Bought a $30 meat thermometer and it saved my chicken game

I finally picked up a digital meat thermometer after burning through three packs of chicken thighs in my air fryer last month. The first batch of wings I made with it came out perfectly juicy instead of that weird dry rubbery texture. Anyone else feel like guessing temps is just not worth the gamble lol?

2 comments

2 Comments

john43015d ago

Air fryers run hotter than regular ovens so 165 for thighs is actually overcooked there. You want 170-175 for dark meat to break down the connective tissue right. Your thermometer is still a game changer just dial in the temps for your specific thing you're cooking.

jason11215d ago

Nah I gotta disagree with you on the 170-175 thing for thighs in an air fryer. I've been cooking chicken thighs in mine for a couple years now and 165 is perfect every time. The air fryer circulates heat so fast that by the time they hit 165 the outside is already crispy and the inside is super juicy. If I push them to 170 they dry out on me because the air fryer keeps cooking them after you pull them out. You're right that thermometers are the real hero here though. I think people just need to test what works for their own machine since they all run a little different.