Air fryers have revolutionized home cooking, offering a healthier, faster, and more efficient way to prepare meals—but they aren’t foolproof…especially when cooking frozen foods. Below, “The Queen of Air Fryers” Cathy Yoder shares some essential tips, tricks, and common pitfalls for perfecting frozen food in the air fryer. From achieving the ideal crisp without excess oil to avoiding rookie mistakes, this comprehensive guide ensures delicious results every time. Perfect for food and lifestyle coverage, this piece offers value to novice and seasoned air fryer enthusiasts, alike.
Can you cook frozen foods in the air fryer? Yes, you can! In fact, the air fryer cooks up frozen food items faster than the regular oven. While the air fryer is something different than a deep fryer, it can also do most if not all of the same things that a deep fryer can do, but in a healthier fashion. By using less oil, you can cut down on the fat content of some of your favorite fried foods.
Tips and tricks for cooking frozen food in the air fryer:
Food will cook slightly differently in the air fryer than in a deep fryer. So, you will have to do some adjusting of cook times and temperatures, as well as a few other ways to make sure you are cooking frozen food well. There are very extensive internal temperature charts available that can be very helpful as well.
Best Practices:
Preheat the air fryer: this can help get the air fryer to the right temperature and potentially cook faster. However, it is not always necessary in order for frozen food to cook properly.
Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket: make sure to leave space between the food always for it to cook through evenly without undercooking parts, leaving them unsafe to eat.
Shake or stir the food: Most air fryers will require the food to be shaken or stirred in order to get the food cooked evenly, especially for foods like fries.
Use oil sparingly. Lots of frozen foods already have oils in them and so they don’t need a lot of oil, just a little. So don’t use too much oil to make it too greasy or unhealthy. Or, if you want it to be extra crispy, then spritz a little extra oil and bump up the heat.
Check internal temperature. The recommended internal temperature of most frozen foods is 165 degrees F or 74 degrees C.
Top Frozen Food Air Fryer Mistakes
Only using an air fryer for frozen foods. Avoid this by branching out and committing to make one new air fryer recipe a week!
Using aerosol sprays in the air fryer – these are full of propellants and chemicals that you not only don’t want to consume, but it’s not good for the air fryer basket coating. Instead, buy an oil sprayer and put pure avocado oil in it (which has a high smoke point, is healthier than other oils, and tasteless).
Using metal utensils with the air fryer. Protect coating the air fryer basket by using silicone coated tools. I also like to use air fryer parchment paper liners which also protects the basket AND makes cleaning the air fryer so much easier (see mistake 7).
Overcrowding the basket – depending on what you’re making, you want to allow room for air flow around the food you’re cooking. If you’re doing a mix of veggies with protein for example, the food does not need to be in a single layer, but you also don’t want to fill the basket up so much that the food has a hard time cooking. Generally I try and keep it no more than ⅓ full and be sure to stir food around during cooking so everything can cook evenly.
Following oven directions. Since the air fryer is essentially a mini convection oven, foods cook faster since the heat is contained in a smaller space and the air flow is more powerful. A good rule of thumb is to reduce the temperature by 25˚ and cut the cook time in half. Then you can add more time as needed.
Not using an instant read food thermometer… Using this will help you know when your food is actually cooked. That way you stay safe by not undercooking foods AND your food tastes better because it won’t dry out because you’re over cooking.
Not cleaning the air fryer basket after each cooking session – which leads to a gross build up of grease and food that will be harder to clean later! After using the air fryer I will let it cool slightly and then I usually wipe up any grease or food drippings with a paper towel, then spray on some Dawn Powerwash and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I’ll wipe up any remaining grease and then wash it down with some hot water. That usually cleans it all up with minimal effort. Don’t forget to wipe the inside of the air fryer and around the heating element with a damp cloth. With some of the foods you cook in the air fryer, consider using air fryer parchment liners to avoid any large messes in the first place.
Cooking fatty foods wrong! First, you likely do not even need to use oil because the protein already has fat. Second, the fattier the food, the more grease that will drip thru the tray. Depending on your air fryer, this might cause alarm because the air fryer will start smoking! One tip is to place a piece of bread between the basket and tray of the air fryer to catch greasy drippings.
Relying too much on preset buttons. Just because the button for fish or chicken has a set time and temperature, doesn’t mean you should follow that exact time and temp. Defer to mistake #6 – use the food thermometer to know when your food is actually done. Otherwise, you will likely overcook your food if you just push the button and walk away. “Roast” “Broil” “Bake” in most cases, this does not change the function of what is happening inside the air fryer, but is actually just adjusting the programmed temperature and time.
