Find the right air fryer guide
FryConvert publishes a cooking guide for every common food a home air fryer can handle. Each guide gives you the recommended temperature, cook time, and a short list of steps that take the guesswork out — whether you're starting with raw chicken thighs, a tray of frozen fries, or last night's pizza you want to reheat.
The guides below are grouped by category. If you're not sure where to start, try the cheat sheet for a one-page reference, the beginner's guide if you just unboxed your first air fryer, or the converter tool if you have an oven recipe you want to adapt instead.
Cooking times listed in each guide assume a standard 4–6 quart basket-style air fryer at sea level with food in a single layer. Larger air fryers and double-stacked baskets cook faster; oversize cuts and stacking slow things down. When in doubt, pull at 5°F below your target and rest before serving — air fryers run hot.
🍗 Chicken
Chicken is the air fryer's strongest food — fast, juicy, and crispy-skinned without the mess of pan-frying. Times below cover every cut from quick-cook tenders to a whole bird.
🥩 Beef & Pork
Red meat in the air fryer gets restaurant-style sear with home-cook convenience. Use these guides for steaks, chops, bacon, ribs, and burgers at the right doneness.
🐟 Seafood
Seafood cooks fast in the air fryer — almost too fast. These guides keep you on the right side of flaky and juicy without the mid-cook poking.
🥦 Vegetables
Caramelized edges, tender centers, no soggy steam — air-fried vegetables are why most converts end up using their fryer four or five nights a week.
🧊 Frozen Foods
Frozen-food cook times are where the air fryer really beats the oven — no preheating, no thawing, and crispier results than the bag directions promise.
🍳 Other Foods
Eggs, leftovers, and odd ends — air fryer techniques that don't fit the standard categories but you'll use all the time once you know them.
🏆 Buying Guides
New to air fryers or upgrading? These guides cover the models worth buying in 2026, how to size for your household, and the accessories that are actually useful.
💡 Tips & How-To
Practical guides covering technique, safety, and cleanup — the small things experienced air fryer owners had to learn the hard way.
⚖️ Comparisons
When should you reach for the air fryer instead of the oven, convection oven, deep fryer, toaster oven, or microwave? Short answers for the common questions.
🔧 Tools
Convert any oven recipe to air fryer settings, or embed our free widget on your own site for visitors to use.
🔑 Air Fryer Basics: The Rules Behind Every Guide
Every cooking guide on this site is built on the same handful of principles. Learn these once and you can air fry almost anything confidently — even foods we don't have a dedicated guide for yet.
1. Cook about 25°F lower than an oven recipe
Air fryers move hot air far faster than a conventional oven, so food browns quicker. As a rule, drop the oven temperature by 25°F (about 15°C) and check a few minutes early. A 400°F oven recipe becomes roughly 375°F in the air fryer. (Our converter tool does this math for you on any recipe.)
2. Keep food in a single layer
The air fryer cooks by circulating hot air around every surface. Stacking or crowding blocks that airflow and gives you pale, soggy spots where pieces touch. Leave space between items, and cook in batches rather than overfilling the basket — batch two will still be hot by the time batch one rests.
3. Flip or shake at the halfway point
Because the heating element sits above the basket, the top of your food browns faster than the bottom. Flip larger items (chops, fillets, burgers) once and shake smaller ones (fries, vegetables, shrimp) once or twice. The main exceptions are skin-on cuts, where the skin acts as a heat shield.
4. Cook to temperature, not to time
Cook times are a starting point — wattage, basket size, and how cold your food started all shift them. An instant-read thermometer is the single best air fryer upgrade you can buy. Key targets: 165°F for chicken, 145°F for pork and fish, and 5°F below your goal for beef and salmon to allow for carryover cooking.
5. Use a little oil — or none
A light mist of oil helps fresh foods crisp and brown, but most frozen foods already carry enough. Naturally fatty foods (bacon, chicken thighs, salmon) need none at all. Avoid aerosol non-stick sprays, which can damage the basket's coating; a refillable oil mister is the better tool.
