Why You Should Keep A Box Of Toothpicks By Your Air Fryer

The air fryer is the perfect kitchen appliance for cooking foods quickly. Although it was first invented in 2005, it didn't truly have its moment in the United States market until the pandemic hit in 2020. More than 25 million air fryers were sold during between 2020 and 2021. These days, those who use an air fryer at home likely find it hard to imagine life without one. But if you're looking to get the most from this small appliance, you might want to also keep a box of toothpicks on hand for whenever you use it.

Air fryers work by circulating hot air around food; this cooks the interior while also giving the food a crispy exterior, mimicking an oil fryer without the fat and grease. But they can be used for anything from heating up a sandwich to making baked goods, which is where the toothpicks come in handy — they're a great tool for holding foods together and testing to see whether something is fully cooked.

In general, toothpicks are an essential tool for a number of cooking or baking techniques, and they're an easy hack for air frying, too. If you're reheating a stacked sandwich or cooking sliders in the air fryer and don't want the ingredients to fall over during the process, then place a toothpick down the center, which will help keep the ingredients properly layered and avoid a sandwich collapse.

But beyond that, they're great for testing foods, too. Believe it or not, you can prepare baked goods like cupcakes in an air fryer, and the toothpick method is a great way to tell if the cakes are done baking. Stick a toothpick in, and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If it's covered in batter, then the center still needs time.

If you're cooking small, bite-sized snacks in the air fryer, such as mini meatballs, the toothpicks are an easy way to remove the food for taste-testing. You won't have to pick it up with your hands and risk burning yourself; just make sure to let the food cool a bit before you eat it.

Although toothpicks come in handy when air frying, wood and heat don't always create the safest environment. There are mixed opinions around whether you should soak toothpicks before cooking with them due to wood's ignition temperature being pretty high, but to be on the safe side, it doesn't hurt to wet the toothpicks prior to use. The same goes for wooden skewers, which you can use in place of toothpicks. Plus, soaking them will also prevent the toothpicks from charring, and if you're using them for presentation (such as to hold sandwiches together with the intent to serve them to guests), then you'll want them to remain in good shape.

Make sure you only use wooden toothpicks. Never put plastic toothpicks in the air fryer, and absolutely avoid any decorative toothpicks in the air fryer, such as wooden ones with plastic colors on the end and, of course, mini umbrella toothpicks. You can use metal toothpicks as they won't melt or catch fire, but keep in mind they'll be very hot when the food is done, so be careful.