An air fryer can cook anything, can't it? Well, just because it can doesn't mean it should. It's much better to prepare sausage in other ways, for all these reasons.
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00:00An air fryer can cook anything, can't it? Well, just because it can doesn't mean it should.
00:06It's much better to prepare sausage in other ways for all these reasons.
00:11An air fryer isn't actually a fryer, technically. It's basically a type of convection oven.
00:16A built-in fan circulates heat while keeping the temperature consistent and contained in
00:20a small space. Sausage generally needs to reach a high temperature to fully cook,
00:24as do other fatty meats, but the small space in an air fryer can cause the sausage to release
00:29excess grease. Everyday Family Cooking notes that the release of grease could also leave
00:33your air fryer smoking if the liquid comes into contact with the heating element.
00:37The publication advises,
00:38"...the more grease, the more fumes."
00:40This can especially be a problem if you poke holes in your sausages with a fork before cooking them.
00:44While doing so helps keep the casing from splitting, it also generates even more grease.
00:49So if you cook sausage in your air fryer,
00:51you could end up with a smoky kitchen and a greasy mess in the fryer itself.
00:55Why do I smell smoke? Oh my God."
01:00Air fryers are great for cooking lots of different foods, but when it comes to sausage,
01:04the old ways just work better. Pan-frying remains your best bet if you're looking to
01:08retain the umami flavor, according to premium meat supplier Tremor. That's because the meat
01:12turns a crispy, golden brown as it comes in contact with the heated pan and is repeatedly turned.
01:17The concentrated heat of an air fryer could cause the outside of the sausage to cook too quickly
01:22and leave the inner part undercooked or raw. Tremor recommends sausages be allowed to cook
01:26gently. You have far more control over the amount of heat on a stovetop.
01:30Pan-frying is especially preferable when you're starting off with frozen sausage.
01:33For either cooking method, it's going to take a little extra time to thaw the sausage in the
01:37refrigerator or microwave before cooking. But previously frozen sausage needs a little
01:42more attention and rotation, which is much easier to do in a pan than a closed air fryer.
01:47If you've got guests over or a sizable family to feed and are thinking about
01:50tossing a big batch of sausages in the air fryer, that may not be the best approach.
01:55Air fryers vary in size, but even the biggest ones have relatively small baskets, by design.
02:00Stacking a lot of sausages in such a small space will cause them to hold moisture captive,
02:04block the flow of air, and hinder their ability to cook. Sausages cook better when
02:08they are spread out so they can develop a crisp outer layer, according to My Budget Recipes.
02:13Putting a lot of sausage in an air fryer to cook at once will probably make the cook time longer,
02:17and you'll likely end up with unevenly cooked sausage anyway. Plus,
02:20you're not just going to have sausage for breakfast, right?
02:23What are you having?
02:24Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon sausage, fried egg.
02:27If you want to add eggs or veggies to the meal, you're probably going to have to break out a
02:31frying pan or griddle. While people have figured out ways to make fried eggs in an air fryer,
02:36it's not ideal. Plus, you'd have to cook everything separately.
02:39Air fryer cook times and temperatures differ for sausage, eggs, and veggies.
02:44Ever wonder why the British call sausages bangers? Well, sausages used to be made
02:48with more water and less meat, so they'd often split their casings while cooking
02:51and explode in the pan, earning them the nickname. The USDA warns that cheaper sausage
02:56still tends to come with quite a bit of water inside, making them prone to breakage.
03:00Home Kitchen Talk notes that water is actually a necessity for any sausage.
03:04It binds the meat and seasonings together, but it also creates tension inside the links.
03:08Italian Barrel explains that the highly concentrated heat of an air fryer can
03:11cause a sausage link to temporarily expand, increasing the likelihood that the casing
03:16will split. That likelihood can be reduced by, as mentioned earlier, poking holes in
03:20your sausage with a fork. But Tremor explains that it also makes juices seep out and,
03:24along with them, flavor. A damaged casing means the loss of that signature sausage
03:28snap when you bite into a link. But it also makes the fat separate,
03:31a problem that can also be caused another way.
03:35Fat is what gives sausages, and any other meats, their juiciness and flavor. But as
03:39Quiet Waters Farm notes, too high a temperature will also liquefy the fat content that has been
03:44so carefully mixed into your sausage to keep it moist and juicy. If this liquefies and leaks out,
03:48you will have a dry and crumbly result without all that flavor. Sausage needs to be cooked over
03:53high heat, but that does not mean it's meant to take on all of that heat at once, like in an air
03:57fryer. Along with losing the fat, the sausages can actually shrink and shrivel up if the outside
04:02cooks first. Air fryers are super easy to use, right? You just set a time and temperature and
04:08let it do its thing. That's indeed true for a lot of foods, but for something like sausage,
04:13it's not quite that simple. Depending on the fat content of your sausage,
04:16the required heat setting will vary, and if you're not careful, you could end up with an inedible
04:21result.
04:22Never mind.
04:23It's burnt.
04:24Everyday family cooking reminds us that an air fryer's job is not to smoke meat. This is why
04:28it is possible to cook higher-end fat meats in an air fryer, but by no means recommended.
04:33Starting at a lower temperature and increasing the heat gradually can be one way to go,
04:37though other cooking methods like pan-frying and baking can simplify things considerably.
04:42The big benefit of an air fryer is convenience, but that's not always the case.
04:46According to Simple Air Fryer, it takes up to 13 minutes to air fry Italian sausage.
04:51Chicken sausage takes up to 13 minutes to cook through in an air fryer, Craving Tasty advises.
04:56Thicker sausages will likely require a couple more minutes on top of that.
04:59Pan-frying takes about the same amount of time, Traymore notes, but you can cook more sausage
05:03at one time and won't have to wait another 15 minutes for another batch. Plus, there are all
05:08the other added benefits of pan-frying, so if you're aiming for quality, you're better off
05:12using the trusty pan. You'll end up with better sausage and won't have spent any more time making
05:17it.