Can You Cook Frozen Foods Directly in an Air Fryer Without Thawing?

As for whether you can cook frozen food directly in the air fryer without defrosting it, it really depends on the specific food type and the instructions for your air fryer.
Some quick-frozen foods, such as fried chicken nuggets, French fries, chicken wings, etc., may not be suitable for cooking directly in the air fryer when frozen. This is because if there is ice on the surface of the food, direct cooking may affect the taste of the food and even cause uneven baking. In this case, it is recommended to thaw the frozen food to room temperature before cooking it in the air fryer.
However, there are also some opinions that the air fryer uses its high-speed air circulation technology to generate hot air through high-temperature heating of the heat pipe inside the machine, and then uses a fan to blow the high-temperature air into the pot to heat the food. Therefore, frozen food actually goes through a process from freezing to thawing to cooking in the air fryer, so there is no need to defrost it in advance.
But in general, to ensure optimal cooking results and food safety, it’s best to check the instructions and labels on food packaging before cooking to see if it’s suitable for cooking directly in the air fryer. If the food needs to be defrosted, you can use cold water or room temperature to defrost it to better marinate the food and shorten the baking time.
At the same time, when using an air fryer to cook frozen food, you also need to pay attention to increasing the cooking time, because the temperature of the food is lower and it takes longer to heat the food to reach a cooked state. In addition, do not put too much food into the air fryer to ensure that the food is heated evenly and achieves the best cooking results.
To summarize, while some frozen foods may be able to be cooked directly in an air fryer, it’s best to decide whether defrosting is necessary based on the type of food and your air fryer’s instructions.