The air fryer is one of the most popular kitchen gadgets for good reason. From chicken tenders to filets of salmon, it sometimes seems like there is nothing it can’t cook up. However, that isn’t quite true. Certain foods just can’t handle the heat from your air fryer and will wither or lose flavor by the time it hits your plate.
I’ve been experimenting with air fryer cooking for the past five years. Among the many hits are a few big misses. The air fryer, despite its versatility, can dry out food quickly, which is why lean, boneless chicken breasts and pork chops may be best cooked in a cast-iron skillet on the grill or using a sous vide cooker.
Foods with higher fat content, such as chicken wings and thighs, bacon or fatty salmon and tuna, thrive in the air fryer. Foods without bones or fat, which can dry out, can be cooked in the air fryer on a lower setting or if they’re protected with breading or a deep marinade.
Below, you’ll find 10 delicate foods that an air fryer can annihilate.
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1. Boneless pork chops
A perfectly cooked pork chop is a thing of beauty, but leaner cuts of the other white meat can dry out in a hurry. Bacon, bone-in pork chops and fattier cuts of swine can handle the air fryer, but lean, boneless pork chops and tenderloin tend to dry out when subjected to the blast of high heat. If you’re using the air fryer to cook pork chops, do so at a lower temperature and use some fat to prevent them from becoming dry.
2. Spinach and leafy greens
Crisped spinach and kale will not turn out well in an air fryer.
Leafy greens are a big “no” when air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you’d want to eat. Solid veggies, including Brussels sprouts, squash and zucchini, fare well in the air fryer, but leafy greens are best when sauteed, stewed or steamed.
3. Steak and most cuts of beef
Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.
Steak reheats well in the air fryer but it’s not an ideal place to cook it for the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I’ve tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don’t come out as well as when they’re cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet or grill.
The exception to the beef rule is burgers. Ground beef won’t become stringy, and the air fryer’s intense heat allows for a crusty sear without overcooking the middle. Here’s how to make a bacon cheeseburger in the air fryer.
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4. Boneless chicken breasts
Unbreaded chicken breasts are not the best candidates.
Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts don’t have much fat and will dry out easily. Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs, and you’ll be OK, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery.
5. Large cuts of any meat
Pot roast typically needs low and slow methods of cooking.
Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked using a low-and-slow method such as braising or smoking. When cooking larger cuts of meat, avoid the air fryer’s hot blast of convection air and opt for the Dutch oven, slow cooker or pellet smoker.
6. Naked broccoli
The air fryer will singe broccoli unless you cover it in foil.
If you wrap your broccoli in foil, you can use the air fryer to roast it (quickly). If you leave it uncovered and exposed to the hot convection air and you’ll end up with sizzled broccoli ends that are anything but delicious.
7. Shellfish
Clams and mussels are better for a pot instead of an air fryer.
Shellfish, such as clams and mussels, require liquid to cook without drying out. They are also easily overcooked, which can result in a chewy, rubbery morsel that you wouldn’t want anywhere near your plate. Avoid using the air fryer when cooking most types of shellfish.
8. Most baked goods
Cake and cookie recipes don’t typically translate well from the oven to an air fryer.
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You can certainly do some baking in the air fryer but use caution because the air fryer’s super convection behaves differently than a normal oven’s convection heat.
Baking a cake or batch of cookies in the air fryer using the time and temperature called for in a recipe will often result in an overcooked, dry or burnt result. When baking in an air fryer, use recipes specifically designed for an air fryer and avoid assuming that an oven recipe will translate.
9. Deep casseroles and layered pasta
Lasagna and deep casserole-style dishes may not warm through before the top starts to burn.
Because the air fryer cooks fast and the heat comes from above, deep casseroles and layered lasagnas may not cook all the way through before burning on top. If you plan to use the air fryer, set it to bake or a lower temperature than you would typically use for cooking chicken wings or hot dogs.
If you’re looking for a great air fryer, here are CNET’s top-rated models for 2025. For more, these are the best air-frying toaster ovens for 2025.
10. Popcorn
Loose popcorn in the air fryer is a recipe for disaster.
Popcorn seems like a good candidate for the air fryer but the quick results aren’t worth the potential danger. As popcorn pops, it shoots sky-high, and those kernels can get caught in your air fryer’s heating element, causing a fire at worst or burnt popcorn at best. If you’re going to make popcorn in the air fryer, a foil packet or other heatproof container is a requisite.
