Jay Verma
Why Add Water to Your Air Fryer Drawer? To prevent smoking during cooking, adding a bit of water to the air fryer drawer can help. This simple step protects the heating element and reduces smoke, ensuring your air fryer stays in top condition.
Why Adding Water to Your Air Fryer Drawer Can Be Beneficial
The air fryer has gained widespread popularity, quickly becoming a favorite among home chefs. Praised for its ability to produce crispy “fried” foods using hot air instead of oil, this convenient countertop appliance has proliferated in American homes. It is capable of preparing a diverse range of dishes, from pork chops to chicken wings, and excels at reheating leftovers like baked potatoes and ribs.
While the air fryer is a relatively hands-off appliance, common mistakes can still occur, such as neglecting to preheat it or overfilling the basket. One oversight that may lead to issues is failing to add a small amount of water to the appliance’s drawer. This article will explain the reasoning behind this practice.
Have you ever experienced smoking coming from your air fryer while cooking? This can often happen when fatty foods, particularly meat, release fat into the heating element, where it then burns and produces smoke. To mitigate this, it is recommended to add a small layer of water to the drawer of the air fryer, situated just below the basket. When cooking fatty foods like bacon, this practice can protect the heating element and reduce the amount of smoke produced. Alternatively, pieces of bread can be used in place of water, as suggested by Air Fryer World.
In addition to adding water or bread, maintaining cleanliness is crucial for preventing a smoking air fryer. Cooked-on oil and stray crumbs can lead to continuous smoke during use. The effective approach recommended is to turn off the appliance, let it cool, and then clean the interior and heating components with a towel or sponge.
In conclusion, incorporating a small amount of water or bread and keeping the air fryer clean are practical methods for preventing smoking and ensuring optimal performance.
