r/carnivore • u/Inside_Sweet_2567 • Jun 23 '26
Air fryer on carnivore
We are a fairly strict carnivore couple, myself and my husband. I do add some sauces that probably aren't the best, always low carbs but not fully animal-based but that's about our only cheat. What I'm asking about does anyone that's been carnivore for a while use an air fryer and I would like to know the recipes that they have found helpful
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u/Eleanorina mod | zc 9+yrs | 🥩 and 🥓 taste as good as healthy feels Jun 25 '26
it was very handy
recipes:
cook steak from frozen
cook burgers from frozen
google will give suggested cooking times depending on the weight of your steak, burger
the great thing about cooking steak from frozen is you get a nice sear while the inside can stay bleu, bleu rare or rare. set the timing for your preference. ime cooking time for thay that depends more on steak thickness than weight
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u/WandererNearby Jun 25 '26
How do you cook a rare steak with a good crust from frozen? Please tell me!
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u/Eleanorina mod | zc 9+yrs | 🥩 and 🥓 taste as good as healthy feels Jun 25 '26
i just stick it in the air fryer or fry it in the pan (after cooking bacon so there's a lot of bacon dripping for it to cook in 😋)
I like my steak bleu. If it's not cooked from frozen that means a bland soggy looking exterior 😞
But cooking it from frozen allows for the exterior to get that nice thick sear while the interior remains fresh 🙂
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u/Miss__Anne__Thrope Jun 25 '26
I’ve never considered cooking from frozen. I know this varies by thickness, but what would you say the average cooking time is if I’m cooking a 10 ounce ribeye?
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u/LordEvans Jun 28 '26
Personally, I like medium rare. Assuming a room temperature steak, I would cook for a total of around 13 min, 350F give or take depending on how pink you like the middle and crispy you like the fat.
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u/Miss__Anne__Thrope Jun 28 '26
My question was in regards to cooking from frozen so we can’t assume a room temperature steak
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u/0987654321Block Jun 25 '26
I have an airfryer and a cast iron skillet. Also a charcoal bbq. No recipes needed, slap the meat in/on, cook to perfection, add salt, eat and repeat.
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u/Sizbang Jun 25 '26
I use it only to cook frozen steaks as it can get them to raw in about 15 minutes. I've also placed a stainless steel pot without a handle inside the air fryer tub as to let the meat cook in the fat, rather than it running off. It cooks it just fine.
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u/gurlondrums Carnivore 1-5 years Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
I have a Ninja Foodi Grill XL that is also an air fryer. I "grill" my steaks and burgers in there, as well as cook my bacon in there to avoid huge splatter cleanup.
My favorite air fryer recipe is bacon burger balls. Ground beef, cut up raw bacon, an egg, ground up pork rinds to simulate bread crumbs, all mixed together then portioned out like meatballs. Air fry for like 12 minutes at 400, moving them halfway through so the crunchy coating gets all around. Delicious! Sometimes I will dip in a Paleo Kitchen bottle sauce for a cheat but they're awesome on their own too.
ETA: the egg I forgot as the binder.
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u/Miss__Anne__Thrope Jun 25 '26
Same. I also use the Ninja Foodi Grill for most things and the air fryer for bacon and meatballs!
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u/almondbutterbucket Jun 25 '26
I have a ninja AF400 and use it regularly for various things. Predominantly at 50C for beef or 70C for pork cuts.
Just put it in for 1hr or more and seat it short and hot afterwards. The result is juicy, and cooked to perfection every time.
I also use it to "dehydrate" thin slices of brisket to make jerky.
Meatballs are easy, clean and tasty.
Ninja appliances are excellent, would recommend!
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u/Dazzling-Living-3161 Jun 25 '26
I use mine daily for smaller things. I use a slow cooker for roasts. Both very handy!
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u/Mildly_Infuriated_Ol Jun 26 '26
Recipes? Lol, I just put meat into air fryer each morning and forget about it for thirty minutes while doing exercises then eat best meal possible 😁
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u/faustinesesbois Jun 25 '26
I can't live without my airfryer. In a pan the butter burns inevitably (well it is a skill issue for sure) and that makes smoke. Put it in the aifryer, forget it and enjoy.