6. Preheat for fresh food, skip it for frozen
Two to three minutes of preheat helps fresh proteins and vegetables sear and brown on contact. Frozen foods are the exception — they cook perfectly from cold, so you can skip the preheat and put them straight in.
⏱️ Quick Find by Cook Time
Need dinner fast? Or have time for a longer cook? Find the right guide for the time you have.
Under 10 Minutes (Lightning Fast)
Hot dogs (5-6 min), shrimp (5-7 min), chicken tenders (8-12 min), scallops (5-7 min), tilapia (7-9 min), salmon fillets (8-10 min), thin steaks (8-10 min), frozen pizza rolls (6-8 min), frozen mozzarella sticks (6-8 min). Perfect for weeknight emergencies.
10–20 Minutes (Most Weeknight Meals)
Burgers (10-13 min), pork chops (12-15 min), chicken breast cutlets (8-12 min), frozen fries (12-18 min), broccoli (8-10 min), Brussels sprouts (15-18 min), egg rolls (10-12 min), tofu cubes (15-18 min), bacon (8-10 min). The sweet spot for everyday cooking.
20–30 Minutes (Heartier Meals)
Chicken thighs (22-25 min), chicken wings (20-24 min), pork tenderloin (20-25 min), drumsticks (18-22 min), thick pork chops (18-22 min), tater tots (15-18 min), potato cubes (18-22 min). Sunday-style dinners on a weeknight schedule.
30+ Minutes (Showstopper Meals)
Whole chicken (55-65 min), bone-in turkey breast (45-60 min), baked potatoes (35-45 min), ribs with foil method (25-30 min), whole side of salmon (15-20 min). Worth the wait for special occasions.
📈 Guides by Skill Level
Beginner-Friendly (Hard to Mess Up)
Frozen foods, bacon, chicken thighs, reheating leftovers, hot dogs, basic vegetables. These are the recipes that build confidence — they cook predictably and forgive small mistakes.
Intermediate (Need Some Attention)
Chicken breast, salmon, pork chops, burgers, crispy potatoes, chicken wings. Need a thermometer and timing awareness but produce great results with attention.
Advanced (Technique Matters)
Steak, lamb chops, whole turkey breast, ribs (two-stage method), crispy tofu, soft-boiled eggs. These reward technique — brining, timing, resting, and temperature control all matter.
Specialty Techniques
Printable cheat sheet, foil safety, cleaning, accessories. Reference materials that help everyone.
🍽️ Guides by Meal Type
Breakfast
Bacon, eggs (boiled, bites, frittata). Add frozen waffles, hash browns, breakfast sausage from the cheat sheet.
Quick Lunches
Chicken breast, salmon, tofu, shrimp — all good for grain bowls, wraps, and salads.
Weeknight Dinners
Chicken thighs, pork chops, burgers, steak bites, fish, paired with roasted vegetables or potatoes.
Weekend Cooking
Ribs, lamb chops, turkey breast, premium steaks. More time, more technique, more impressive results.
Snacks & Appetizers
All appetizers, wings, tenders, pizza rolls, mini corn dogs. Perfect for game day and parties.
Sides
All vegetables, potatoes, sweet potato fries, frozen fries, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, corn on the cob.
Reheating
Complete reheating guide covers pizza, fries, chicken, steak, baked goods, and more. The air fryer is the gold standard for restoring crispness to leftovers.
🥗 Special Diets
Low-Carb / Keto
The air fryer is keto-friendly. Focus on proteins (chicken, salmon, steak, pork chops, bacon) and low-carb vegetables (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli). Skip the cornstarch coating tricks.
Gluten-Free
Most air fryer recipes are naturally gluten-free if you avoid breaded items or substitute almond flour/rice flour for wheat breading. Chicken thighs, vegetables, seafood, and steak are go-to options.
