My neighbor said air fryer chicken wings are pointless and now I'm on a mission

I was chatting with my neighbor Dave last weekend (he's a big grill guy) and he straight up told me, 'Why bother with an air fryer for wings? You'll never get that real bar food crisp.' So I spent the next three days testing. I did a batch at 400 degrees for 22 minutes, flipping once, and used a full tablespoon of baking powder in the dry rub. The skin was so crispy it shattered. Dave was wrong, and now I've perfected it. What's one thing someone told you was impossible in the air fryer that you proved wrong?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_terry2mo ago

My cousin swore you couldn't do a proper grilled cheese in one. Got the bread golden and the cheese fully melted in six minutes.

the_drew12d ago

The key is letting the air fryer preheat first too. I toss mine in cold and it's never as good as when I give it a solid three minutes to warm up before adding the sandwich. That six minute mark sounds about right once you factor that in.

craig.alex2mo ago

Grilled cheese is still better in a pan, @the_terry.

kimfisher2mo ago

Tell your cousin to try a lower heat next time. I've found that rushing it on high just burns the bread before the cheese even thinks about melting. Medium-low lets the heat work its way through slowly. You get that perfect golden crust and gooey middle without any stress. It takes a couple minutes longer but the result is way more reliable.