The Key To Making Frozen Egg Rolls Shatteringly Crisp In The Air Fryer

Frozen egg rolls are super easy to make in the air fryer — simply plop them into the basket and in just a few minutes they become hot, crispy, and delicious. When feeding a crowd, you might be tempted to dump the whole bag in at one time to speed things up, however, you'll likely be disappointed when your egg rolls turn out chewy and soggy. For incredibly crispy egg rolls, don't overcrowd the air fryer. Instead, place them in a single layer in your air fryer basket, ideally spread out enough so that they aren't touching.

Air fryers work by circulating hot air around your food. The reason you should avoid overloading your air fryer with egg rolls and other foods is because the hot air won't be able to reach all sides of the food, resulting in uneven cooking. Additionally, the moisture that escapes as the frozen food cooks can cause the overloaded air fryer to steam the food instead of crisping it. Besides uneven, soggy egg rolls, without proper air circulation your food could burn or take significantly longer to cook. The good news is that air fryers can cook frozen egg rolls in as little as 8 to 10 minutes, so you can cook multiple batches fairly quickly. 

Air fryers have multiple uses beyond crisping frozen foods, from reheating steak and roasting garlic in a fraction of the time to small batch cupcakes and leftover pasta chips. Air fryers don't actually fry foods — they are more like a convection oven than an actual fryer, using a fan to rapidly circulate hot air around the food. However, air fryers circulate air faster and have a smaller size than a full-size oven, meaning your food cooks faster and gets crispier in the countertop machine. And unlike a normal fryer, the hot air circulation crisps the food without having to submerge it in hot oil, generally making it a healthier option. 

There are a variety of sizes and styles of air fryers; if you're feeding a large group or family, opt for a larger or double basket fryer to help you avoid overloading the machine with food. Whether you're making quick appetizers for game day or just want a crispy snack or side, frozen foods like egg rolls, french fries, mozzarella sticks, and chicken nuggets are ideal for the air fryer. But you can also cook meals from scratch like air fryer parmesan chicken. 

Air fryers might seem foolproof — undoubtedly, many people just dump in their frozen foods and press a button. However, besides avoiding overcrowding your food in the basket, there are other tips to follow to avoid making big mistakes with your air fryer. 

For instance, depending on your air fryer or recipe, you may need to preheat the machine before adding your food. According to Business Insider, Purvin Shah, senior vice president of product development at SharkNinja says, "Preheating circulates super-hot air around the air fryer," therefore, your food will start to cook immediately once added and the air fryer will "remove moisture from your food's surface to give it that golden-brown, crispy finish." However, that doesn't mean it's absolutely crucial to preheat for all models or recipes — for instance, Hamilton Beach says not to bother preheating its air fryers "unless specifically instructed," since they only take a minute or less to reach temperature. 

Another mistake often made when using an air fryer is not adding oil appropriately. While you're probably used to cooking foods in oil on the stove or in a deep fryer, an air fryer doesn't always require it. Frozen foods are usually already coated in some oil so it's not necessary to add more to your air fryer when cooking, for example, frozen egg rolls. However, other recipes may require a bit of oil to help them crisp up in the air fryer, such as cooking fresh vegetables or raw meat.