Methodology

The test stack

Three appliances are used as reference. They are named in every article that references their settings.

• Cosori Pro II 5.8-Quart Smart Air Fryer (1700W). Reference unit for 5.8-qt basket-load capacity numbers and the per-cut frozen-food settings on every food-conversion guide.
• Ninja AF101 4-Quart Air Fryer (1500W). Reference unit for 4-qt basket-load capacity and the lower-wattage time corrections referenced in the wattage section of the frozen-fries article.
• 30-inch GE convection oven, calibrated against an oven thermometer at 350°F. Reference unit for every "oven baseline" used in the 25-25 conversion math.

Internal temperatures are read with a calibrated ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE. Calibration is verified in ice water (32°F) and boiling water (212°F at sea level; Toronto's elevation is negligible) before any test cook that informs published numbers.

How a conversion gets published

Step 1. Manufacturer-published settings are the ground truth where they exist. The back-of-box oven instructions for a frozen item or the appliance's owner-manual preset table is the input. We do not invent settings for foods that have a published baseline.

Step 2. The 25-25 rule is applied: subtract 25°F from the oven temperature and reduce time by 20-25%. Food-specific corrections are then layered on (for example: bone-in vs boneless poultry, frozen vs thawed, breaded vs naked, sugary glazes), with the reasoning documented inline in the relevant article. The converter's Oven-style setting, for air fryer ovens, keeps the same 25°F step and 20% time cut but raises the ceiling from 400°F to 450°F (230°C), the highest air fry setting in the Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven, Cuisinart TOA-60 and Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer manuals. We do not own an air fryer oven, so that setting rests on those manuals rather than on our own cooks.

Step 3. In-kitchen verification. We cook the published settings and the converted settings on the same food, same brand, same quantity, on consecutive days. Internal temperature, surface color, and visible doneness are recorded. If the converted settings produce the cooked-through result with appropriate surface browning, the number ships. If not, the correction is adjusted and the test re-run.

Step 4. Where a number came from a test run rather than from a published manufacturer setting, the article body says so by name. We do not fold test-derived numbers and manufacturer-published numbers into the same line.

Internal-temperature targets and food safety

Every internal-temperature claim links to USDA FSIS or Health Canada. Both regulators publish equivalent guidance (the Canadian targets are slightly more conservative where they differ).

• Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck): 165°F (74°C). USDA FSIS standard, matched by Health Canada.
• Salmon and other finfish: 145°F (63°C). USDA FSIS standard, matched by Health Canada.
• Ground meats (ground beef, ground pork): 160°F (71°C). USDA FSIS standard.
• Whole muscle pork (chops, roasts): 145°F (63°C) followed by 3 minutes rest. USDA FSIS standard.
• Reheated leftovers: 165°F (74°C) regardless of original cook method. USDA FSIS standard.

When USDA and Health Canada targets differ, we publish the more conservative target and footnote both. For poultry and fish, the two highest-volume topics on this site, they are identical.

Citation policy

Every safety claim is hyperlinked to a primary source. The standard reference list is: USDA FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, Health Canada Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures, FoodSafety.gov reheating guidance, and the manufacturer's published owner manual for any appliance-specific claim. Articles where peer-reviewed food-science citations are warranted (Maillard reaction, carryover cooking) link to Compound Interest, Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, or the underlying journal where it is accessible.

Brand-specific settings (Ore-Ida, McCain, Totino's, DiGiorno, etc.) reference current packaging from 2025 to 2026. The reference is dated in the article body. When a manufacturer revises packaging, the article is updated and the dateModified field is bumped.

Two pages exemplify how this policy plays out: A Complete Guide to Air Fryer Safety for safety floor citations, and The Science of Air Fryers vs. Ovens for the food-science backing behind the 25-25 rule.

Corrections policy

If a published number on this site is wrong, we update the article and add a one-line correction note above the body with the date the correction shipped and what changed. We do not silently rewrite history. Corrections can be reported to the contact page; investigation begins within 48 business hours and the correction publishes within 5 business days for non-safety items, within 24 hours for safety-critical items. The log below also records substantive edits that change what a guide recommends or where its answer sits, not only corrections to numbers.

