Fresh vs frozen broccoli in the air fryer - not even close

I finally ran a side by side test last Tuesday with fresh broccoli florets and a bag of frozen ones. The fresh came out crispy on the edges and tender inside after 10 minutes at 375. The frozen ones turned into a soggy mess no matter what I tried - I added 5 more minutes, shook the basket twice, even sprayed extra oil. The texture was just terrible, like steamed broccoli but with a weird dry outside. I think the extra water content from freezing just ruins the air fryer magic. Has anyone else given up on frozen veggies in the air fryer or did I just get a bad bag?

2 comments

2 Comments

fionarodriguez3d ago

My friend Sarah tried the exact same thing last month with a bag of frozen cauliflower and she was so mad about it. She said the air fryer made them look like sad little wet sponges with crunchy edges. She even tried patting them dry with paper towels before cooking and it still came out nasty. She's sworn off frozen veggies in there ever since.

abby_martin283d ago

Wait, does this mean frozen veggies just don't work in air fryers no matter what you do? @fionarodriguez I feel like this is part of a bigger thing where everyone online swears you can cook anything in there but really it only works if you start with fresh or dry stuff. My own air fryer has this weird rule where frozen stuff always turns out either soggy or burnt, like it can't handle the ice crystals melting at the same time. It makes me wonder if half the recipes on Pinterest are just lies and we're all just chasing that one perfect frozen veggie that actually works.