Just realized my air fryer cooks meat unevenly if I don't flip halfway

So I got a pork loin last week from Costco, about 2 inches thick. Threw it in my air fryer at 375 for 18 minutes like I always do. When I took it out, the top was golden brown and crispy but the bottom was still pale and kinda rubbery. I was so mad because I thought air fryers were supposed to cook everything perfect. After thinking about it, I realized the air is hitting the top way more than the bottom. So now I flip everything halfway through: chicken thighs, pork chops, even frozen fries if I want them all crunchy. Has anyone else found certain cuts of meat that just don't work well without a flip? Or do you guys have a special trick like using a rack or turning the temp way down?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamieperez1mo ago

Shake my head every time I read one of these posts. Got a whole bag of frozen chicken wings in mine last week, threw them in on the "wings" setting like a chump, and the ones on top were practically blackened while the bottom ones were still floppy and sad. Now I just pull the basket out every 8 minutes and give everything a solid shake. The real game changer for me was putting a little metal trivet in the bottom so the meat sits up off the basket floor. Your mileage may vary but it helped my pork chops a ton.

xena_rivera631mo agoProlific Poster

You got that right about the trivet. I started using one of those little stainless steel racks that come with some air fryers, the ones everyone forgets are in the box. It lifts the meat up just enough so the air circulates underneath instead of the meat sitting in its own juices on the basket floor. For thicker cuts like pork loin or a whole chicken breast, I'll also drop the temp to 350 and add 5-7 minutes to the cook time. That way the inside cooks through without the top burning while the bottom is still pale. Bacon is the one thing I still cant win with though, no matter what I do the middle strips always come out chewier than the edges.