Techniques

Salt your chicken, pork, or steak generously with kosher salt and refrigerate uncovered for 2-24 hours. The salt draws out moisture, dissolves, then gets reabsorbed — deeply seasoning the meat while the surface dries out for maximum crispiness.

A light dusting of cornstarch on vegetables and proteins creates an ultra-crispy shell without heavy breading. Mix with your spice pack for even more flavor.

Moisture is the enemy of crispiness. Patting your food dry with paper towels before air frying is the single most important prep step you can do.

When to use oil, when to skip it, and why a refillable oil mister is one of the best $10 investments for your air fryer.

Any conventional oven recipe can work in an air fryer. The formula: reduce temperature by 25°F and cut cooking time by 20%.

Shaking or flipping food halfway through cooking ensures even browning and crispiness on all sides. For small items, shake. For large items, flip.

Sometimes preheating matters, sometimes it doesn't. Here's when to bother and when to skip it.

Frozen food goes directly into the air fryer — no defrosting. Start at a lower temp, then blast hot at the end for a crispy finish.

A parchment paper sling with raised edges catches sauces and prevents delicate foods from falling through the basket grates.

Cook low first to bring the interior to temp evenly, then blast at max heat for a seared exterior. Edge-to-edge perfect doneness.

Place a small ramekin of water in the basket alongside your food. The steam prevents drying out while still allowing crisping.