Stacking Food In An Airfryer (How Much Can You Really Cook?)

I remember asking myself this on the second day of using an air fryer because I wanted to prepare dinner for the entire family using the air fryer, and with the capacity of the air fryer I had back then, it would have taken me quite some time (we’re a big family).

So I started debating whether it would be possible for me to cook two batches at the same time in the air fryer.

You can load up your air fryer’s basket more than you think.

You can stack pieces of food upon each other in the air fryer basket as long as they’re cut into smaller pieces and turned over halfway through the process. Stacking larger pieces can prevent the air fryer from circulating the heated air that cooks the food, this can result in unevenly cooked food. It’s always best to give each piece of food its own space in the basket.

This has to do with the way air fryers operate, which is very similar to a convection oven. The air fryer has two main components – a heating element and a fan. These two combined produce the crispy magic that we’ve grown to love. The way it works is quite simple.

The heating element becomes sizzling hot and heats the air around it. The fan then blasts the heated air at the food placed in the air fryer’s chamber.

That’s why it’s so important to load the basket wisely, as too much food will hinder the heated air from cooking the food from all angles, which can produce uneven or half-finished results.

How Do I Stack Food in an Air Fryer?

The air fryer’s basket has a mesh-like pattern full of holes to enable proper air circulation and, in turn, even results. You don’t want to prevent the air fryer from cooking evenly. This is especially important when cooking ingredients that can be harmful to eat if they aren’t cooked properly, such as chicken.

Stacking bigger bites of food or forcing too much food into the basket can easily prevent proper airflow. Even though it may feel like you’re speeding up the process by forcing more food into the basket, you’re actually not.

The harder it is for the heated air to reach the food, the more time it will take to cook. You will have to turn the food over multiple times throughout the cooking cycle and then ensure that it’s evenly cooked. This will, in the end, send us back to square one.

Preparation is truly the key to success and preparing a meal for the air fryer is no exception. To avoid blocking the air in the air fryer you need to modify your meals a little bit.

What should you do?

1. Cut larger pieces into smaller pieces.

That way you can remove the basket and simply shake it once in a while. It will also create small pathways for the heated air to force its way through.

Consider the size of the holes in your basket when you cut the pieces to avoid having them fall through. This method is especially effective for dry ingredients such as vegetables, and potatoes, but can also be used when cooking meat and chicken.

2. Use an air fryer rack.

There’s a multitude of accessories available for air fryers both online and in stores – some of them are specifically made for certain models and brands while others are universal. The air fryer rack is a perfect solution to this problem.

It’s an accessory that provides new possibilities in the simplest of ways. The air fryer rack is placed in the air fryer and can then be used to place food on. The rack is mounted right above the rest of the food, giving you a second layer of cooking surface to place food on.

3. Using metallic “toothpicks” to elevate the food.

By placing a toothpick in the food and then into the subsequent piece of food you can keep them separated by elevating one piece.

This is especially effective when cooking a few medium-sized pieces of food. You can use anything that’s able to withstand the temperature in the air fryer to create said elevation.

What can I stack in an air fryer?

You can stack french fries in an air fryer and they will cook. They are small enough to let the air flow through even when they are stacked on top of each other. I suggest you stir the fries once in a while to make sure the air can circulate freely and cook every part of the batch.

Sliced pieces of fruit can be stacked in an air fryer. Separate the pieces before placing them in the basket for the best results. Bananas and other sticky fruits will stick to nearby pieces, isolating them from the circulating air.

Potatoes in all shapes can also be stacked in the air fryer.

You can stack vegetables in the air fryer basket successfully. It’s recommended to open up the air fryer to shake the basket once in a while or turn the vegetables over if it’s larger pieces.

In general, you can stack things that you can easily turn, shake, stir, or separate. You can also stack ingredients that don’t pose any threat if they’re accidentally served undercooked.

Chicken wings can be stacked if they are small enough and tossed around several times during the cooking cycle. I always stack them and they have never been anything but delicious and thoroughly cooked. Chicken wings are smaller than fillets and can easily be stacked because of the harder structure provided by the bone. Furthermore, there’s less risk of undercooking chicken wings as there’s a big portion of bone and a small layer of chicken.