• October 12, 2026 · Air Fryer Accessories: What's Worth Buying: The page title said the guide covers what voids the warranty, and the warranty section said misuse, modification and normal wear void coverage. Neither Cosori's Pro II warranty nor Ninja's AF101 warranty names aftermarket accessories as an exclusion, and normal wear is excluded from cover rather than voiding it. The title now says what puts your warranty at risk, and the section says what the two warranties exclude.
• October 12, 2026 · A Complete Guide to Air Fryer Safety: The kids section said the Cosori Pro II and most Ninja models have a child lock described in the user manual, and the 2-year and 1-year warranty figures had no source on the page. Neither the Cosori Pro II manual nor the Ninja AF101 owner's guide describes a child lock. The section now says that and tells you to check your own model's manual, and both manuals are listed as sources for the warranty terms.
• October 12, 2026 · Air Fryer vs Convection Oven Compared: The versatility section said 4 pounds of spatchcocked chicken is the ceiling on a 5.8-qt basket and that most air fryers bottom out at 170°F or higher. Neither Cosori nor Ninja publishes a weight figure, and Ninja's FAQ gives the AF100 series a 105°F Dehydrate floor, while the Cosori Pro II's range starts at 170°F. The page now gives our own estimate, not a fit test (about 3.5 pounds on a 5.8-qt basket, 8 quarts or more for 4 pounds), matching the things-never-put-in-air-fryer guide, and states each model's floor with its source. An unsourced claim that air fryers cannot dehydrate was dropped.
• October 12, 2026 · Top 5 Things You Should Never Put in an Air Fryer: The biggest-cut section said the Cosori Pro II 5.8-qt fits a 3.5-pound spatchcocked chicken without saying whose figure that is. Cosori's manual gives no weight figure. The sentence and the source note now label the 3.5-pound fit as our own estimate, not a fit test. The Ninja DZ201 fit for a 4-pound bird in the same sentence is labelled as our estimate too.
• October 11, 2026 · Air Fryer Accessories: What's Worth Buying: The warranty section said Cosori, Ninja, Instant Brands and Philips all give 1-year warranties covering the basket coating, quoted Ninja's warranty as excluding 'damage from non-Ninja accessories' and its support FAQ as requiring Ninja-approved accessories, and said Cosori and Ninja manuals specify 1 inch of clearance between food and the element. Cosori's Pro II manual gives a 2-year warranty, Ninja's AF101 guide and FAQ a 1-year warranty, neither names aftermarket accessories, Ninja excludes normal wear on the basket and crisper plate, and neither manual gives a clearance figure. The page now quotes the terms as written and presents the 1-inch gap as our own rule.
• October 11, 2026 · Ninja vs Cosori: Air Fryer Comparison: The durability note said both brands give 1-year limited warranties. Cosori's Pro II manual gives 2 years; Ninja's AF101 is 1 year. The note now says so, and the Ninja specifications now cite Ninja's AF100-series FAQ, which is where the 4-quart, 105 to 400°F and 1550-watt figures are published.
• October 11, 2026 · Top 5 Things You Should Never Put in an Air Fryer: The biggest-cut section said the Instant Vortex Plus 10-qt fits a 4.5-pound spatchcocked bird with 1 inch of clearance to the element, and credited Ninja's guide with the capacity and clearance figures behind the 4-pound limit. Instant's product page says the Vortex Plus fits a 4-pound chicken and gives no clearance figure, and Ninja publishes no figure for whole birds. The page now says that, and the 4-pound limit is labelled as ours.
• October 11, 2026 · Why Your Air Fryer Smokes: The page said Cosori's manual warns against unsecured paper or foil. The manual allows parchment and foil and warns only that parchment without food on top can lift into the heating coils. The sentence now says that.
• October 11, 2026 · Air Fryer vs Convection Oven Compared: The size section gave the Cosori Pro II as 13 by 12 by 14 inches and 13 pounds, the Ninja AF101 as smaller at 11 by 10.5 by 13, and said both need 4 inches of clearance behind the vent. Cosori's manual gives 11.8 by 13.9 by 12.7 inches, 12.3 pounds and 5 inches of space behind and above; Ninja's FAQ gives about 14 by 11 by 13 inches, 10 pounds and 5 inches from any surface. The combo-oven comparison also dropped an unsourced 4 to 6 minute heat-up figure for combo units.
• October 11, 2026 · Frozen Pizza in Air Fryer Conversion: The fit section said Cosori publishes 1 inch of clearance between food and the heating element. Cosori's manual gives no clearance figure for food; its limit is the MAX fill line. The sentence now says that.
