How to reheat food in the air fryer? recipes of leftovers

While an air fryer is known for making fried foods, it is also good at reheating food. You will love this kitchen appliance, it saves money and reduces wastage. But you must be wondering how it feels like reheating food in an air fryer. 

It always feels like a waste when food remains, and all you have to do is throw it since you cannot get the original taste it had before. But with an air fryer, that is not the case. Reheating in an air fryer does not interfere with your food’s original flavors, texture, and taste.

This article will dig deeper into everything you should know about reheating leftovers in the air fryer. So, don’t be left out! 

Why Reheat Food in the Air Fryer?

It is easy: You need to add food to the air fryer basket or tray, then leave the rest of the work to the air fryer.

It is quick: Air fryers are time savers, especially when in an early; they can reheat your food in seconds compared to the conventional oven.

Amazing results: Air fryers have a powerful fan that evenly spreads hot air on your food, giving crispy and crunchy results that you will love.

Reduces waste: You can reheat leftovers in the air fryer, saving money and reducing wastage.

Can You Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?

Yes, it is fast and easy to reheat food in an air fryer than using a microwave. Besides, your leftovers will not get soggy like the microwave’s food, and it gives you food an original taste.

How Long Does it Take to Reheat in An Air Fryer?

Depending on the food you want to reheat, it will only take 3 to 4 minutes to get it crunchy and with an original taste. Air fryers use hot air that circulates all sides of your food, giving it a crispy exterior.

Some modern models take up to three or so minutes to reheat frozen burritos, but many air fryers take about 10 minutes, depending on your food type. And remember, the temperature varies from one air fryer model to the other ranging from 380-400 degrees F, which is even hotter than the stovetop.

How to Reheat Food in the Air Fryer

To reheat food in an air fryer is similar to cooking food in the air fryer for the first time. What differentiates reheating and heating is that you will need to use low temperatures so that your leftovers do not get dry so much when reheating.

However, it will depend on the food you want to reheat in an air fryer. It’s good to daw your frozen food using a microwave or overnight refrigeration.

• First, you will need to switch on your air fryer and let it preheat for about 5-minutes at a temperature of 400 degrees.
• Secondly, add the ingredients carefully into the basket and put the air fryer basket into your air fryer. After that, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Most importantly, keep checking it from time to time until it gets warm yet crispy.
• Finally, you can take your food out of the air fryer basket once you are satisfied with reheating results.  And please let the machine cool down before cleaning it for the next use.

Now we will introduce some common food you will need to reheat in the future.

How to Reheat Fried Food in An Air Fryer

Put your fried food in an air fryer and ensure you do not overfill your air fryer basket for hot air circulation. First, set the air fryer at 350 degrees and preheat for two minutes. Heat the fried food for 3 minutes to 4 minutes, and keep checking your fried food regularly. In the case of steak fries, give them more time to cook.

How to Reheat Fast Food in An Air Fryer

Before reheating your fast food, it is important to preheat your air fryer to 320 degrees. You will need to preheat the air fryer for about five to ten minutes for fast foods.

Preheating makes the air fryer hot enough before putting your fast food. After the process, put your fast food into the air fryer basket, pizza, or fries.

Most importantly, keep stirring and turning it regularly so that the fast food can reheat evenly to enjoy your freshly made fast food.

How to reheat steak in an air fryer

You can only take about 5 minutes to reheat steak in an air fryer, the time depends on how thick your steak is.

First, you need to set the temperature of the air fryer to 350 degrees, then put your left steak in the air fryer and wait for 5 minutes. You can enjoy the steak when the reheat is over, but make sure the steak is cool down so that it won’t hurt your mouth.

How to Reheat Chinese Food in An Air Fryer

Reheating Chinese leftovers in an air fryer is a diversified way that you will love. The process is quick and does not interfere with your food’s texture and flavor. If your Chinese food is frozen, dow it to the microwave first since the air fryer cannot heat its center. 

When your Chinese food is ready, switch your air fryer on and let it heat up to 350-400 degrees, taking 4-5 minutes. Add your Chinese leftovers to the air fryer basket and lower the temperature so that your food cooks evenly. 

You can also flip your food and return the air fryer basket if it hasn’t achieved your desired heat. Once your Chinese food is crispy and warm, you can remove your food from the air fryer basket and then return the basket and turn off the air fryer.

Is it Healthy to Reheat Food in An Air Fryer?

It is healthy to heat food in an air fryer, but we don’t recommend you to do this usually. The air fryer produces heat that browns and cooks your food from the surfaces.

