Air fryer cooking times
Air fryer times and temperatures by food and cut, with the internal temperature to cook to. Times vary by model, so check with a thermometer.
Air fryers vary more than any other kitchen appliance. Wattage, basket size and how well a model circulates air all change the outcome, and two machines set to the same temperature can finish several minutes apart.
So treat every time below as a starting point and check the internal temperature. For meat that is not optional, it is the only thing that tells you the food is safe.
Three things that matter more than the timer
Do not crowd the basket
This causes more bad results than any timing mistake. An air fryer works by moving hot air around each piece of food. Pile it in and you block the airflow, so the food steams in its own moisture instead of roasting. Two batches beat one crowded one every time.
Preheat if your model allows it
Three minutes is enough. Every time on this site assumes a preheated basket. Starting cold adds two or three minutes and gives you paler, softer skin.
Buy a probe thermometer
They cost very little and they remove the guesswork entirely. Chicken at 74 °C is safe and chicken at 85 °C is dry, and no amount of watching the clock tells you which one you have.
Common questions
Why do air fryer times vary so much between recipes?
Because the machines genuinely differ. A 1,700 watt basket model and a 1,000 watt oven style model set to the same temperature cook at noticeably different rates, and neither is wrong. Published times are averaged across models, which is why a thermometer beats a clock.
Can I use oven times and temperatures in an air fryer?
As a rough conversion, drop the temperature by about 20 degrees Celsius and cut the time by roughly a fifth. Check early the first time you try a dish, because the conversion is approximate.
Does the basket need oil?
Rarely. Fatty foods like wings and thighs render their own. A light spray helps seasoning stick to lean foods like chicken breast, and anything beyond that tends to smoke.
Egg times come from the thermal-diffusion equation for a spherical egg published by Charles D. H. Williams (University of Exeter), calibrated so a large fridge-cold egg at sea level matches the times cooks actually use. Size, starting temperature and altitude then follow from the physics. Treat the result as a very good starting point, not a guarantee, because pans, hobs and eggs all vary.