When To Use The Roast Function On Your Air Fryer

If you've invested in an air fryer, you'll likely know how incredible it is for making a speedy batch of crispy fries. However, you might be missing a trick if you're only using the air fryer function on your machine to make everyday meals like chicken parmesan or herb-crusted salmon. On some models of air fryers, there's also a roast function, which is ideal for making tender meats or other foods that require a succulent center but caramelized exterior.

Air fryers are simply compact versions of high-speed convection or fan ovens. They work by swirling concentrated bursts of hot air around the cavity to cook foods quickly while promoting caramelization. If you use the bake function on an air fryer, the fan speed lowers, and the heat is gentler to permit cakes, bread, and pastries to rise without browning too quickly on the outside. With the roast function, the temperature is higher, but the fan speed is moderate – this allows larger cuts of meat or heartier vegetables, like a head of cauliflower, to cook through to the center without drying out or coming out raw while the exterior is charred. Meanwhile, the hot air promotes browning on the outside, so you still get plenty of caramelized flavor. The result? Food that's juicy in the middle but crispy and golden on the outside.

As a rule of thumb, smaller items, like chicken wings and fries, are perfect for air frying, while cuts of beef, turkey, pork, and lamb are better for roasting. You can even prepare an entire chicken in an air fryer using the roast function as long as you choose a bird that fits snugly inside the cavity with just enough space for the hot air to circulate (turning the bird over halfway through cooking will keep it juicier). On Reddit, one fan of using the roast function said, "A thing I usually do when I roast a chicken is finish the roast and then air fry it for 3 minutes to crisp up the skin a little bit more." Meanwhile, another Redditor used the roast function to cook duck pieces after experimenting with the air fryer function first and finding that it was causing the rendered fat to splatter around the cavity. 

While meat benefits the most from roasting, you could just as easily use the roast button to make chunky roast potatoes that are fluffy in the middle and beautifully golden on the outside. One of the benefits of using an air fryer is that it preheats faster than a conventional oven due to its smaller size, so you may prefer roasting veggies, like carrots and Brussels sprouts, in the basket to save time.