With holes in the basket's bottom, battered foods won't work in air fryers. The batter will drip off your food and seep through the bottom of the basket, making it hard to clean.

Battered foods are meant to be fried in oil as they need a few minutes to set. Easing it into the oil ensures the batter doesn't fall off the food or sink to the bottom and stick.

In an air fryer, the machine is turned off when the basket is loaded, so there's no way for the batter to set. As a result, the batter falls into the basket when placed inside.

For air frying, use a breaded coating. Breading combines breadcrumbs and flour or cornstarch with an egg wash to create a dry coating that sticks to the food.