Vegetarian / Vegan
The crispy tofu guide is essential. Roasted vegetables work beautifully. Buffalo cauliflower is a crowd-pleasing meat substitute. Frozen veggie burgers and plant-based nuggets cook well too.
Low-Sodium
Skip pre-seasoned frozen foods (they are often very high in sodium). Cook fresh proteins and vegetables with herbs and lemon juice instead of salt. The air fryer’s caramelization adds flavor without sodium.
Family-Friendly / Kid Approved
Chicken tenders, hot dogs / corn dogs, pizza rolls, fries, sweet potato fries. The classic kid-approved foods that air fry beautifully.
Air fryer cooking — common questions
Do I really need to preheat my air fryer?
For most foods, 2–3 minutes of preheat helps the food brown evenly and locks in moisture. Frozen foods are the main exception — they cook fine going straight in. Bacon also doesn't benefit from preheating because it renders fat as it warms up.
What temperature should I use vs. a recipe's oven temperature?
The general rule is 25°F (15°C) lower than the recipe's oven temperature. A 400°F oven becomes a 375°F air fryer. Smaller cuts can usually handle the full oven temperature; thicker cuts (whole chicken, roasts) benefit from the 25°F drop because the air fryer's high circulation can over-brown the outside before the inside cooks through.
Do I need to flip food halfway through?
For most foods, yes. Air fryers cook from the top down — the heating element sits above the basket — so the upward face browns faster than the downward face. Exceptions: foods with skin (salmon fillets, chicken skin-side down) where the skin acts as a heat shield, and foods in a single small layer that can be tossed instead of flipped (shrimp, vegetables, frozen fries).
Can I stack food in the basket?
Single layer is best. Air fryers work by circulating hot air around food, and stacking blocks airflow — you'll get soggy spots where pieces touch. If you need more than fits in a single layer, cook in batches; the first batch keeps warm on a plate covered with foil while the second cooks.
How do I keep food from drying out?
Two techniques carry most of the weight: use a meat thermometer to pull food at the right internal temperature (165°F for chicken, 145°F for fish, 5°F below target for steak to account for carryover), and let proteins rest for 3–5 minutes after cooking so juices redistribute. A light coat of oil also seals in moisture without making food greasy.
Why is my air fryer smoking?
Almost always: rendered fat hitting the heating element. Common with bacon, fatty steaks, and chicken thighs. Add a tablespoon of water to the bottom drawer (not the basket) to keep fat from smoking, line the drawer with parchment paper, or briefly pause cooking and drain the drawer at the halfway point.
Can I use aluminum foil in my air fryer?
Yes, with two caveats. The foil has to be weighted down by food or it'll blow into the heating element, and it shouldn't cover the entire basket bottom because that blocks airflow. See our full aluminum foil guide for what's safe and what isn't.
Where should I start if I'm brand new to air frying?
Read the beginner's guide first, then print the cheat sheet and put it on your fridge. After that, pick a food you cook often (chicken, frozen fries, vegetables) and work through that guide. Most people are confident inside a week of regular use.
🧪 How We Set Our Cooking Times
The times and temperatures across these guides are tested in standard 4–6 quart basket-style air fryers — the kind most households own — cooking food in a single layer at sea level. We treat each chart as a reliable starting point, then note where common variables push the numbers up or down.
Three things move cook times the most: wattage and basket size (larger, higher-watt models run hotter and faster), starting temperature (fridge-cold and frozen foods need extra time), and altitude (higher elevations cook a touch slower). Because of that variation, every guide leans on internal temperature as the real finish line rather than the clock alone. When a chart and your thermometer disagree, trust the thermometer.
Guides are reviewed and updated as models and best practices change — each page shows its last-updated date at the top. If a time doesn't match your machine, your air fryer is probably running hotter or cooler than average; adjust by 1–2 minutes and it'll be dialed in next time.