What can’t I stack in an air fryer?

You shouldn’t stack or forcefully fill the air fryer basket with large pieces of animal protein, such as chicken, fish, or meat. These foods will, in large pieces, hinder the air fryer from operating as it is intended if they’re stacked. You can turn the pieces over halfway through but it’s not a practical solution. Your best bet is to either cut it down into smaller pieces or invest in a rack to hold the extra pieces.

You shouldn’t stack foods that need to be thoroughly cooked to be safe to eat. When stacking, there’s a slight risk of undercooking foods unless you’re cautious enough.

Always cut into smaller pieces and stir or prepare in smaller batches when working with an air fryer for the best taste and consistency.

How Much Food Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?

The air fryer comes in a wide range of sizes, ranging from one-person air fryers to large air fryers, suitable for small gatherings. I’ve written an in-depth guide on the different sizes and their capacities, you can find the guide here.

The cooking capacity of an air fryer is measured in quarts (a quart is equal to a quarter gallon). The smaller air fryers, which are a good choice when cooking for a single person, usually come in 1-2qt sizes while the most common size of a regular air fryer is somewhere between 3 and 5 quarts.

Most of the models I’ve owned and used have come with a “max capacity” line on the basket. This line is supposed to act as an indication of how much food the basket can hold without compromising the end results. The max capacity line doesn’t always do the air fryer justice, at least that’s what I’ve found.

You can load the air fryer basket above the max capacity line as long as you handle the food accordingly.

Seeing as the numbers above don’t really paint a picture for most of us, I’ll explain what you can expect to be able to cook in an air fryer depending on its size.

Small 1-2 qt air fryers can cook a meal for a single person or a batch of snacks for two persons.

Medium-sized 3-4 qt air fryers can hold approximately 6-8 chicken wings, or enough vegetables/fries for two or three persons.

Larger air fryers sized at 5 quarts or more can be used to cook fries, chicken, or vegetables for a family of 4 or more.

These numbers are estimates and will vary from family to family, as the definition of a “regular size meal” isn’t the same for everyone. I’m a big eater and I’ve always gone for the larger sizes as I don’t mind paying for comfort.

These numbers don’t account for the use of grill racks etc.

Another thing that I’ve found is that frozen ingredients should be air-fried in smaller quantities. If an ingredient is frozen it should definitely be cooked according to the recommendations on the packaging or the basket. This has produced the best results for me.

How To Arrange Different Types of Food In an Air Fryer

We’ve discussed the importance of allowing the air fryer to properly transport heat throughout the unit’s cavity, where the food is placed. You can hinder the air fryer from reaching all angles of a piece of food by stacking it among other pieces.

However, the impact this has on the final product is a bit dependent on the type of food that’s being cooked. Chicken, for instance, should be layered in a single layer with enough space between the pieces to ensure that it’s evenly and properly cooked.

The same thing doesn’t apply to fries. Instead, they’re thrown in the basket and stacked on top of each other. When cooking fries in the air fryer, the basket should be removed about halfway through the cycle to shake it. This will rotate the fries within the basket so that they’re cooked from other angles during the second half of the cycle.

When cooking smaller pieces of food like nuggets, fries, and falafel you can place them as you wish and shake the basket halfway through, while larger pieces of food like steak and chicken should be layered so that they can be turned over with ease.

When cooking with an extra air fryer rack, make sure to place your protein in the bottom and the rest on the upper rack. To avoid having the juices drip down on the rest of the food, as this could potentially cause food poisoning and make the other ingredients soggy.

Food that can be eaten raw can be placed on the upper rack.

When cooking multiple ingredients it might be beneficial for you to use the separator that some manufacturers include. The separator can be mounted inside the air fryer’s basket to help separate the different foods from being in contact with one another.

If space isn’t a problem for you, but different ingredients being cooked together is, then a separator is what you’re looking for. Of course, you can achieve the same results with an air fryer rack but there’s more potential for drip and taste transfer.

How Can I Cook More Food in The Air Fryer?

Your best bet is to get a double-layer rack for your air fryer. The rack allows you to keep your food on two platforms instead of one, giving you double the amount of space without ever having to worry about the steaks or burgers touching and blocking the air from cooking them thoroughly.

