We've all been there - suddenly in love with a genius invention – a no oil frying pan, which allows us to prepare healthier meals with hot air that gives a "fried finish" and with no more than one tablespoon of oil. You can make a lot of things with such a pot, including chicken breast, schnitzel, fries, fish, and even more exotic foods like falafel, but there are also some things that aren’t highly recommended to try cooking in it. So how do you know what’s worth it and what isn’t? Here are 9 foods that an no oil frying pot isn’t meant for.
1. Anything with sauce
If it’s a stew or sauce you’re making for pasta, for example, an no oil frying pot isn’t the right tool. When the hot air is circulated inside the pot, the hot liquids might splash everywhere inside it, which could be dangerous, and in general, it also makes a big mess. For "wet" dishes, it’s recommended to prefer a slow cooker as an alternative to cooking on the stove.
2. Popcorn
It might sound like a great idea – making popcorn in an no oil frying pot – but in truth, most models can’t reach the temperature required to pop the kernels. Plus, the kernels themselves might get stuck in the heating element of the device, which could cause a short circuit or even a fire hazard. If you still want to make a tasty snack in an no oil frying pot, you can try making homemade tortilla chips: cut some tortillas into triangles, mix with a little oil, salt, and pepper, and fry until crisp.
3. Broccoli
Certain vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, for example, are good at retaining their moisture, so air frying suits them well. Broccoli, on the other hand, might dry out, lose its texture, and develop a bitter taste. It’s better to roast broccoli in the oven, and you can try our recipe for Broccolio Cheddar Bites in the oven.
4. Pasta and rice
You can put pasta in an no oil frying pot if the recipe calls for baking in the oven, for example, but it’s not recommended to put pasta with sauce in the device, as we mentioned earlier, or to try cooking it in there in general. Similar to pasta, raw rice needs to be cooked in water first, and while you can add a few drops of water to the air fryer basket, it’s not designed for such cooking or even steaming food. What you can do is cook the rice on the stove, then transfer it to the no oil frying pot for a few minutes to give it a slightly crispier, fried texture.
5. Hard-boiled eggs
While technically you can use an no oil frying pot to make hard-boiled eggs, their texture might end up too rubbery, and there are better ways to achieve good results. Click here to learn the recipe for the perfect hard-boiled egg, and if you’re still interested in trying hard-boiled eggs in an no oil frying pot, it’s recommended to use medium-sized eggs straight from the fridge and cook them at 125°C for 10 minutes.
6. Toast
Bread won’t really achieve the desired crispiness intended for toast, and in general, it’s better to avoid putting cheese in this device because it will melt and be very hard to clean afterward. You’re better off using a toaster, and if you don’t have one at home, you can click here to learn how to make delicious toast in a pan.
7. Whole chicken
Even if your pot is big enough for a whole chicken, it’s not worth trying to cook it in there because it won’t cook all parts of the chicken evenly. You can definitely put smaller chicken parts, like wings or drumsticks, in it, but a whole chicken is better cooked in the oven. Click here to check out our recipe for roasted chicken in the oven.
8. Pastries
The results of "baking" in an no oil frying pot are a bit unpredictable, and pastries require precise and careful processes to turn out right. That said, there’s a small asterisk here because while it’s not advisable to try making muffins, for example, in an no oil frying pot, you can definitely reheat them after baking them in the oven. Click here to check out an apple muffin recipe worth trying.
9. Chopped herbs
Did you chop parsley or cilantro for your recipe? It’s not worth preparing it in an no oil frying pot right now because all the herbs you chopped will "fly around" inside it, and they might coat the internal parts of the device instead of the food you’re cooking. But there’s a solution: you can "stick" the herbs to the food you’re preparing with a thin layer of oil. That way, they’ll stay on it and won’t endanger your device.