Also, reheating leftovers in the air fryer is unhealthy since your food will not receive enough heat and continue cooking from the interior. As a result, the outside layer of the food will not brown properly hence more harm. 

When reheating food in an air fryer, it is good to use a steamer. Steaming is more healthy than heating your food on the air fryer surface as it will perfectly heat your food hence making it safe to eat.

The Food You Cannot Reheat in the Air Fryer

You cannot reheat water-based foods like stews, soup, or sauce. These liquids are not the best foods to reheat in an air fryer. Besides, you do not need crispy sauce or soup, so it is good to reheat them using a stovetop or microwave.

Pros and Cons of Reheating in the Air Fryer

Do you love reheating leftovers in the air fryer?  You are not alone. Reheating in the air fryer helps get warm yet crispy leftovers with an original taste and texture that your family will love.

So yes, anything with a pro must have a con. check out the pros and cons of reheating in an air fryer below.

Pros

• The air fryer allows you to reheat any food type, from chicken nuggets to fries. An air fryer will cook the food from all sides simultaneously, so there will not be grease inside the food. Meaning it will eliminate cooking with butter and oil.
• Reheating in an air fryer helps make healthy snacks as it allows for reheating with no oil and cooks food evenly and thoroughly. You can reheat healthy snacks like chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza, fish sticks, chicken wings, etc.

Cons

• You cannot reheat anything, and if you want to reheat healthy foods, you will need to use a steamer for perfect reheating with no oil.

Why Use the Air Fryer to Reheat Food Over the Microwave?

You must be wondering why most people prefer reheating leftovers in an air fryer over the microwave. Reheating leftovers in the air fryer preserves your food’s original taste and texture while keeping it warm.

Yes, microwaves are also perfect for reheating and cooking food, but some specific food like pizza can come out soggy, unlike the air fryer when food will become crispy yet warm.

The air fryer circulates hot air around your leftover food, making it crispy and crunchy outside. Microwaves make food soggy and mushy after reheating since it does not extract the water contents. Although, you cannot reheat some foods like pasta, stew, and soups as they are water-based dishes.

5 Tips for Reheating Food in An Air Fryer

1. Preheat the Air Fryer

It only takes minutes to preheat an air fryer, and it can make a huge difference to the outcome of your food. For instance, when you put food in a hot air fryer, you will get an extra crunchy and crispy outside. It is helpful, especially when reheating meat or chicken.

2. Spray Oil

One thing about an air fryer is that you can use little oil or no oil. But a little oil spray helps the food get a crispy edge, especially when reheating dry veggies and chicken.

3. Check the Food Regularly

When you are reheating food in the air fryer, it is essential to check it regularly for the best outcome since different foods use different reheating times. Nothing feels frustrating like burning your delicious leftovers, so ensure that you check it every 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Do not Overfill it

An air fryer depends on circulating hot air around your food, so the biggest mistake you would make is overfilling it. The air fryer will not be able to circulate if there is much food in it. If you want to reheat a lot of food, you will need to shake and turn it regularly with an air fryer basket.

5. Use Parchment Paper or Foil

Unfortunately, an air fryer easily gets messy when cooking. So it is good to use parchment paper or foil to reduce the mess, making it easy to clean up.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Reheat Chicken in An Air Fryer 

First, preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C. Then, put your fried leftover chicken pieces into the single layer in the basket in the air fryer for about four minutes. Shake and turn the air fryer regularly after every two minutes.

Finally, check the doneness using the meat thermometer; the inside temperature of your fried chicken in the air fryer.

How Long to Reheat Leftovers in An Air Fryer? 

The time it will take to reheat leftovers in an air fryer will depend on the size of the food, how much food is in the air fryer basket, and the temperature it will require. So, it is important to consult different air fryer reheating posts to get the specific time and temperature for each type of food.

Can I Reheat Rice in An Air Fryer?

You can reheat frozen rice, thawed rice, fried rice, to white rice. It does not matter what kind of rice you want to reheat to make it tasty and slightly crunchy.

Can You Reheat Cooked Meat in An Air Fryer? 

Yes, reheating leftover in an air fryer is simple: getting it crispy, hot, and delicious like its previous cooking.  Besides, your meat will be ready in less time.

Wrap Up

In short, you can reheat any type of food in the air fryer, from chicken wings to french fries and the original taste that you desire. However, I recommend using either a microwave or stovetop when reheating water-based foods. 

In case of any burning questions, feel free to comment below. I hope that you found our article helpful.