Expecting the air fryer to perform just like a deep fryer. This means battered foods will not turn out well in the air fryer, save those for your deep fryer instead. Yes, some things do just taste better deep fried, but in many cases air frying is a close 2nd and the health benefits of way less oil in your food make using an air fryer worth it.
Yes, the air fryer is a great tool to cook frozen foods, like those included on my list of my list of “Frozen foods to make in the air fryer.” This handy appliance can cook frozen foods fast and just as crispy as a deep fryer … but with less fat. All great things. For the Silo, Cathy Yoder.
Widely regarded as the “Queen of Air Fryers,” Cathy Yoder—a mother of eight—wanted to prove that air fryers could do more than reheat frozen foods and leftovers. So, she documented her journey on YouTube. Today she boasts over 742,000 YouTube followers and yet more across other socials, over 6 million video views and tens of thousands of cookbooks sold.
Like millions of others, each June you may find yourself struggling to find that perfect Fathers Day gift for the important “dads” in your life, whether that be your own father, husband, boyfriend, brother or other deserving and meaningful man. While most gracious gift recipients will dutifully smile and nod no matter how underwhelming the product pick, the reality is that it’s the gesture of giving, itself—the recognition of a job being well done—that’s what’s important. That said, there are certainly a myriad of gift ideas that’ll evoke genuine joy. Here are a few that I like this season.
Help Dad become a masterful home mixologist with a Father’s Day gift from Shaker & Spoon! The company offers a monthly subscription service that delivers the craft cocktail experience right to your home: think Blue Apron for cocktails! Each month Dad will receive a box via Priority Mail containing three brand new, original recipes created by world-class bartenders, and enough ingredients like syrups, bitters, mixers and even garnishes for 12 cocktails (4 from each recipe). All he’ll have to do is supply his favorite spirit to mix in. As well, an email is sent before each box arrives with suggestions for a libation that’ll work well with the recipes as well as bar tools he should have on hand. When each box arrives via priority mail, Dad will have everything he needs to take his cocktail game to the next level. He’ll surely be the life of the party.
Speaking of tasty libations, Dads with a passion for well-made spirits and cocktails will certainly appreciate a bottle of Rebel Yell Bourbon. It’ll add a smooth kick of flavor and a warm, cozy finish to your favorite mixed drinks. One recipe great for Father’s Day is “Mike’s Rebel Yell Boozy Bourbon and Bacon Shake.” Chef Mike Johnson, owner of the award-winning Sugarfire Smokehouse in St. Louis, curated this special boozy shake that’s sure to leave Dad’s mouth watering for more. All you need to do to create this delicious shake is blend Rebel Yell Bourbon, ice cream, caramel drizzle and crumbled bacon. Garnish with whipped cream, more caramel drizzle, and a slice of peppered bacon. Then, watch the smiles ensue.
Bring a unique and decidedly gorgeous touch to your kitchen with artisan drinkware from Uno Alla Volta (which means “one at a time”). Entertain your guests in superb style with the handcrafted drinkware items they offer, like hand-painted wine glasses and hand-thrown mugs fashioned by the hearts and hands of skilled artisans. Because each item is individually created by hand, no two will ever be exactly alike. The line of Sealife Wine Glasses of Verona is a show-stopper. Available in various designs like a seahorse, red fish, mermaid, dolphin and turtle, this glassware is handmade in a third-generation workshop in Verona, Italy where ordinary glass is transformed into stunning works of art. Each large format wine glass measures 8.5 inches high and holds 20 ounces, and is certain to add whimsical beach-chic style and an artful element to your wine bar. For hot beverages, the company’s hand-thrown stoneware Nautical Mermaid Mug is another gorgeous ocean-oriented option, and the masculine Mustache Mug is certainly a great fit for Father’s Day. Artisan JoAnn hand-throws each stoneware mug on a wheel, adds hand-cut details and a handle, and then fires, glazes and fires each one again—all from within her Pocono Mountains studio.