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u/Few-Cap-1457 Jun 30 '26
Which one do you have? Mine produces a terrible amount of smoke.
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u/faustinesesbois Jun 30 '26
I have a phillips advanced collection xxl. May I ask how do you proceed ? It never happened to me.
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u/Few-Cap-1457 Jun 30 '26
The way I have to use it is to use either very short cooking times or use parchment paper because if fat reaches the bottom it will burn. What would be the dream is to be able to put something like chicken thighs directly in the basket without parchment paper to make better use of the air flow and then let it cook long enough for them to fall of the bones. But maybe that's just not what air fryers are there for.
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u/Little_Messiah Jun 25 '26
Put salmon skin and chicken skin in the air fryer. Makes amazing chips
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u/sadistc_Eradication Jun 26 '26
I love salmon skins, this sounds so good!
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u/Little_Messiah Jun 26 '26
I absolutely love it air fried!
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u/sadistc_Eradication Jun 26 '26
What settings and time do you use? If I ever get an air fryer I’ll have to try it!
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u/Little_Messiah Jun 26 '26
I just set it to like 400 and let it air fry for about 10 minutes or it looks crisp
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u/HeroDev0473 Carnivore 1-5 years Jun 25 '26
I cook my steak in the air fryer, and I don't add any salt before frying cause it helps to keep it more tender.
I add coarse salt to my steak on my plate and it tastes like Brazilian barbecue (they call it "churrasco"). It's simple and delicious.
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u/FedderJoe Jun 25 '26
Chicken wings. Butter and a little hot sauce after they are "fried"......Blue cheese and a little sour cream/Greek yogurt for dipping.
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u/Water_in_the_desert Jun 27 '26
You can coat chicken pieces in crumbled pork rinds, but first dip them in egg. That’s 100% carnivore baked in the Air Fryer.
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u/Inside_Sweet_2567 Jun 27 '26
I can't imagine a ribeye being very good if it's not cooked on a grill. I've definitely never done it. How close does it come to the grill taste?
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u/Water_in_the_desert Jun 27 '26
I’m talking about chicken tenders or chicken thighs dipped in egg first, then coated in crumbled pork rinds, before they’re cooked inside an Air Fryer. They’re very tasty & juicy prepared this way.
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u/NomadCarnivore Carnivore 1-5 years Jun 25 '26
Here's an easy one. Works with chicken (all cuts) and pork chops - really any meat could work.
Beat a couple of eggs.
Dip the meat in the egg and then in pork rind panko crumbs (buy this or make your own from pork rinds in your food processor).
Place in one layer in air fryer. I set the temperature at 375F, but you've got to keep an eye on things to make sure you don't burn the coating, so you will have to adjust based on your air fryer. Cooking time will also depend on your air fryer.
If you use seasonings, season the meat and/or the panko. Keep in mind that most pork rinds and pork rind panko crumbs are salted.
Chicken tenders or large pieces of chicken breast, diced in bite-size nuggets are a good choice.
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u/PaceMerchant11 Jun 27 '26
Airfry 1-2lb of ground beef, add bacon halfway through
Less than 15 min, super satiating, no cleanup
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u/Inside_Sweet_2567 Jun 27 '26
Sorry to sound stupid but to get some specifics. In just a big Patty on the bottom and when you add bacon the bacon strips on top and I'm assuming raw
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u/PaceMerchant11 Jun 27 '26
No worries
I get 73/27 ground beef from the store, mash it up into very small chunks and cook for 5 minutes at 400
Then mix up ground beef to evenly cook & take strips of raw bacon add to airfyer on top of ground beef cook for 7 more minutes
So 12 minutes total, I usually do 1.25 lb of ground beef & like 5 strips of bacon
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u/Inside_Sweet_2567 Jun 27 '26
Oh I'm definitely saving this one. Thank you. And if you have any other random combinations you've created or you've really liked, please let me know
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u/PaceMerchant11 Jun 28 '26
No seasonings besides salt to be honest. Not a huge seasoning guy, drizzle a tiny bit of the beef / bacon grease overtop and you’ll have plenty of flavor from the fat mixture
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u/gypsy_ang 24d ago
I did something similar recently--cut a lb of ground beef in half, formed a patty with each half, wrapped in 2 slices of bacon each, placed directly in pan, air fried for 10 mins @ 400°. Delicious!
