Why Your Rotary Air Fryer Isn't Ideal For Baking

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Air fryers are a versatile kitchen tool, but different designs have different uses, and not every air fryer configuration can cook all foods. So we spoke with "The Queen of Air Fryers" Cathy Yoder, author of the Air Fryer Recipes Cookbook , and she told us why rotary-style air fryers are not the best choice at all for baking.

"A rotary air fryer isn't ideal for baking because it's designed primarily for cooking frozen foods like fries and nuggets," she said. In rotary air fryers like T-Fal's Actifry, which is available on Amazon , the gentle motion of stirring the food with a paddle that's attached to a shaft in the middle of the basket — like with a food processor — works great for foods that need to be stirred while cooking, but Yoder noted "It's made to stir food around constantly, which works for crisping but ruins delicate batters and doughs." If you're in the market for an air fryer, Yoder explained how this conundrum should affect your considerations.



"Unlike basket or oven-style air fryers, rotary models severely limit what you can make, so if you're spending money on an air fryer, it makes more sense to get a versatile one that can handle both crispy snacks and fun baked treats." Rotary air fryers make a mess of delicate baked goods What types of food can be cooked in an air fryer is one of the most common air fryer questions out there. But rotary air fryers are largely restricted to foods that benefit from being constantly stirred while cooking to ensure they crisp up — like small potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and frozen onion rings.

But this motion spells disaster for foods that must remain still while cooking — like cupcakes. Cathy Yoder, CEO of EmpoweredCooks.com , said it right, "Since the food is being moved and flipped during cooking, your batter can spill, your dough won't hold its shape, and crumble toppings just fall right off.

You can't bake properly in that environment." Foods will tumble over each other in a rotary air fryer, rubbing off seasonings and disrupting toppings. Even without crowding the basket, the motion of being constantly pushed around by a paddle can still pose issues for items like cinnamon rolls, which can be baked in a regular air fryer .

For baking with an air fryer, Yoder recommends the more common basket- or oven-style configurations, as seen in T-Fal's infrared air fryer that blew us away with its crisping capabilities . Traditional baking layouts, Yoder said, are "essential for baked goods to rise and set the way they're supposed to. So while rotary air fryers are great for quick snacks, they just aren't built for baking or anything that needs to stay still.

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