Why Isn't My Foodi Getting Crispy When Air Frying?
There are a number of reasons that you may not be getting the results you want when air frying.
Not all food will crisp up just because you select the air crisp setting. For example, while you can air crisp a boneless skinless chicken breast, it's not going to get crispy unless you cook it so long that it resembles chicken jerky. In order for meat to be crispy, like when it's deep fried, it either needs to be breaded and spritzed with oil OR have skin on it that will render its fat and become crispy. Applying marinades that contain sugar can give the feeling that something is "crispy," but that is considered caramelization and not true crisping.
The other reason could be too much moisture in the food that is producing steam and not allowing things to crisp up. This happens often with breaded food, like mushrooms. The moisture released from the mushroom causes the breading to get wet and steam instead of crisp. There are a few things you can do to fix this. In my air fryer mushroom recipe that you can find linked to below, I toss the mushrooms in flour before dipping them in the wet and dry batters. This helps create an extra layer of "absorption" between the mushroom and the dry breading. As the mushroom cooks and releases juices, the flour absorbs it before it can make its way to the outer breading.
Temperature also plays a key role in how well things crisp up. Choosing the right temperature is very important. If it's too high, you will burn the breading before it has a chance to crisp or cook the food under the breading, too low and the food will overcook before the breading crisps.
With any breaded food, it is IMPORTANT that you preheat the air fryer with your cooking surface in the appliance BEFORE air frying. It will make a difference in the outcome. When the surface that you are placing your food on is hot, the breading will set quicker and crisp better. I usually preheat on the hottest setting for a full 10 minutes before air frying.
I hope this helps!