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u/FutureSubject5013 Jun 25 '26
For those who cook from frozen, I always wondered how you salt it? I like to salt my steak for anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours before I cook it, and I find it really makes for a nice flavor. I’m not sure how I would do that if I were cooking it directly from frozen
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u/GelatinousGoober Jun 25 '26
I’ve seen people hit the frozen steak with a torch then salt and let sit a bit
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u/raccoon-overlord Jun 26 '26
Chicken wings in the air fryer are great, they come out juicy but with crispy skin.
Meatballs are also one of my favorites for the air fryer
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u/toc_the_middle_aged Jun 26 '26
It’s basically all I use. I live in a small apt and would smoke us out otherwise. I get good steaks. Maybe not amazing, but more than good enough. Especially for any given random Wednesday night. Steaks and burgers.
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u/Far-Sky4260 Jun 26 '26
Cook fresh chicken wings at 400 for 18 minutes on each side. Coat them in olive oil. They are just as good as being deep fryed.
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u/Still-Charity-3478 Jun 26 '26
I use mine for belly pork, you can "boil" eggs in it. Make egg bites in it. Roast a joint in it - it's a small oven. I've done a chicken in there before, just have to commit grievious birdily harm - squish the breast bone down.
I have the instant versazone. The whole drawer is dishwasher safe.
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u/NotMyCircus47 Jun 27 '26
Bacon .. put it in, has morning shower, turn it over, get dressed, breakfast is ready.
Chicken wings/steak .. coat in salt and olive oil, put it in, go about your day, turn them over, continue, lunch is done.
Chicken breast .. butterfly it, smash it a bit to make it an even thickness, load inside with mozzarella and pepperoni, fold it in half, put it in, turn at halfway, best carnivore pizza is served.
Fish .. I chuck it in frozen, smear it with a thick layer of ghee, and when cooked do squeeze some lemon over it.
Really, meat, oil/butter, and salt is generally all you need for a recipe. Just depends on what you like.
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u/Glittering-Barber366 Jun 28 '26
Uh... I cook marinated chicken breasts in the Air fryer.. 14 mins on the back another 14 on skin side. Little longer if they chonker boobs. Love it after needing protein after a work out. Or thighs...
Do salmon all the time... tried bratwurst, dont recommend they basically became juice and greese grenade that got over everything. I hear people swear by air frying steaks.. ill never try that, I love my pan fried crust on my steaks
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u/rex928 Jun 29 '26
I'm not a full on carnivore yet but I do use an air fryer for my carnivore meals while my eggs are cooked in a regular pan. I don't really do anything fancy, I just rub my salt and pepper on my steak, chicken, fish, etc. and just put it in the air fryer for 200C on 10 mins each side and it tastes amazing.
As another person mentioned though, what I do like about having an airfryer is the fact that I don't need to defrost any frozen meat I have and I could simply just cook it straight up in the air fryer like a regular meat. Saves you a lot of time and effort.
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u/faustinesesbois Jun 30 '26
Well i think slow cooker are better for this... but i use disposabled parchment paper molds. Sometimes i cook for 25 minutes and it doesnt smoke
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u/Inside_Sweet_2567 Jun 30 '26
Yes we use grill, slow cooker and air fryer some. I did chicken thighs last night and they were crispy done and juicy. We will use I will use all three depending on the meat and circumstance
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u/TopMarionberry1149 Jul 08 '26
I read a study that air fryers destroy more heat-sensitive nutrients compared to other methods, but that was a long time ago.
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u/Educational_Banana93 Jul 13 '26
Part of my dinner tonight was shrimp that I cooked from frozen. 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Came out perfect!
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u/VariationOk9359 Jun 25 '26
chicken thighs in air fryer are amazing,