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Recipe tester Cathy Yoder says common air fryer problems often stem from blocked airflow, excess moisture or oil, and cooking habits that do not suit the appliance. Her advice includes leaving room around food, shaking or flipping it, using cooking spray cautiously, and checking manufacturer guidance.
CNET has published nine air fryer mistakes identified with recipe tester Cathy Yoder, including crowding the basket, using too much oil and assuming every recipe needs preheating. Yoder says these habits can interfere with hot-air circulation and leave food soggy, burnt or uneven, making the guidance relevant to home cooks trying to get reliable results from the appliance.
Yoder, who tests recipes for the Empowered Cooks air fryer blog, told CNET that air fryers work like small convection ovens: hot air moves around the food, so spacing and moisture matter. She advises cooks not to stack food when crispness is the goal. A single layer, or at least enough room for air to circulate, is generally a better approach than filling the basket to its limit.
The list also cautions against automatically preheating. Yoder said her tests with the same air fryer found no significant difference in results between preheated and unpreheated cooking, though preheating may have changed total cooking time by about two minutes. That finding is her reported test result, not a guarantee for every model or recipe.
Oil requires judgment rather than a blanket rule. Yoder said many foods, including fatty meats and frozen products, need little or no added oil, while a small amount can help spices or breading stick. She warned that some aerosol sprays may damage nonstick coatings, and recommended a refillable spray pump instead. For longer cooking at high temperatures, she suggested avocado oil over olive oil because of its higher smoke point. The source also identifies failing to shake or flip food and overlooking the air fryer’s heat as mistakes; cooks should monitor food because it can brown quickly.
Small Habits, Different Results
The advice matters because air fryers are often used as a fast route to crisp food, but their results depend on how much air reaches each piece. Overcrowding and uneven placement can leave some surfaces less crisp or less evenly cooked, while excess oil and unsuitable coatings can create other problems. Adjusting the way food is arranged and monitored may improve results without requiring a different appliance.
Yoder’s comments also challenge the assumption that one set of instructions applies to every air fryer. Her preheating comparison is specific to the recipes and appliance she tested. Readers should treat it as a reason to check their own recipe and model instructions, rather than proof that preheating never matters.
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How Air Fryer Advice Was Tested
CNET’s article presents the recommendations as practical guidance from Cathy Yoder, a recipe tester who runs an air fryer-focused blog at Empowered Cooks. The source frames the appliance as a compact convection oven that can cook more than frozen fries and nuggets, including foods that are grilled or baked in other settings.
The article’s explanations connect common outcomes—such as soggy food, burnt flavors or dried surfaces—to cooking choices including basket loading, oil selection and temperature. It does not provide a controlled, published study covering every air fryer model. The recommendations should therefore be read as tester guidance and reported experience, not universal laboratory findings.
“Air fryers are essentially just a mini convection oven.”
— Cathy Yoder, recipe tester at Empowered Cooks, as quoted by CNET
Advice Varies by Model and Recipe
The source does not identify the specific air fryer models or recipes used in Yoder’s preheating comparison, and it does not establish that the result applies across all appliances. It also says some cooking sprays may damage a basket’s coating, attributing that concern to Yoder, but does not name particular spray ingredients or coatings. Model-specific instructions and recipe requirements may affect whether preheating, added oil or a particular cooking method is appropriate.
The supplied source text names nine mistakes but cuts off during its discussion of shaking or flipping food. It does not provide the complete remaining list or detailed advice for every item. The recommendations reported here are limited to the details available in the source.
Check Instructions Before Cooking
Home cooks can apply the guidance by checking their appliance manual and recipe, leaving space around food when crispness matters, and monitoring cooking rather than relying on a fixed time alone. Where a recipe calls for turning or shaking, that step can help expose more surfaces to the circulating air. Cooking times and results can vary with the model, food quantity and recipe, so the source does not offer a single timing rule for all air fryers.
CNET’s source provides advice rather than announcing a policy, product change or new test program. No follow-up testing or additional developments are specified. For now, readers should use the recommendations as practical guidance and follow the instructions supplied with their own appliance.
Key Questions
Who gave the air fryer advice?
Cathy Yoder, a recipe tester who creates air fryer recipes for Empowered Cooks, shared the recommendations in comments to CNET.
Should I preheat my air fryer?
Yoder told CNET that preheating did not significantly change results in her tests with one air fryer, though it may have affected cooking time by about two minutes. That finding may not apply to every model or recipe, so check the appliance and recipe instructions.
Why should I avoid filling the basket?
Air needs space to circulate around food. Yoder says crowding can work against crisp, even cooking; a single layer is often preferable when crispness is the goal.
Is cooking oil necessary in an air fryer?
Not always. Yoder says many meats and frozen foods already contain fat, while a small amount of oil can help seasoning or breading adhere. She recommends using it sparingly and cautions against some aerosol sprays because they may affect nonstick coatings.
Source: CNET