photo: Urban Mattress
Urban Mattress – The Perfect Loft Pillow – $70 usd
There might be no more valuable Father’s Day gift than a good night’s sleep, which you can help facilitate for Dad with The Perfect Loft Pillow from Urban Mattress. This impeccable pillow isn’t too hard or too soft thanks to a combination of Tencel —a natural fiber made from the pulp of the eucalyptus tree—and recycled polyester. Together these create an airy and light-feeling pillow, and then the addition of shredded natural latex adds just the right amount of support. The result is a pillow with the perfect amount of loft. What’s more, it’s customizable as the zippered Tencel cover lets users adjust the amount of filling to their individual preferences.
photo: Ozone
Ozone Socks – Starting at $9.50 usd
Ozone designer socks most certainly aren’t your typical Father’s Day sock gifts, as this brand effectively merges fashion and fun. The sock styles from this company are suited for every occasion, and the line includes fashion socks, club socks, novelty socks and even silly socks. This company is passionate about its products, never sacrificing on quality. Their eclectic styles have been seen in some of the industry’s leading fashion magazines over the past decade, helping set benchmarks for what’s cool and hip in footwear. With fresh and innovative concepts, the list of Ozone offerings is impressive and includes shoe socks, safe sox, hemp socks, radionic socks, tattoo socks, motorcycle socks, the replacement sock, and more.
photo: Cherry Americas
Cherry MX Silent Keyboard – $149.99 usd
When you’re wracking your brain for a Father’s Day gift for the guy who seemingly has it all, here’s a thoughtful and practical tech gift idea he’s sure to appreciate. Cherry, the specialist for computer input devices, recently unveiled their MX Board Silent Keyboard—a model based on their notoriously reliable G80-3000 mechanical keyboard design. Cherry combines this tried-and-true bestselling product with its new MX Silent switches to create a device that keeps keyboard noise—whether at home or in a hectic office space—to an absolute minimum. This new high-end keyboard is ideally suited for even volume-sensitive environments such as large open floor plan rooms or community offices, enabling silent keystrokes with Cherry’s patented noise reduction technology, but without sacrificing writing performance…or durability. In fact, Cherry guarantees a service life for this keyboard of over 50 million keystrokes. Functionality features include “N-Key Rollover,” allowing up to 14 keys to be pressed simultaneously without “ghost” keypress effect. Also, the MX Silent-switches have a uniquely shaped rubber pad compared to conventional switches. The MX Board Silent is offered in two versions MX Red or MX Black. Both exhibit linear switching characteristics but differ in the required release force: 45 centi-newtons for the MX Red Silent and for those who prefer a slightly higher resistance, 60 centi-newtons for the MX Black Silent.
For those ‘Boss Dads’ and other personal finance-minded fathers out there who are working tirelessly toward financial freedom, perhaps a new and fresh mindset will help them achieve those goals. Consider this CD series from self-made millionaire Wesley Virgin, which offers techniques intended to transform your mindset and install new beliefs so your goals and desires can be achieved faster. This includes what established millionaires and billionaires do on a monthly basis to “keep the money train moving in their favor,” resetting your relationship with money to that of a wealthy person (despite what’s currently in your bank account), eliminating “wealth destroyers,” the value of having a “millionaire mentor” in your life (and how to attract one), how to utilize body language to your favor, gaining the confidence and assurance needed to realize high-caliber success in a relatively short timeframe and how to push past your comfort zone to see and capitalize on new opportunities, among other tips and techniques. Since much in this video series promotes the power of positive thinking and taking control of one’s own destiny, in tandem with techniques taken from real millionaires and billionaires, with this gift idea Dad could very well listen, learn and laugh all the way to the bank.
For those food and entertaining-oriented dads who spend the majority of time at home in the kitchen undertaking epicurean exploits, here’s an apt assortment of tools to help ease and expedite those culinary endeavors.
photo: SharkNinja Operating LLC
Ninja Coffee Bar System – $199.00 usd
The Ninja Coffee Bar System will bring out the Barista in anyone. Far more than a coffee maker, this able appliance facilitates a coffee house experience in the comfort of your own kitchen. It comes complete with integrated frother, six brew sizes and five brew types, including the Ninja exclusive Café Forte that amplifies and enhances the natural subtle flavors of your favorite coffee. You can make a full carafe for visitors or different individual specialty drinks for yourself every day. The Ninja Coffee Bar System provides endless options for delicious, custom-crafted coffee beverages all without leaving home.
