GoKawiilMy air fryer gets used every day. These nine foods are the specific reason it earned that place in my kitchen. Pamela Vachon/CNET
Years of using an air fryer almost every day taught me two things: how impressive the appliance can be at its best, and which specific foods most consistently hit that mark. The oven is still in my kitchen. It still gets used. But the category of things I’d choose the oven for over the air fryer has narrowed considerably since I started paying attention to the comparison. Nine foods drove that narrowing, dishes where the air fryer’s results were different enough from the oven’s to make the switch feel permanent rather than experimental.
When I first hauled in an air fryer many years ago, I was mostly making the classics: wings and fries. However, my air fryer repertoire has expanded to include items I never thought I’d be cooking in a small countertop contraption. I’m talking about fresh salmon, cheeseburgers and even whole roasted chicken.
The air fryer is fast, forgiving, easy to use and even easier to clean. It’s no wonder the appliance has enjoyed unparalleled popularity over the last decade — a true once-in-a-lifetime kitchen craze.
Best Air Fryers for 2026 See at CNET
So what are the most surprising foods I make in the air fryer? I’ve listed nine below, but the list grows longer every year. And if you’re searching for an air fryer or to upgrade your existing oven, we have a new favorite model with a glass cooking chamber that’s easy to clean and doubles as a food storage container.
9 foods I’ll only make in the air fryer from now on
1. Hard-‘boiled’ eggs
All you need is 10 minutes and an air fryer and you’ll never boil an egg again. Pamela Vachon/CNET
From runny yolks to jammy to hard-cooked, the air fryer can do it, and there’s no waiting for water to boil or forgetting to set a timer (air fryers have a built-in timer). There’s a lot of internet voodoo about dos and don’ts for boiling eggs in the air fryer, but in my experience, you can disregard most of it and still end up with beautifully cooked eggs with perfectly set yolks every time.
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