The Easy Step You Can't Skip For Ultra-Crispy Breaded Food In The Air Fryer

One of the big selling points of the air fryer is that's a healthier method of cooking. It reduces fat content of food by up to 75% compared to deep frying. But if you've ever tried air frying breaded food like coconut shrimp, fried chicken, or cauliflower florets, you'll know that at least some oil is required to get that crispy finish.

One popular option for anything crumbed is to use cooking spray, but this will only reach the outer layer of the breading. A better solution is to incorporate oil into the breadcrumbs before coating your food. This ensures that the crumbs brown evenly and get nice and crunchy without drying out.

You're still only using a very small amount of oil compared to regular deep frying – around 2 tablespoons for every ½ cup of breadcrumbs (enough for about 8 chicken tenderloins). It's as simple as adding the oil and breadcrumbs to a bowl and stirring well until all the breadcrumbs are coated. Then coat and air-fry your dish as normal.

What we love about this method is that it's a simple step with very little effort but a big impact. If you're seasoning your breadcrumbs anyway, you can add the oil in at the same time. You can use any cooking oil that you have handy, including vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. As with any kind of frying, it's suggested you avoid oils with a lower smoke point, such as cold-pressed olive oil.

If you prefer to bread your food with panko, the method works just as well. Compared to regular breadcrumbs, panko tends to absorb less oil, so start with a smaller quantity of oil and add more if needed. Homemade breadcrumbs can also benefit from this method — and it's even easier to do. You simply add the oil to the pan or oven tray as you toast them.

It might be tempting to call this a new hack, but Philips at least recommend it for the best results in their air fryers. Which just goes to show that sometimes it is worth reading the manual.