Air Fryer Tortilla Strips - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to fry a tortilla in an air fryer? ›

Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). If you are using raw tortillas, place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If you are using pre-cooked tortillas, you can stack them in a single layer. Cook the tortillas for 2-3 minutes, or until they are heated through and crispy.

Consider ways to weigh down your food

The toothpicks will weigh the food down and act as a barrier so items don't stick together. Another option is to use the cooking rack or tray that comes with most air fryers as a weight to keep food in place.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees, place the chips in the basket, and let it run for two to four minutes. For best results, shake the basket every 30 seconds to prevent any scorching or sticking, and your chips will be good as new.

Make sure the oil is hot enough (350 to 365 degrees) before adding a tortilla. If the oil is too cool, the tortillas will soak up too much oil. While the oil is heating up, line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack over it.

Make sure that you're using stale tortillas; the fresh ones absorb the oil more readily than stale ones. Make sure your oil is hot so use the right kind of oil, and fry in small batches letting the oil “recover” in between batches.

Add the eggs to your air fryer basket in a single layer. I added 8 eggs. Air fry for 15 minutes for hard-boiled eggs with thoroughly cooked yolks. Alternatively, you can cook for 9 minutes for very soft with slightly runny whites, 11 minutes for jammy eggs, or 13 minutes for just slightly undercooked yolks.

Any decent Mexican restaurant will make its own chips by cutting corn tortillas into wedges and flying them in hot oil (between 350 and 375 degrees). Pull them out when they're a shade less done than the you want (they continue to cook a lite after you take them out), drain and salt.

They crack when too cold, either didn't get heated up enough or have cooled back down. Heat corn tortillas thoroughly over a flame or on a griddle, this takes some patience. Flip them over a few times so they don't burn. Microwaves are right out.

Compression, compression, compression.

You don't want a tortilla that's too thick — the steam won't rise under the weight of too much masa! A very thin tortilla will also be susceptible to tearing, which will sabotage your chance at a puff.

A puff occurs during the cooking process of a tortilla, wherein, once meeting heat, the trapped moisture at the tortilla's core expands outward in the form of steam. A ballooning puff is born, as a result.

Why are my air fryer chips not crispy? ›

Firstly, if your potatoes are still wet before being placed into an air fryer, this can cause your potatoes not to crispen up. You can avoid this by thoroughly patting dry your potatoes before you place them in the air fryer. Secondly, you might be putting in too many potato chips so they aren't cooking evenly.

The answer lies in the moisture that makes your tortilla chips go stale in the first place. Chips start to lose their crispness as the moisture in the air seeps in. By microwaving or baking them, you're essentially drying them out and restoring their crunch.

When oil is hot enough to make a piece of tortilla sizzle, add tortilla pieces, a handful at a time, and stir to separate. Cook until crisp (1 to 1-1/2 minutes); lift from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Bake tortillas for 5 minutes, then turn tortillas using spatulas or tongs, rotate the cookie sheets, and bake for 3 to 6 minutes longer until tortillas are crispy and light brown.