After years of testing air fryers, we’ve found that while these appliances are versatile and efficient, they’re not ideal for every ingredient. Many foods — like salmon filets, hot dogs and burgers — cook beautifully thanks to the rapid convection heat, often rivaling results from a grill or oven. But other foods fall short, either drying out, overcooking or turning into a mess.
Certain foods, like leafy greens such as spinach or kale, simply don’t belong in the air fryer unless you’re intentionally making chips. Shellfish is another ingredient that struggles under the intense heat, often becoming tough or rubbery. Even boneless chicken breast can dry out unless it’s breaded or coated. Knowing which foods to skip can save you from wasted ingredients and a lot of cleanup.
After one too many culinary flops, I’ve officially blacklisted these nine foods from the air fryer.
1. Boneless pork chops
Boneless pork chops dry out too easily in an air fryer.
A perfectly cooked pork chop is a thing of beauty, but leaner cuts of the other white meat can dry out in a hurry. Bacon, bone-in pork chops and fattier cuts of swine can handle the air fryer, but lean, boneless pork chops and tenderloin tend to dry out when subjected to the blast of high heat. If you’re going to use the air fryer to cook pork chops, do so at a lower temperature and use some fat to keep things from getting too dry.
2. Spinach and leafy greens
Crisped spinach and kale will not turn out well in an air fryer.
Leafy greens are a big “no” when it comes to air-fryer cooking. The hot convection air will crisp most leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard far beyond anything you’d want to eat. Solid veggies including Brussels sprouts, squash and zucchini fare well in the air fryer, but leafy greens are best when sauteed, stewed or steamed.
3. Steak and most cuts of beef
Steak cooked in an air fryer may end up tough and rubbery.
Steak reheats well in the air fryer, but it’s not an ideal place to cook it for the first time. Air fryer baskets get hot but not hot enough to give the outside of your steak a proper sear. I’ve tried cooking steaks in the air fryer before. Even fatty, forgiving steaks don’t come out as well as when they’re cooking on a hot plancha, cast-iron skillet or grill.
The exception to the beef rule is burgers. Ground beef won’t get stringy, and the air fryer’s intense heat allows you to get a crusty sear without overcooking the middle. Here’s how to make a bacon cheeseburger in the air fryer.
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4. Boneless chicken breasts
Unbreaded chicken breasts are not the best candidates.
Chicken wings, thighs and any bone-in pieces are perfect candidates for the air fryer. Boneless chicken breasts don’t have much fat and will dry out easily. Protect them with a little egg batter and breadcrumbs, and you’ll be OK, but bare chicken breasts cooked in the air fryer often emerge dry or rubbery.
5. Large cuts of any meat
Pot roast typically needs low and slow methods of cooking.
Large cuts of beef, pork and lamb typically do best when cooked using a low-and-slow method such as braising or smoking. Avoid the air fryer with its hot blast of convection air when cooking larger cuts of meat and opt for the Dutch oven, slow cooker or pellet smoker.
6. Naked broccoli
The air fryer will singe broccoli unless you cover it in foil.
If you wrap your broccoli in foil, you can use the air fryer to roast it (quickly). If you leave it uncovered and exposed to the hot convection air and you’ll end up with sizzled broccoli ends that are anything but delicious.
7. Shellfish
Clams and mussels are better for a pot instead of an air fryer.
Shellfish such as clams and mussels need liquid to cook without drying out. They are also easily overcooked, which can lead to a chewy, rubbery morsel that you don’t want anywhere near your plate. Avoid the air fryer when cooking most shellfish.
8. Most baked goods
Cake and cookie recipes don’t typically translate well from the oven to an air fryer.
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You can certainly do some baking in the air fryer, but use caution since the air fryer’s super convection behaves differently than a normal oven’s convection heat.
Baking a cake or batch of cookies in the air fryer using the time and temperature called for in a recipe will often result in an overcooked, dry or burnt result. When baking in an air fryer, use recipes that are specific to an air fryer and don’t assume an oven recipe will translate.
9. Large casseroles or layered pasta
Lasagna and deep casserole-style dishes may not warm through before the top starts to burn.
Because the air fryer cooks fast and the heat comes from above, deep casseroles and layered lasagnas may not cook all the way through before burning on top. If you are going to use the air fryer, set it to bake or a lower temperature than you would use to cook chicken wings or hot dogs.
If you’re looking for a great air fryer, here are CNET’s top-rated models for 2025. For more, these are the best air-frying toaster ovens for 2025.