• October 11, 2026 · Air Fryer First-Week Guide: Several guides misquoted the air fryer manuals on preheating. This guide said Ninja's AF101 manual calls for no preheat, that Cosori's Pro II manual gives a 4-minute preheat for SmartChef presets, that no air fryer needs a preheat for frozen food, and that the two manuals set 5 and 4 pound load limits. Other pages said Cosori and Ninja units need no preheat and credited Cosori's manual with a 90-second preheat. Cosori's manual says to preheat (5 minutes at 380°F and above, 4 minutes from 340°F to 370°F, 3 minutes below that) and that food will not cook thoroughly without it, Ninja's guide recommends 3 minutes, and neither gives a weight limit, only a MAX line or a warning not to overfill. Every page now says so, our cold-basket times are labelled as our own method with a note to check 1 to 2 minutes early if you preheat, and the manual links go to the manuals rather than Cosori's home page. Two first-use smell claims had no source: this guide said the smell is gone by minute 6 to 7, and the why air fryers smoke guide said it lasts the first three to five cooks. Both now follow Cosori's manual: an empty test run clears it, and if it does not, contact the maker.
• October 6, 2026 · How to Reheat in an Air Fryer: The equipment notes said toaster-oven-style air fryers need 1 to 2 extra minutes to reheat because of their larger chamber. That figure had no source: the Ninja, Cuisinart and Breville air fryer oven manuals we checked give no reheat time against a basket, and we have not tested an air fryer oven. The sentence now says one can take a little longer than a basket for the same reheat, so check the food at the basket time before adding more. The point that these units handle a whole pizza or a casserole dish better is unchanged.
• October 6, 2026 · Air Fryer to Oven Calculator: The fan oven advice credited USDA guidance on convection baking. USDA and FSIS publish no convection temperature guidance; their pages cover safe internal temperatures. The rule comes from oven makers, so the page now cites GE, which tells convection owners to bake 25°F lower than a conventional recipe. The fan oven numbers are unchanged apart from being narrowed to the calculator's: add 15°F (10°C) and 15% more time.
• October 6, 2026 · Oven to Air Fryer Converter: The guide said air fryers move heat to food 30 to 40% faster than a still-air oven and 15 to 20% faster than a fan oven. Those figures had no source, and our own side-by-side cooks do not support a single number: frozen fries crisped in the same 11 minutes of cooking once the oven had preheated, while wings took 22 minutes against 32. The sentence now states the cause without a figure. The fan oven advice is now one set of numbers, matching the converter's new Fan setting: take off 15°F (10°C) and 10% of the time.
• September 27, 2026 · Frozen Fries: Oven to Air Fryer Conversion: The guide called a cut to about 70 percent of the oven time the standard conversion, and it ran straight from the 425°F to 400°F drop into our side-by-side test, which read as though the test oven was set to 425°F. Our test log shows both appliances were set to 400°F. The rule section now gives the general rule our converter applies, 25°F cooler and 20 percent less time (400°F for 14 minutes on a 425°F, 18-minute bag), and explains why frozen fries finish sooner, at about 70 percent of the oven time. The test has its own paragraph, which gives 400°F for both appliances. Every time and temperature in the chart is unchanged.
• September 27, 2026 · Salmon: Oven to Air Fryer Conversion: The rule section called a cut of roughly 30 percent of the time the standard conversion and said it dropped the temperature by 25°F, while its own example went from 400°F to 380°F, a 20°F drop. The section now gives the general rule our converter applies, 25°F cooler and 20 percent less time (375°F for 10 minutes on a 400°F, 13-minute recipe), and says the salmon chart runs 5°F warmer and about 30 percent under the oven time. Every time and temperature in the chart is unchanged.
• September 27, 2026 · Air Fryer to Oven Calculator: This page said to add 20% more time in its header and 20 to 25% in its guide, its methodology section and its FAQ, and its worked example raised 22 minutes by 22% to 27. The calculator on the page adds 25°F and 25% more time, the exact inverse of the 20% time cut on the home converter, and every figure on the page now matches what it returns. The chart's oven column now reads 400°F for 28 minutes for wings (was 30), 425°F for 18 for fries (was 20), 405°F for 11 for salmon (was 400°F for 13), 405°F for 10 for frozen pizza (was 425°F for 15) and 385°F for 23 for chicken breast (was 375°F for 25). The 380°F, 10-minute example now reads 405°F for 13 minutes rather than 400°F, and the chicken thigh example 28 minutes. The cookie example drops from 11 minutes to 10, which is what the page's own 30% rule for baked goods gives on 8 minutes. The 6-minute reheat example now totals 18 to 23 minutes with preheat, not 16, and the extra time for a larger batch reads 10 to 20% in every place instead of 15 to 20% in one.
