Air fryer dinners are becoming more common – but have you ever tried cooking a steak in one?
I tried putting a steak in the air fryer(Image: Nicola Croal)
Air fryers are a kitchen gadget that most of us did not own a decade ago. Yet these compact, high-speed convection ovens have become a staple in the majority of British households.
Thanks to their energy efficiency and straightforward, no-fuss design, air fryers have skyrocketed in popularity over recent years. A typical air fryer meal might involve frozen foods that would previously have gone in the oven, such as chicken nuggets or chips.
However, people have become increasingly creative with what they throw into these speedy appliances. Personally, I’ve always drawn the line at cooking certain foods in the air fryer and steak was one of them.
Making a steak the traditional way in a frying pan always seemed far more appealing, as it gave me greater control over the end result.
That was until I came across some online buzz about achieving a perfectly cooked piece of meat by using an air fryer. I’m certain some chefs would shudder at the thought of this method of cooking a steak.
Despite remaining fairly sceptical, I can now say I was well and truly proved wrong after picking up an 8oz rib eye steak from Aldi and giving it a go myself.
Before placing the steak in the air fryer, I left it to rest at room temperature, then seasoned it with rock salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
How long you cook your steak will depend entirely on your personal preference. As someone who favours mine medium-rare, I was after a good amount of pink in the middle.
While some may choose to preheat their air fryer, I skipped this step entirely.
I just placed the meat right into the machine, setting the temperature to 200C and cooking the steak for three minutes before flipping it to the other side for a further three minutes.
Before turning the steak, I took a peek at it and was surprised to see how pink it still appeared on the first side.
If you find yourself in the same situation, don’t panic, as both sides turned out perfectly after the full six minutes.
In fact, if you’re a fan of medium rare steak like myself, you might even want to trim a little off that six-minute cooking time to achieve the perfect result.
The greatest advantage of air frying the steak was the freedom of having an extra five minutes to attend to my side dishes while it cooked away.
Had it been in the frying pan, I know I would have been watching over it the entire time.
The seond major advantage for me was the straightforward clean-up afterwards. No wiping grease from the worktops or the hob for me.
Once cooked, I removed the steak and allowed it to rest before slicing into it to reveal a beautifully juicy, pink centre.
It was absolutely delicious, and truthfully, I would not have been able to taste the difference if it had been cooked in a frying pan.
The takeaway here is simple and a good lesson that I’ve learned is don’t knock it till you try it.
Having discovered just how effortless and impressive an air-fried steak can be, I am definitely going to give it another go in the future.