photo: Alumbre Coffee
Alumbre Coffee – $12.50 – $22.00 usd
Another great coffee find for connoisseurs—the bean itself—is from Alumbre Coffee—an exquisitely hand-crafted coffee line hailing from the legendary coffee fields of Costa Rica, Colombia, Sumatra and Ethiopia. Alumbre, named for the river that flows west facing the hills of the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, is long revered as home to some of the finest coffee farms in the world. With hand-picked coffee beans from heritage growing regions, Alumbre roastmasters expertly coax the most alluring flavor notes to create five ultra-premium coffees. By wholly controlling the process from seed to cup to proffer a luxurious and authentically rich coffee experience, Alumbre Coffee stands apart from other brands. This new exclusive coffee can only be found on the Alumbre website.
photo: SharkNinja Operating LLC
Nutri Ninja Nutri Bowl DUO – $129.00 usd
Here’s a fab find for fitness-minded fathers. With one base and two interchangeable vessels, the 1200-watt Nutri Ninja Nutri Bowl DUO device easily switches from a powerful nutrient and vitamin extractor to a versatile nutrient fusion processor. The nutrient extraction feature unlocks existing hidden vitamins, minerals and other healthy components by blending whole fruits and vegetables, including portions that are normally discarded, and breaking them down to create an array of delicious, nutrient-rich juices and smoothies. The nutrient fusion function creates a blend from foods that contain nutrients like fruits, vegetables and other victuals, transforming diverse, fresh ingredients into flavorful meals, snacks and desserts.
photo: BELLA Housewares
BELLA 2.5L Air Fryer – $99.99 usd
Here’s a way Dad can enjoy “healthier” fried foods in the man cave, the tailgate or pretty much anywhere else, prepared with little to no oil and in a fraction of the time. Whatever you can deep fry, you can air fry with the BELLA 2.5 Air Fryer and save the fat and calories! It’s not just healthier, but also safer, like having a portable convection-type oven at your fingertips. This high-performance system heats food by circulating hot air around it, while the stainless-steel heating element allows for faster heat up (and recovery) resulting in quick and even cooking every time. It’s an efficient and easy-to-use deep fryer alternative, allowing you to indulge in all your favorite fried foods without cheating on your diet.
photo: BELLA Housewares
BELLA 6QT Pressure Cooker – $79.99 usd
Dad always pressed for time? Have a family dinner ready fast with this 6-quart electric pressure cooker also from BELLA. Life’s full of daily pressures and stress, so let this appliance take on the task of helping you prepare a quick and delicious meal for the family or for a get-together with friends. This versatile model comes with 10 pre-programmed functions including sauté, slow cook, stew and steam. It cooks up to 70% faster than conventional cooking and its removable non-stick cooking pot and accessories are dishwasher safe, so clean up is a breeze. Whether you’re whipping up a gourmet meal or looking for good old-fashioned comfort food, the BELLA 6QT Pressure Cooker can make dinnertime a no-brainer.
photo: SharkNinja Operating LLC
Shark Genius Hard Floor Cleaning System – $99.00 usd
Yes cleaning tools are a cool gift idea! Especially since cleaning kitchen and dining room floors in particular can be a huge hassle. These areas receive high traffic and often become messy even after a single cooking session. As so many people today have busy schedules, finding time to thoroughly clean the space can be futile and frustrating. Fortunately, the power of smarter cleaning can be at dad’s fingertips with the Shark Genius Hard Floor Cleaning System. An evolution in hard floor care, this system offers a flexible, tailored, all-in-one solution that delivers easy and convenient cleaning. Direct steam channeling distributes steam over the surface of the pocket, creating an ultra-wide cleaning zone for loosening dirt and grime. Steam blaster technology also targets annoyances like stains, stuck-on food, pet messes, grease and even scuff marks on command. And, since nobody likes changing a dirty, soaked pad during or after mopping, this touch-free technology ensures you’ll never have to. This is a great way to harness the power of steam to clean and sanitize your sealed hard floors with no harsh chemicals, and no residue to boot. It even removes up to 99.9% of common household bacteria.
As the Executive Editor and Producer of “The Luxe List,” Merilee Kern is an internationally-regarded consumer product trends expert and hospitality industry voice of authority–a travel, dining, leisure and lifestyle expert who spotlights noteworthy marketplace innovations, change makers, movers and shakers. She identifies and reports on exemplary travel destinations and experiences, extraordinary events and newsworthy products and services across all categories. Reach her online , on Twitter , on Facebook and on Instagram.
***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided or sponsored at no cost to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way.***
Shaker & Spoon Cocktail Kit Subscription Service
‘The Millionaire Blueprint—Unrevealed Secrets of a Millionaire Mind’ CD Series 