Instead, you will be able to cook two batches at the same time and have them both equally cooked. The double-layered rack will (because it provides an extra surface to cook on) open up for more possibilities. Cooking two ingredients at the same time will not be a problem with the rack.

This can be useful in numerous ways. Having used these racks for quite some time now, I’ve found that one of the things that I enjoy the most is the fact that I’ve been able to serve the meat and the side at the same time.

Without the rack, I had to cook one ingredient first and then proceed with the next. This always led me to use the oven instead, but I really wanted to get the most out of the air fryer.

Essentially, it fixes the most frequent issue an air fryer owner has to face when cooking with the air fryer.

How To Use An Air Fryer Rack

With the air fryer rack, you don’t have to stir or shake your food halfway through because there’s more room for the circulating hot air to pass through, making sure that every piece of food in the air fryer is getting cooked properly.

Place the food on the racks (Marinated pieces on the rack that’ll be under)
Make sure the pieces are small enough. Big pieces of food can hold the racks up and make them unstable.
Place the racks in the air fryer
Cook
Remove them one by one
Wash

The advantages of using an air fryer rack

You can load up double the amount of food

It’s perfect if you are cooking two kinds of food at the same time. Normally, you would have to cook the chicken first and then the fries. During the 20 minutes the fries take to cook, the chicken has dropped in temperature. With a rack, you will always be able to eat the food while it’s hot.

It’s very easy to wash after use

The disadvantages of using a rack

You will have to cut your food into slightly smaller pieces because the space in between the skewers/racks is usually pretty tight.

Marinated foods will drip down on the second layer. It might not be a problem but if you’re cooking fries and you have a juicy burger dripping on the fries, wetting them and ruining the crispy consistency you’re after it could be a disadvantage. Not to fear though, this can easily be fixed by placing the marinated food underneath the fries. (Fries and chicken are used as examples, the same thing applies to everything)

It is important that you use racks and other accessories that are made specifically for the model you are using. Manufacturers may claim that some accessories are universal and therefore work with any model but I would try to buy an accessory that’s made specifically for the air fryer model I’m using.

How Many Air Fryer Racks Can You Place In an Air Fryer?

If there’s a need for an air fryer rack or multiple racks can be determined by the number of people you’re cooking for – but also the number of different sides you’re planning to cook in a single batch. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s good to have more than one rack at your disposal.

But how many racks can you fit in an air fryer without compromising the unit’s performance?

The average-sized air fryer can hold 1-2 air fryer racks while the larger air fryers can hold 2-3. Oven-style air fryers can hold more than that, but they’re designed differently and have even more disposable cooking surface and layers than regular air fryers.

The Best Option is To Get a Large Air Fryer

Another option is to get a spacious air fryer with more features, allowing you to prepare a larger amount of food in one batch without worrying about the food being cooked or not. The bigger, more versatile air fryers are usually a little bit more expensive than the simple small ones.

Oftentimes, the price can easily be justified if the functions and upgrades that come with it are making your life more comfortable. Large-capacity air fryers can cook pretty much everything and they often come with other features, making them quite the versatile tool to have in the kitchen.

What Size Do Air Fryers Come in?

You can find the appliance in a bunch of different sizes. There should be a perfect size for everyone.

1-2: Perfect for single cooking or preparing smaller things like snacks

2.2-3: A better pick for a couple of two

3-5.3: Suitable for families of 2-5

5.3-5.8: These are big enough to cook food for an entire family of 5. They often come with a bunch of accessories and are spacious enough to fit a turkey.

6.5-16: The largest category of air fryers, there’s a wide selection of features, sizes and they are incredible when it comes to bulk cooking. Most air fryers in this range are big enough to prepare pizzas.

What is the Largest Air Fryer Available?

The Big Boss Air fryer is a 16-quart super-size capacity air fryer with the ability to cook two different foods at once. The big boss is surprisingly cheap for its size.

The big boss is capable of grilling, roasting, frying, and baking large amounts of food.

I’m not entirely sure if the big boss has few features or just rocks a very simplistic design. Jokes aside, the big boss air fryer is a monster that delivers on its promise.