If you’re new to cooking in the air fryer, you might be wondering how to adapt traditional recipes for your air fryer. Fortunately, the process is straightforward and involves just a few simple adjustments.
Note: These guidelines are universally applicable, including in the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia, and feature values in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Quick Answer: Reduce the oven cooking temperature by 20 degrees Celsius (35 degrees Fahrenheit) and decrease the cooking time by about 20 to 25 percent.
How To Adjust Oven Cooking Temperature and Time
When adapting recipes from a conventional oven to an air fryer, it’s essential to understand the fundamental differences in their cooking methods.
The rapid air circulation in air fryers enables them to cook food at lower temperatures compared to ovens, yet achieve similar or even faster cooking times. This difference significantly impacts how we approach recipe conversions.
The key to successfully converting oven cooking instructions to air fryer settings lies in two basic modifications: temperature and cooking time.
- Temperature: Reduce the oven cooking temperature by 20 degrees Celsius (30-35 degrees Fahrenheit) when using an air fryer. For example, if a recipe calls for baking at 200 degrees Celsius in a conventional oven, you would set your air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Cooking Time: Decrease the cooking time by about 20 to 25 percent. So, if your oven recipe specifies a baking time of 25 minutes, in the air fryer, you would cook the dish for approximately 20 minutes.
However, it’s not just the cooking method that influences these conversions. Factors like the size of the air fryer and its wattage play a crucial role too.
Larger air fryers might cook food slightly differently than smaller ones and higher-wattage models can reach desired temperatures more quickly.
These variations mean that recipe conversions might need to be adjusted based on the specific characteristics of your air fryer.
Conversion Tips for Different Food Categories
Adapting recipes for the air fryer can vary significantly depending on the type of food.
Here’s what I’ve learned about converting recipes across various food categories:
Proteins: Chicken, Fish, Pork, Beef
Proteins like chicken, fish, pork, and beef require careful attention when converting. The key factors to consider are the thickness and cut of the meat.
I found that thicker cuts may need a slightly higher temperature and longer cooking time to ensure they’re cooked through, while thinner cuts cook faster and might need lower temperatures to avoid drying out.
For example, a thick chicken breast might require a few more minutes and a slightly higher temperature compared to a thin fillet of fish.
Vegetables: Whole, Roasted, Frozen
Vegetables can vary greatly in their moisture content and desired texture.
Whole vegetables like potatoes or carrots might need a longer cooking time at a moderate temperature to cook through, while softer vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers cook faster.
For roasted vegetables, I usually aim for a slightly higher temperature to achieve a crispy exterior.
Baked Goods: Muffins, Cookies, Pies
Generally, a lower temperature is advisable to prevent the outside from burning before the inside is fully cooked.
Depending on the air fryer, you may need to rotate or turn the baked goods halfway through cooking for even results.
Frozen Foods: Pre-made Items, Snacks
Air frying frozen foods requires a slightly different approach:
- Keep the Temperature Same: Unlike fresh foods, when cooking frozen items, you maintain the same temperature as indicated on the packaging.
- Halve the Cooking Time: The cooking time, however, should be reduced by half. This ensures that the food cooks evenly without becoming overcooked.
Here are some tips I use for frozen food:
- Spacing: Make sure there is enough space between the items in the air fryer to ensure even cooking.
- Moisture: For foods that aren’t breaded, consider adding some oil, lemon, or lime juice, or even cooking them in a sauce to maintain moisture.
- Turning: Flip the food halfway through the cooking time to promote even cooking.
- Temperature Check: Always use a food thermometer to confirm that the food has reached the correct internal temperature.
Ensuring Perfectly Cooked Food
Regardless of whether you’re cooking fresh or frozen foods, it’s crucial to ensure they reach a safe internal temperature.
The best way to do this is by using a food thermometer. Simply insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the food to check if it has reached the minimum safe temperature for consumption.
You can check the safe minimum internal temperature on the foodsafety.gov website
Air Fryer Common Food Cooking Chart
You can use this chart as your ultimate cheatsheet.
Meat and Seafood
| Food | ° C | ° F | Air Fryer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Back Ribs | 200 | 400 | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Bacon (regular) | 200 | 400 | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Bacon (thick cut) | 200 | 400 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Brats | 200 | 400 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Burgers | 190 | 370 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Chicken Breast | 190 | 375 | 20 to 25 minutes |
| Chicken Drumsticks | 190 | 370 | 20 minutes |
| Chicken Tenders | 200 | 400 | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Chicken Tights | 200 | 400 | 25 minutes |
| Chicken Wings | 190 | 375 | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Cod | 190 | 370 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| London Broil | 200 | 400 | 24 to 28 minutes |
| Meatballs | 200 | 400 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Meat Loaf | 160 | 325 | 35 to 45 minutes |
| Pork Chops | 160 | 375 | 12 to 15 minutes |
| Pork Sausages | 200 | 400 | 18 to 20 minutes |
| Ribeye (bone in) | 200 | 400 | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Salmon | 200 | 400 | 5 to 7 minutes |
| Sausage Patties | 200 | 400 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Shrimp | 190 | 375 | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Steak | 200 | 400 | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Tilapia | 200 | 400 | 6 to 9 minutes |
| Tuna Steak | 200 | 400 | 8 to 10 minutes |
Vegetables
| Food | ° C | ° F | Air Fryer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | 190 | 375 | 4 to 6 minutes |
| Baked Potatoes | 200 | 400 | 40 to 45 minutes |
| Beets | 200 | 400 | 40 to 45 minutes |
| Broccoli | 200 | 400 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Brussels Sprouts | 170 | 350 | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Butternut Squash (cubes) | 190 | 375 | 20 to 25 minutes |
| Carrots | 190 | 375 | 15 to 25 minutes |
| Cauliflower | 200 | 400 | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Eggplant | 200 | 400 | 12 to 15 minutes |
| Green Beans | 190 | 375 | 16 to 20 minutes |
| Mushrooms | 200 | 400 | 5 to 8 minutes |
| Peppers | 190 | 375 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Sweet Potatoes (cubes) | 190 | 375 | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Zucchini | 200 | 400 | 10 to 12 minutes |
Bakes and Breads
| Food | ° C | ° F | Air Fryer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 180-200 | 360 to 400 | 35 to 45 minutes |
| Brownies | 160 | 325 | 40 to 45 minuted |
| Cookies | 160 | 325 | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Cupcakes | 160 | 325 | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Garlic bread | 170 | 350 | 2 to 4 minutes |
