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CNET’s air fryer advice, drawing on recipe tester Cathy Yoder, identifies nine habits that can leave food soggy, burnt or uneven. The suggested fixes include leaving room for airflow, using oil selectively, checking food during cooking and cleaning the appliance between uses.
A CNET report featuring recipe tester Cathy Yoder outlines nine common air fryer mistakes and practical ways to address them, including crowding the basket, using too much oil and relying on aerosol cooking spray. The advice matters for home cooks because those habits can interfere with hot-air circulation and leave food soggy, burnt or unevenly cooked.
Yoder, who tests recipes for the Empowered Cooks air fryer blog, says an air fryer can be used for more than frozen fries and chicken nuggets. She describes the appliance as a small convection oven: hot air moves around the food, so keeping that airflow open is key to getting crisp, even results. The report’s nine-item list also includes underestimating the appliance’s heat, preheating when it may not be necessary, choosing an unsuitable oil, adding too much oil, failing to shake or turn food, and not cleaning the appliance between uses.
On preheating, Yoder says her tests with the same air fryer produced no significant difference in results, with preheating changing total cooking time by about two minutes. That is her reported experience, not a universal finding for every recipe or model. She also cautions against aerosol cooking sprays because, she says, some propellants could damage a basket’s nonstick coating. For foods that need oil, she suggests a refillable spray pump and recommends using oil sparingly.
Oil choice and quantity depend on the food and cooking conditions, Yoder says. She recommends avocado oil for its higher smoke point, while noting that olive oil can be a poor fit for longer cooking at high temperatures. Many meats and frozen products already contain fat, so extra oil may not be needed. A small amount can help seasonings stick or keep breading from drying out. For crisp results, Yoder advises arranging food in a single layer where possible, leaving room around pieces, and shaking or flipping food during cooking rather than assuming it can be left untouched.
How Airflow Shapes Crispness
The advice focuses on how an air fryer works, rather than treating it as a machine that guarantees fried-food results. When pieces are piled together, hot air has less access to their surfaces; when excess oil or moisture is present, the texture can suffer. That makes basket size and cooking habits relevant even for people who own a model advertised with a large capacity. Yoder’s practical guidance can help readers adjust a recipe before blaming the appliance, while her comments on sprays and oil point to possible coating wear and burnt flavors.
There are limits to what the report establishes. Yoder’s testing and recommendations are expert guidance, not controlled evidence that every air fryer, ingredient or recipe will behave the same way. Readers should still follow the instructions for their specific appliance and recipe, particularly when cooking times or temperatures are involved.
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Yoder’s Recipe-Testing Advice
The report presents the recommendations as a response to common problems faced by air fryer users, including uneven browning, soggy food and dried-out ingredients. It says air fryers can handle many foods that would otherwise be grilled or baked, but their compact cooking space means that how food is arranged matters. The source also notes that preheat functions vary by model; some appliances have a dedicated setting, while opening a basket during a cycle may restart it.
The list draws on Yoder’s experience testing air fryer recipes and is not described as a formal study of all models. Her comments distinguish between habits she says are generally unnecessary, such as preheating in the tests she describes, and choices that depend on the food, such as adding oil to vegetables, rubs or breading. The report flags cleaning the appliance between uses as another pitfall but does not provide detailed cleaning instructions in the supplied material.
“Air fryers are essentially just a mini convection oven.”
— Cathy Yoder, Empowered Cooks recipe tester
Advice Varies by Appliance
The supplied source does not identify the publication date or explain how many recipes Yoder tested beyond saying she compared preheated and non-preheated cooking in the same air fryer. It does not establish that skipping preheating, choosing avocado oil or using a particular amount of oil will work for every model, ingredient or recipe. The source excerpt also ends partway through its discussion of shaking and flipping food, so it does not provide the full explanation for that item or detailed fixes for every mistake on the nine-item list. Its brief mention of cleaning does not specify a cleaning method.
Check Recipes and Model Guidance
The report offers general troubleshooting rather than announcing a new product, rule or formal test result. Readers applying the advice can start by checking their appliance’s instructions and the recipe they are making, then avoid overcrowding and monitor food as it cooks. The supplied material does not name a follow-up test, publication or other next milestone; whether the tips change a particular dish’s result will depend on the recipe, air fryer and cooking conditions.
Key Questions
Who shared the air fryer advice?
Cathy Yoder, a recipe tester for the Empowered Cooks air fryer blog, shared the recommendations in a CNET report.
Why can a crowded air fryer basket cause problems?
Yoder says air fryers work by circulating hot air. Crowding can limit airflow around food, which may leave it less crisp or unevenly cooked. She advises using a single layer when possible.
Does an air fryer always need preheating?
Not according to Yoder’s described tests: she says preheating did not significantly change results and added about two minutes to total cooking time. That finding is specific to her tests and does not establish what every model or recipe requires.
How much oil should you use in an air fryer?
Yoder says many meats and frozen foods already contain fat, so extra oil is often unnecessary. A small amount may help seasoning stick or keep breading from drying out. The right amount depends on the food and preparation.
What remains unknown about the nine mistakes?
The supplied source does not include the complete explanation for all nine items, identify the models used in its tests, or provide detailed cleaning instructions. Its recommendations should be treated as general guidance, not a guarantee for every appliance and recipe.
Source: CNET