• September 27, 2026 · Air Fryer vs Convection Oven Compared: The frozen fries test gave the convection oven's setting as 425°F and called it the standard +25°F oven adjustment. Our test log shows both appliances were set to 400°F, as the science of air fryers vs ovens guide already said. The introduction and the results paragraph now say 400°F. The +25°F label is gone. The results paragraph also said the air fryer pushed the surface 38°F further past the Maillard threshold in roughly half the time. Eleven minutes against 17 is about two thirds of the time, not half, and the oven's 274°F surface never reached the 285°F this article gives for faster Maillard browning. The sentence now reads: the air fryer reached crisp 6 minutes sooner, with a surface 38°F hotter. The measured results (11 and 17 minutes, 312°F and 274°F) are unchanged.
• September 27, 2026 · The Science of Air Fryers vs. Ovens: The fries test in this guide said the air fryer pushed the surface 38°F further past the Maillard threshold in roughly half the time. Both parts were wrong. Eleven minutes against 17 is about two thirds of the time, and the oven's 274°F surface never reached the Maillard threshold, which this guide puts at around 285°F. The sentence now reads: the air fryer reached crisp 6 minutes sooner, with a surface 38°F hotter. The 400°F setting on both appliances and the measured results (11 and 17 minutes, 312°F and 274°F) are unchanged.
• September 27, 2026 · Oven to Air Fryer Converter: The guide's formula said to cut cooking time by 25%, directly under a stat card showing the calculator's 20% cut, and its worked example turned 400°F for 20 minutes into 375°F for 15 minutes. Step 2 now says 20%, and the example reads 16 minutes, which is what the calculator returns. The sweet potato exception, which said to cut 30% rather than 25%, now names 20% as the standard it departs from. The FAQ answer on converting back to the oven said to add 20 to 25% more time; it now says 25%, which is what the air fryer to oven calculator adds and which undoes the 20% cut exactly. The 25°F temperature step is unchanged.
• September 11, 2026 · Air Fryer First-Week Guide: Day 2 of this guide told readers to cook chicken breast at 380°F for 18 minutes. No test on this site produced that setting. The tested value is 360°F, 15 minutes for a 6 ounce breast about an inch thick and 18 minutes for an 8 ounce breast closer to 1.25 inches, and the chicken breast conversion guide has carried those numbers since it published. Day 2 now matches it, including the 162°F pull and the five-minute rest, and an unsourced instruction to probe at the 12-minute mark for a 140°F to 150°F reading was removed. The same page put salmon carryover at 3 to 5°F in the Day 6 paragraph and in its key-technique box; the tested figure is 3°F, and both now say so. The salmon settings themselves (380°F for 9 minutes, pull at 142°F to land at 145°F) are unchanged.
• September 10, 2026 · Methodology: The reference air fryer was listed as model CAF-P583-KUS. That model number appears on no Cosori page or manual: their own manual for this product gives the model line as CS358-AF, an archived product page gives CAF-P582S-KUSR, and CAF-P583S-KUS with an S is the Dual Blaze, a different air fryer. The unit is now named without a model number here and in the seven articles that cited it, because a model number is what a reader matches against the label on their own machine, and naming none is better than naming one that could send someone to the wrong unit. Every specification attributed to it (1700W, 5.8 quarts, 170 to 400°F) was checked against the manual and is correct.
• September 9, 2026 · Methodology: This AI disclosure previously stated that AI-generated images are not used. That was wrong: every article header image is an AI-generated illustration. The disclosure now says so, and two header descriptions that named specific air fryer models were reworded, since an illustration should not read as a photograph of a particular unit.
• September 9, 2026 · Mozzarella Sticks in the Air Fryer: Reheating guidance (340°F for 3 minutes) moved to the top of the article and the title changed to match the question readers actually arrive with. The from-frozen settings are unchanged.

