Your air fryer is actually a far more diversified piece of cooking equipment than you first might have imagined. Air fryers are great for cooking crispy foods without the need for a deep fat fryer, it is also much healthier but did you know you can use it for reheating foods?
Reheating food in an air fryer is quick and simple, all you need to do is place the food in the basket and cook until hot. Most foods are perfect for reheating in an air fryer, all except water-based dishes such as soup and stews.
There are however some exceptions to this rule. I’ve found anything with sauces (i.e. soups, stews and pasta) don’t seem to reheat very well.
In this article, I’ll be sharing my favourite foods to reheat in an air fryer, how I reheat just about anything using this incredible kitchen gadget and why I’ve found it to be better at reheating some foods than a conventional oven or microwave.
Can You Reheat Food In An Air Fryer
It’s no secret that batch cooking and reheating leftovers can save you a significant amount of time and money in the kitchen. However, in many cases, the reheating process can be just as time-consuming as the original meal and be nowhere near as tasty.
The good news is you can reheat food in an air fryer (even if you didn’t cook the food in the air fryer in the first place).
I’ve found reheating food in an air fryer to be an incredibly quick process without the need to compromise on the quality of flavours and texture of a variety of different delicious dishes!
If you’ve found some foods go soggy or lose their taste and texture when reheating in a microwave or conventional electric or gas oven then try the microwave.
You’ll likely find that the foods preserve their flavour and texture while also going crispy instead of soggy.
This works by the heat penetrating the outside of the food and going inwards. When compared to an oven or microwave which often uses heat to penetrate the food from the inside out.
Best (And Worst) Foods To Reheat In An Air Fryer
I’ve found that an air fryer does a great job of reheating the following;
- Pizza
- Chicken Wings
- Chinese Food
- KFC / Fried Chicken
- Donuts
- Tacos
- Rotisserie Chicken
- Potatoes
- Tater Tots
- French Fries
- Burgers (I cook the burger and the bun and then reassemble with any salad)
- Dumplings
- Fish Fingers
- Onion Rings
- Vegetables
Anything of a similar texture should work well. If you have found anything that isn’t on this list let me know in the comments so I can share it with others.
Meanwhile, things I’ve found don’t reheat well in an air fryer are pasta, stews and soups. Anything with sauce or water just doesn’t seem to come out right (for me personally, let me know if you find different). When you’re dealing with these types of foods, you’re better off preparing with a meal kit instead of reheating.
Why Use An Air Fryer Over A Microwave To Reheat Food?
You might be wondering why you would choose to reheat food in an air fryer over the microwave and honestly it is to preserve the texture and taste of the foods original format.
Microwaves are great for cooking food and reheating but certain foods such as pizza can often come out of the microwave soggy. On the other hand, foods reheated in an air fryer come out more crispy or in the original state in which they started.
This is to do with the air and oil that circulates within an air fryer keeping the foods crispy. Microwaves tend to make foods mushy and soggy when reheated as the water content sits in the foods and doesn’t get extracted leaving the food feeling soggy.
Though there are some foods such as soups, stews and pasta which are more suited to reheating in a microwave.
How To Reheat Foods In An Air Fryer
The exact method for reheating foods in an air fryer depends on what you’re cooking. However, I’ve found the following instructions work well. Consider adjusting them based on your ingredients and air fryer to find what works for you.
In your food is frozen, thaw it using either a microwave, naturally on the countertop or overnight in the refrigerator.
Once you’re ready to reheat plugin your airfryer and allow it to pre-heat for around five minutes at 400 degrees.
Then carefully add your ingredients into the air fryer basket and return the basket to the airfryer.
Reduce the temperature down to 350 degrees and cook for three minutes.
After three minutes pull out your airfryer basket and check on your food. Return to the airfryer if it needs longer and continue to check every one to two minutes until warm and crispy.
Once you’re happy with your reheated food carefully remove it from the air fryer basket. Return the basket back to the air fryer and turn the air fryer off at the switch. If you’re planning on cleaning your air fryer after this then be sure to wait until the machine cools back down.
If you’re reheating a lot of food then you might have to do this in sections to ensure that you’re not overfilling the air fryer. This could result in damaging the machine or take the food an extended amount of time to reheat.
Hi all! I’m Cora Benson, and I’ve been blogging about food, recipes and things that happen in my kitchen since 2019.