Yes, you can absolutely wrap fish in foil in an air fryer. It is one of the best ways to keep delicate fillets—such as cod, salmon, or tilapia—moist and flavorful by trapping steam and juices.
Wrap the foil around the fish to make two parcels, with a gap above the fish but shallow enough to fit in your air fryer basket. Preheat the air fryer to 180C. Add the foil parcels to the preheated air fryer and air fry for 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets.
“Air frying is definitely a healthier alternative to deep-frying,” said registered dietitian and diabetes care and education specialist, Gale Pearson of TPMG Nutrition Services in Newport News and Williamsburg. Air fryers work like convection ovens and mimic the effects of deep-frying with hot air instead of oil.
Avoid these 5 foods in your air fryer:
An air fryer can indirectly help you manage your cholesterol by cutting the excess saturated fat and calories associated with deep-fried foods. However, the machine itself does not remove cholesterol from raw ingredients.
Cholesterol is naturally flushed out of your body primarily by the liver, which converts it into bile acids. These acids are then excreted from the body via waste. You can accelerate this natural clearance process using specific lifestyle changes and medications.
By most measures, air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It can cut calories by up to 80% because the food doesn't absorb the fat as it does in traditional frying. This cooking method might also cut down on some of the other harmful effects of oil frying.
Cooking bacon in an air fryer is often discouraged because the rendering fat pools at the bottom, creating intense smoke and sometimes even grease fires. It is difficult to cook large batches evenly, and flying bacon strips can splatter onto the heating element.
The best things to cook in an air fryer take advantage of its rapid, circulating hot air to get perfectly crispy exteriors with minimal oil or mess. Top choices include chicken wings, salmon, roasted vegetables (like Brussels sprouts and broccoli), and frozen foods.
"You run the risk of drying your chicken out before the inside is even safe to eat." While air fryers are capable of creating some impressively crispy skin, the lack of oil interacting with the meat as it cooks leaves it drier and lacking the signature fried chicken juiciness.
The #1 absolute worst foods for your blood sugar are sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas, sweetened iced teas, fruit punches, and energy drinks).
Air fryers may be better for you than deep fryers, but they're only as healthy as the food you put inside. They won't magically remove the saturated fat from bacon or the trans fats from a bag of processed chicken wings. To reap the benefits, reach for better-for-you options like vegetables and lean proteins.
Whip up fast, guilt-free treats using your air fryer. Top go-to snacks include crispy spiced chickpeas, roasted green beans, kale chips, and sweet potato fries. These options deliver maximum crunch and flavor using only a fraction of the oil required by traditional deep frying.
The best fish for the air fryer depends on how you want to cook it. Salmon is the most forgiving unbreaded option because its healthy fats keep it juicy. For crispy, breaded fish and chips, firm, flaky white fish like cod, haddock, or tilapia yield the best results.
Yes, you can absolutely wrap salmon in foil in an air fryer. It is an excellent method for trapping moisture and cooking the fish alongside vegetables. It also makes cleanup very simple.
Air fryers are essentially mini convection ovens. If a container or dish is safe for a traditional oven, it is generally safe for an air fryer. Always verify the maximum temperature rating, as air fryers regularly reach 400∘F to 450∘F.
68 things that taste better air fried
The air fryer 20/20 rule is a, roughly, 20-25% reduction in both cooking temperature and time when converting standard oven recipes. Specifically, it means reducing the temperature by 20–25°F (or 15−20∘𝐶) and reducing the cooking time by 20% to avoid overcooking and burning food due to rapid air circulation.
Common Air Fryer Mistakes
Yes, you can absolutely air fry raw bacon. It is one of the easiest and cleanest ways to cook it, saving you from messy stovetop grease splatters.
Air fryers remove high-fat and high-calorie oils from the cooking process. They produce similar results to deep fryers with a fraction of the fat and calories. Lowering saturated fat intake has many health benefits, such as helping to manage cholesterol levels and decreasing a person's risk of cardiovascular disease.
Cooking bacon in an air fryer is faster, yields crunchier strips, and produces significantly less mess with less grease. Pan-frying bacon in a skillet is better if you want to cook a large batch, need to reserve the grease for cooking, or prefer hands-on control over the crispiness.
The best vegetables to air fry are hearty varieties that hold up to high, circulating heat. Potatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and zucchini crisp up beautifully. They yield a tender interior and a deeply roasted, crispy exterior without the need for deep frying.
The healthiest frozen french fries prioritize whole ingredients, avoid heavily processed seed oils (like canola or soybean), and skip added sugars or preservatives. Top-tier options like Jesse & Ben’s or Actual Veggies offer fantastic nutrition without sacrificing the crispy texture of traditional drive-thru fries.
An air fryer is useful, but not healthy. Acrylamide is a cancer-causing chemical that can form on high-heat starchy food, even in air-frying. Oil is a moisture buffer that protects the surface. In an air fryer, that buffer isn't there, there's only high heat.