Air fryers work by circulating hot air, which originates at the bottom of the fryer. Lining it with foil can constrict the air flow and your food won't cook properly. If you are going to use aluminum foil in an air fryer, use a small amount in the bottom of the basket, making sure not to cover the food.
Place the steaks in the air fryer (you may have to do one at a time). Set the temperature to 200°C/400°F and cook for 7-9 minutes for medium rare, 10-13 minutes for medium or 14-15 minutes for well-done. Make sure to flip the steak over at the half way point.
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.
Place steak on a plate or desired serving dish. Wrap the steak in aluminum foil and seal tightly to allow steak to continue cooking in its own juices.
Food grade materials, such as aluminum foil, heavy freezer-weight plastic bags, heavy plastic wrap and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping, but this type of wrap is thin and lets air in.
Wrapping in Foil
Meat will generally be juicier and more tender. However, do not overcook. Meats like brisket and pork shoulder are best when taken to an internal temp of 203 degrees. Meat will cook faster and power more easily through the stall (see above).
An air fryer is simply a small oven that runs on convection heat. The heat is circulated around a tight space by a powerful fan that lies just below or behind the heating element. Just as in a standard oven, it is perfectly safe to use aluminum foil in the air fryer.
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.
YOU'RE NOT ADDING OIL
With all that air movement, the food starts to lose moisture, which takes away the delicious flavors you love in fried food. You only need 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of oil each time you use your air fryer to help bring that flavor and moisture back.
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.
Preheat a 3.5-quart air fryer to 400 degrees F. Season the steak on both sides with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Place the steak in the center of the air fryer basket and cook until desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium-rare, 12 minutes for medium and 14 minutes for medium-well.
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. This is a particularly helpful method of cooking if your grill is finicky, your stove heats unevenly, or you're just a newbie at cooking steaks.
Never Use Nonstick Spray
Spraying the basket in the air fryer with nonstick spray can damage the air fryer's nonstick coating and can make the pan unsafe for use. If you need to use a cooking spray, like when cooking breaded food items like chicken tenders, only spray the food directly before turning on the air fryer.
It is safe to cook raw meat in the air fryer if it is fully defrosted, seasoned, and monitored. Some fully cooked foods, including chicken tenders or fries, can be placed frozen in the air fryer. However, with raw meat, it's recommended to thoroughly defrost to allow more even cooking and a tasty final product.
You can add a small amount of water to the bottom of the air fryer before cooking certain foods such as potatoes or vegetables. This will help create steam and prevent them from drying out during cooking.
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.
Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. Simply place the meat in between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound it prior to cooking. If you don't have a meat mallet, you can also use a heavy kitchen tool such as a skillet, saucepan or rolling pin.
Parchment paper is an excellent alternative to foil. You can even buy Perforated Parchment Paper Sheets that fit right in your air fryer basket and toss away for quick and simple clean-up.
Laurence says she always chooses parchment paper over aluminum foil in the air fryer. Parchment paper is more versatile because it is non-reactive, whereas aluminum foil is reactive. "Whatever food you're putting on that aluminum foil is going to react with aluminum," Laurence says.
Aluminium is significantly more likely to leach into food, and at higher levels, in acidic and liquid food solutions like lemon and tomato juice than in those containing alcohol or salt. Leaching levels climb even more when spice is added to food that's cooked in aluminium foil.
Don't use it for acidic foods.
Acidic foods (like tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tart fruits) can interact with the aluminum and, after a few days, erode the foil. For these foods, you're better off using plastic wrap or or even glass containers.
One of the other reasons why we shouldn't store leftover food in aluminium foil is that it doesn't do a good enough job to keep oxygen from getting into the food. This allows bacteria to grow inside the food, which may spoil the food the next day and it'll go bad just as quickly as if you hadn't wrapped it up at all.
Lining your air fryer with parchment paper is the best way to keep your appliance clean and your food delicious. Nothing beats cooking with an air fryer to get you crispy, tender food with a fraction of the oil.