How To Make Air-Fried Food Take On Deep-Fried Flavor

Senior demo chef at Ninja Test Kitchen Rachel Buck shared how to make air-fried food comparable to deep-fried fare by using deep-frying's essential components: starch and oil.

Add some starchy coating to your food before lightly coating it with oil or using oil spray. The chef recommends using panko breadcrumbs as they create a light, crispy texture.

If your food already has an exterior coating — or won't meld well with the crumbly breading — then settle for sprinkling some cornstarch over your food instead.

Finally, Buck pointed out that you should give your food enough space in the fryer basket during cooking so that the convective flow of air can hit the food as much as possible.