High heat is the best for cooking steak, because the less time it spends cooking, the more tender it will be. That makes the air fryer GREAT for cooking steak. The air fryer cooks food by blowing intensely hot air down and around it—an ideal way to make juicy, tender steak that will have your family oohing and ahhing.
According to Taste of Home, air fryers are great at cooking steak because of how consistently they heat food. While steaks traditionally get their crisp exterior being seared on a grill or pan, steaks made in the air fryer achieve the same results through the circulation of hot air.
As with all dry-heat cooker methods (grilling, broiling, pan frying and oven roasting), tender beef cuts perform best in the air fryer. Those cuts include Top Sirloin, KC Strip, Ribeye, Tenderloin and Tri Tip.
The best way to ensure a juicy steak is to use high heat to cook the steak quickly, which will bring it to the proper temperature without drying it out. Remember to rest your steak after air frying to allow the meat to reabsorb juices and complete its cooking time without direct heat.
Air Fryer is a Healthier Option
Air fryers require little or no oil, which makes them a healthier option compared to traditional frying methods. Using an air fryer to cook your steak reduces fat and calories without sacrificing flavor. But that's not all air frying has to offer.
Thin steaks are prone to overcooking quickly and becoming chewy. To enjoy the best flavor and texture, allow the steaks to come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking them in the air fryer. Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket and leave some space between steaks for airflow to cook evenly.
Start by rubbing the steak all over with the olive oil. This isn't a necessary step when cooking a steak on the grill or in a cast-iron pan, but in an air fryer, the steak's surface has the best chance of caramelizing and creating a crust if it's coated in oil.
Because of an air fryer's powerful ability to circulate hot air around food, you technically do not need to flip. Your steak will cook through, if left on just one side.
Air frying combines the ease of baking with all the deliciousness of pan-searing. The hot, circulating air quickly browns the outside of the steak, resulting in golden brown edges that mimic a hard sear. You don't have to mess with a hot pan, worry about setting off your smoke detector, or deal with any oil splatters.
Air fryers simple do not brown food since they rely on hot air to cook food through rather than longer exposure to heat like an oven.
While most people already know you can use the air fryer for crispy, golden French fries and other deep-fried favorites, you can also cook delicious steak, chicken breast, pork chops, burgers, salmon, shrimp, bacon, and hot dogs in under 20 minutes.
However, it's pretty tempting to throw a little foil in there to catch any drips and make clean-up even easier, but is that allowed? The short answer is yes, you can put aluminum foil in the air fryer.
Drizzle a little oil over your fillet steak, then season it generously with salt and pepper and place into Drawer 2. Select Drawer 1, and select Air Fry. Set the temperature to 190 °C and set the timer for 25 minutes.
The Chef's Way of Cooking A Steak
Just let it go. Once your steak is on your pan, let it sear and simmer down. It is very tempting to constantly check it and/or flip it – but don't. This is how a nice dark char is formed, and this is the correct pathway to your chef's steak.
The number one spot goes to grilling, the classic method for cooking your steak. While great grilling isn't quite as precise as sous-vide, it leads to the best, purest-tasting steaks out of non-sous vide methods. This is because grilling uses the steak's natural fats and juices for flavor.
Pan-searing is hands-down the best way to cook a steak (it works wonders for salmon and scallops, too), and it also happens to be the easiest.
Dry the outside of the food properly before you add oil. Do not use too much oil, as this will make the food less crispy and more fattening. Meat or poultry can be lightly brushed with oil or marinated to get the crispiest results.
Follow this tip: Plan to take the steak out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. This simple step helps the steak cook more evenly.
Spray the steak with olive oil and coat both sides with the spices. Preheat the air fryer so the basket gets hot. For a 1-inch steak, air fry 400F 10 minutes turning halfway, for medium rare, for medium, cook 12 minutes, flipping halfway.
Preheat an air fryer to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Place eggs in the air fryer basket. Cook eggs in the preheated air fryer for 15 minutes. Transfer eggs to a cold water bath until fully cooled, 8 to 10 minutes.
There's nothing better than to let the natural flavours of the meat sing. I keep it simple by first coating the meat with a bit of olive oil and then adding lots of coarse salt just before cooking so it doesn't dissolve, as this helps to create a nice surface texture.
Arrange the sausages in a single layer in an air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 180C and cook for 10-15 mins, turning every 5 mins, until the sausages are cooked through.
When seasoning a steak, you can't go wrong with the classic freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Finishing salts such as flaky sea salt and can be applied at the end as a final touch. Add some chopped herbs such as thyme, rosemary or sage to your salt to make a flavored salt for your steak.