Since it first emerged on the market in 2010, the air fryer has revolutionized home cooking. It achieves the crispy browning of frying without any oil and with just the push of a few buttons — but it isn’t just the familiar foods like French fries and fried chicken where the appliance has made its mark. Home cooks soon discovered that the appliance could be used for everything, from using an air fryer for easy baking to cooking salmon and even steak in it. Despite the culinary cataclysm it caused, though, there are limitations to the air fryer’s usefulness, and Rachel Buck, Senior Demo Chef of Ninja Test Kitchen, has a word of caution if you’re relying on the appliance for your next steak dinner. Some steak cuts just don’t, well, cut it.
The way an air fryer works to get your food so crispy is by using a powerful fan to move hot air quickly and create a convection effect. This cooks food evenly — but it also cooks food more quickly than a regular oven. So the cuts of steak that need a low-and-slow approach to their preparation won’t fare well. “The worst cut of steak to cook in an air fryer,” she told Chowhound, “is typically a tougher, fattier cut, like brisket, chuck roast, or flank steak.”
These cuts have longer muscle fibers, more connective tissue, and come from parts of the cattle that are exercised a lot, all of which affects the texture. They need time to break down the fibers and turn the collagen into melt-in-your-mouth gelatin, says Buck — time which the air fryer method doesn’t provide.
Try these cuts of steak in the air fryer instead
Tougher, fattier cuts of steak may not fare well in an air fryer, but don’t put the appliance back in the cabinet just yet. Rachel Buck insists that there are steak cuts that benefit from the air fryer’s hot, quick, and convenient cooking method. Start by looking for a steak that is already tender and has balanced fat. One of the most tender cuts will be filet mignon, which comes from a mostly unused muscle in the middle of a cow’s back. You can also try the nearby strip steak or the flavorful ribeye. “These cuts are already tender and don’t need long cooking times, which makes them ideal for the air fryer,” says Buck.
Truly, it isn’t just that these cuts will hold up better in the air fryer than the flank and brisket. The way the air fryer works suits these steaks perfectly, offering an easy path to texture and taste. As long as you preheat before adding the steaks — which is one of those air fryer hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner, and which applies to nearly every recipe, not just steak — the exterior will become brown and crisp while the inside stays tender. Buck explains that, “The hot circulating air quickly cooks the steak while helping to develop a nice crust on the outside, making them juicy and flavorful inside.” So don’t cross off the air fryer when cooking steak entirely.
