Choose This Air Fryer Setting For High-Moisture Foods Every Time

Anyone who has one will know that there are numerous benefits of using an air fryer. From reducing cooking time to making slightly healthier versions of your favorite fried foods, it's unsurprising that around 60% of U.S. households own one of these handy gadgets. While loved for producing golden and crispy foods, air fryers can also be used for baked goods and non-battered meat and fish recipes. But these dishes differ from fried foods in that you want to retain moisture throughout. So how do you accomplish that with an appliance that has "fry" in the name? Well, it's mainly related to the setting you use.

Those looking for positive results with high-moisture foods will want to turn to the bake setting. If you've researched how air fryers work, you'll know that they use high heat paired with high-speed fans to quickly circulate hot air around the food in the fryer basket. However, the hot air fry setting evaporates moisture as part of the frying process. 

With the bake setting, air still circulates, but the temperatures are lower. These lower temperatures allow high-moisture food to cook through more evenly without overbrowning or removing too much moisture. While temperatures vary by brand and model, the bake setting generally cooks at 320 degrees Fahrenheit, while the air fry setting cooks at 360 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Whether you're wondering how to cook light and fluffy donuts in the air fryer or want to discover how to master moist salmon, opting for the bake setting is the first step. But what else can you do? For starters, overcooking is a primary cause of moisture loss when baking high-moisture foods like cakes, donuts, or muffins.

Because an air fryer is smaller than a regular oven, heat and hot air circulate more rapidly, resulting in quicker cooking. Therefore, you may want to reduce the baking time and/or check the food with about five minutes left in the recommended cooking time to ensure it is not overcooking or overbrowning. It's also generally recommended to lower listed oven temperatures by 25 degrees Fahrenheit when using a recipe made for a standard oven with an air fryer. Baked goods can also be finished with a cake soak to add lost moisture back.

For all types of food, avoid overcrowding your air fryer basket and use baking pans that fit in the basket well. Overcrowding can cause some parts of your food to overcook and dry out while other parts undercook. For non-baked goods, like air fryer salmon, you can also brush the ingredients with some oil, butter, or a marinade to help lock in moisture.