Update: Burned my chicken wings so bad I almost threw the air fryer out

Last Tuesday I was sitting in my kitchen watching a game and thought I'd toss some frozen wings in the air fryer at 400 degrees for like 25 minutes without checking. Big mistake. Smoke started pouring out of the unit and the fire alarm went off right when my neighbor came over to borrow salt. I opened the basket and saw blackened chicken with the skin literally charred off. I was ready to blame the machine and get a new one. But I looked up online and realized I had overcrowded the basket like crazy and never shook it halfway through. So I grabbed a thermometer, bought a fresh pack of wings on sale for $6, and tried again with smaller batches at 380 degrees for 20 minutes. They came out perfect with crispy skin and juicy meat. Has anyone else almost given up on their air fryer after a bad burn incident?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy8172d ago

Happened to me with frozen chicken wings too. 400 degrees is way too hot for frozen stuff. I ruined a whole bag of frozen dumplings the same way. Now I always cook frozen items at 350 and add 5 extra minutes if needed. The secret is to not overcrowd the basket and flip halfway. Also get yourself a cheap digital thermometer. Changed everything for me. My kitchen smelled like a grease fire for two days but a bowl of white vinegar on the counter took the smell right out.

susan6492d ago

Bought my first air fryer and burned frozen fries so bad on the first try I almost threw it in the trash. I was so mad because everyone said air fryers were foolproof. Turned out I was using way too high heat and never bothered to check on them. I have a white one and the inside is still stained black from that disaster but now I always set timers and shake the basket every 8 minutes. It's a learning curve for sure.

roberts952d ago

Did you ever get the smoke smell out of your kitchen? I had a similar thing happen with chicken wings and my whole apartment smelled like burnt grease for three days. I was ready to chuck the whole air fryer in the dumpster too. But you're right, it's almost always user error and not the machine itself. I think we both learned the hard way that those frozen things need way more attention than you'd expect. Good on you for trying again instead of giving up, most people would've just blamed the appliance. The second batch always makes up for the first disaster, at least it did for me.