water in the air fryer will simply cause the water.
Putting as much water as you would need to steam vegetables, for instance, would cause the air fryer to malfunction as the electrical parts of the device would be flooded with water. The air fryer was designed to cook with dry heat, while the steamer was designed to cook using water, making the food much more moist.
There’s a big difference between the two and the functions they provide don’t really overlap.
You can, however, put water in the air fryer as long as it’s in a bowl that’s able to withstand the heat. This doesn’t mean you can steam in the air fryer, it simply means that the air fryer can heat a bowl of soup as long as the container is safe to place in the air fryer.
It’s also beneficial to put a couple drops of water in the air fryer if you’re cooking fatty foods as this reduces the amount of smoke produced as the air fryer cooks.
Is It Normal For Steam To Come Out Of an Air Fryer?
What you’re seeing is probably the water inside the food that’s evaporating as the air fryer is heating it. This is just as normal as steam coming out of an oven when it’s cooking, it happens almost every time.
The steaming will stop as soon as the air fryer has finished cooking and no damage will be done to the air fryer by such small amounts of steam. If the air fryer is smoking, however, then there’s something going on and it might be a good idea to unplug the device to troubleshoot it.
But smoking and steaming are two different things and I think you can tell the difference.
Can You Steam Dumplings in An Air Fryer?
You can’t steam the dumplings in the air fryer per se, but you can absolutely cook them in air fryer. They will turn out delicious and I think you should give it a go if you haven’t considered it before. Air-fried dumplings are different than steamed dumplings.
While steamed dumplings are moist and juicy, air-fried dumplings come with a thicker, more crispy outer layer and a somewhat juicy inside. It’s a good mixture worth trying.