AI disclosure

Drafting and editing on this site uses large-language-model assistance for outline structure and prose tightening. Every published article is then read end-to-end and fact-checked by Kaustubh Ghodke, the named editor, before publishing. No conversion number, internal-temperature claim, or brand-specific time on this site is taken from a model without verification against a primary source. The header image on each article is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph: it shows what a dish or setup looks like, none of them pictures our test units, and no image on this site is offered as evidence of a test result. Every number here comes from the cooking described under How we test. The link-preview cards are rendered programmatically from each article title and the site colours.

Review cadence

Brand-specific guides (frozen pizza, frozen fries, bacon brands) are re-checked whenever the packaging they cite changes. Safety articles are re-checked any time USDA FSIS or Health Canada publishes updated guidance. Calculator math is regression-tested against a fixed set of conversion cases on every build. The Updated date in each guide's byline is set in the commit that changes that guide, and the same date feeds the page's structured data and the sitemap, so all three agree.

Advertising and dark mode

Ads on this site are served by Google AdSense. AdSense controls the visual styling of its own ad units, so in dark mode the ad creatives render with Google's default backgrounds rather than matching the site theme. We have no control over individual ad appearance and do not modify ad creatives. Ad placements are reserved at fixed sizes to avoid layout shift, regardless of theme.

How we estimate nutrition

Per-serving nutrition on food-conversion recipes (calories, protein, fat, carbs, sodium) is estimated, not measured. We look up each ingredient in the USDA FoodData Central database, prefer SR Legacy or Foundation entries over branded items, multiply each ingredient's per-100 g profile by the gram amount used, sum across the recipe, then divide by the serving count derived from the recipe's stated yield.

Rounding rules: calories to the nearest 10 kcal; protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber to the nearest 1 g; sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Optional ingredients (oil sprays, finishing sauces, garnishes) are excluded from the base estimate so the panel reflects the recipe as written, not the upper bound. The disclaimer on every recipe panel says the same thing the heading here does: values are estimates and will vary with brand, cut, weight, and preparation. We do not display estimated nutrition as if it were a Nutrition Facts panel from a manufacturer label, and we do not provide dietary or medical advice.

What this site is not

This site is not a chef-curated recipe library. We do not develop original cuisine; we publish accurate conversion math and food-safety-anchored cooking guidance. The estimated per-serving nutrition shown on recipe pages is descriptive, not prescriptive — for medical, dietary, or weight-management advice, consult a registered dietitian or physician. For original recipes, consult a chef-authored source. Cooking guidance on this site is informational only. Always verify internal temperatures with a calibrated thermometer.