There are several methods in which to cook burgers – grilling indoors and outdoors, cooking on the stove, in the oven. But have you ever thought can burgers be cooked in an air fryer?
Air fryers have become a popular method in cooking many types of food due to their ease and healthy outcome as you aren’t using much if any, oil. Air fryers also have that crisping effect due to its convection method. This makes for a more even cook and less cooking time. Cooking burgers in an air fryer is absolutely something you can do with great success.
The air fryer cooking method is a great way to go when you don’t have many to cook for as the basket in an air fryer can hold just two to three burgers at a time. You don’t want to stack or overcrowd the burgers as they wouldn’t cook evenly so keep this in mind when giving the air fryer method a try.
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What Does an Air Fryer Do?
An air fryer operates with convection, which uses a fan and exhaust system as opposed to how a standard oven operates. The convection cooking creates hot air around the food and then blows it out a vent. This creates a more even cooking of the food.
So how is this a better cooking method? Convection cooking provides not only a more even cook, but the ability to cook more foods at one time, it makes for better browning and is faster than the traditional methods of cooking. Due to this even cooking, you are guaranteed a 160-degree temperature to your burgers, which is what you want to avoid any type of bacteria remaining on the burgers.
Air fryer cooking is a good method when it comes to your desire to eat healthier. Due to the very little amount of oil required to cook it reduces the amount of fat than if you used a deep fryer. According to Healthline, using an air fryer is a great way to cut calories and aid in weight loss.
Due to the name air fryer, many people think there is no oil used in the cooking process. You do, in fact, need to use some oil. If you don’t, your food is most likely to end up dry and tough. This is mostly the case with breaded items.
This is not to say that everything works well in an air fryer. According to insider.com you don’t want to put any food with a wet batter in an air fryer.
You do want to be sure not to overcrowd your fryer with those wonderful burgers. As we stated previously, depending on the size of your machine, you would want to cook just two or three burgers at a time. So air fryers aren’t the thing to use if you are having a get together with several people.
Do Burgers Taste Good When Cooked in an Air Fryer?
Cooking burgers in an air fryer is a great method because of the evenness in cooking it provides. This gives your burgers a great, juicy flavor because you have the crispy browning on the outside and the doneness on the inside without the uncooked spots or cold spots you may get with other cooking methods.
This would also be the case with making chicken or turkey burgers. Poultry definitely needs to be cooked through so using the air fryer method will ensure the cook of the burgers while keeping them nice and juicy.
Since air fryers cook so evenly and thoroughly your burgers will be well done, as they should be, but will still have that great juiciness we all love. If you are one who likes the crispy, charred type exterior of a burger you can get that with an air fryer. One way to ensure the crispy exterior is to try using a lower temperature and a longer cook time.
You still need to season your burgers as you would with cooking them on the grill or stove. Be sure to preheat your fryer prior to cooking. Just think of it as if you were cooking in the oven, stove or grill. You are going to preheat to make sure your burgers cook up well. All fryers aren’t created equal, so to get the best taste from your burgers, be sure to read your manufacturer’s instructions.
Can Frozen Burgers be Cooked in an Air Fryer?
There are plenty of times when frozen anything is just the way you have to go. We are all busy and occasionally need extra help and still make a great meal.
As with cooking frozen burgers on the stove or grill, it will take longer for them to cook. You are going to want to use a bit higher temperature on your fryer to ensure they cook through. It may take some experimenting with the cook, so be patient.
We know many of you just don’t always have the time to make your own patties and opt to use frozen. We hear you and use these many times ourselves! We know cooking frozen burgers on a grill or stovetop works just as well as fresh. But do they also work in an air fryer?
The short answer is, Yes! Your frozen burgers can be cooked in an air fryer. Depending on your fryer you will have to adjust the cooking temperature and length of cooking time. We found it is best to cook them at a lower temperature for a longer period of time so they cook completely through. We also found that they come out just as nice and juicy as other cooking methods.
When it comes to seasoning the frozen burgers, do as you would on the stove or grill. Cook the burgers for a couple of minutes then season. If you season when the burgers are frozen, it will just run off and you will have some very bland tasting burgers.
How to Cook Burgers in an Air Fryer
Now that you know you can cook burgers, fresh or frozen, in an air fryer, how exactly is it done? Depending on the size of your air fryer you can cook two to three burgers a time in the basket of the fryer.
As with any cooking method, be sure to season both sides of your burgers with salt and pepper or your seasoning of choice. We don’t mean to be so repetitive in saying this, but seasoning is very important and we don’t want you to miss it!
You always want to preheat your air fryer, again as you would with any cooking method. You need to know how your air fryer works in order to understand the cooking temperature and the length of time to cook the burgers. Your model should have those guidelines, but if it doesn’t a rule of thumb would be about 12 minutes total at 375 degrees turning halfway for quarter-pound burgers.
We have seen cooks use higher temperatures and less cooking time, so this is somewhat of preference and the type of fryer you have.
A minute or so before your burgers are done, add the cheese to get it good and melted!
It is actually a pretty easy method of cooking your burgers. The nice thing is there is very little mess and you can have a great meal in no time at all.
Conclusion
Whether you have a countertop air fryer or a convection setting in your oven, can burgers be cooked in an air fryer is the question you now know how to answer. This type of method is a way of loving your burgers, whether they be beef, chicken, or turkey, is a faster and healthier alternative to the traditional methods.
No matter the time of year or type of cooking method you choose, you can have wonderful, juicy burgers to enjoy. Let us know how your air fryer burgers come out. We love to hear your ideas!
Keep lovin’ those burgers!
Below is a Pinterest-friendly photo . . . so you can pin it to your Burger Board!
