Cooking with an air fryer can sometimes feel like a guessing game, especially when it comes to meat and other proteins. Whether you're crisping up fries, cooking a juicy chicken breast, or achieving the perfect doneness on a steak, knowing the right temperature is key to great results. That's where temperature charts come in handy.
In this blog, we’ll share essential air fryer temperature charts for your favorite proteins. Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to consistently delicious meals with perfect taste and texture every time.
The Importance of Temperature in Cooking
Temperature plays a crucial role in cooking, affecting both the texture and flavor of food. When ingredients are cooked at the right temperature, proteins denature properly, fats render, and sugars caramelize, resulting in delicious, well-balanced dishes. For instance, cooking meat at a high temperature creates a beautifully seared crust while keeping the inside juicy. Conversely, cooking at too low a temperature can lead to undercooked food that lacks flavor and texture.
Have you ever found yourself cooking meat to perfection on the outside, only to discover that the inside is tough and dry? This often happens when you cook your meat at a single temperature throughout. If you observe professional chefs, you'll notice they don’t stick to just one temperature; they adjust it at different stages to achieve the perfect balance between the inside and outside. Inspired by this chef’s technique, Tastee air fryer features a built-in temperature probe and a multi-stage cooking process. These innovative features monitor the temperature of your meat and adjusts it throughout the cooking process, ensuring you achieve the perfect results every time.
Why You Need Tastee’s Temperature Charts
Preparing different types of food requires specific methods. Meat, in particular, needs to be cooked at high temperatures to ensure it's safe to eat and free from harmful bacteria. A food temperature chart is essential for this, guiding you to the correct cooking temperatures and removing any guesswork.
The most popular chart, developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), provides predefined internal and minimum cooking temperatures to assist both commercial and home cooks. However, while the FDA chart and most food safety guidelines focus on preventing illness, this often leads to overcooking your food, resulting in an 'it's okay' taste. Well, as foodies, we want much more than just 'okay', right?
Thankfully, many ranches and meat brands now meet higher standards, providing safer meat. That means if you're confident your meat comes from a clean and well-regulated source, you can safely cook it at a lower temperature for less time, resulting in juicier, tastier dishes. As a result, we've created the Tastee Air Fryer Temperature Charts based on our tests to help you cook your ingredients to perfection while keeping them safe!
Internal Temperature Chart for Cuts of Meat
| Meat Type | Doneness & Recommended Internal Temperature | Safe Minimum Internal Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Steak | Rare 122℉ | 50℃ |
145°F | 63°C Rest time: 3 minutes |
| Medium Rare 131℉ | 55℃ |
||
| Medium 140℉ | 60℃ |
||
| Medium Well 152℉ | 67℃ |
||
| Well Done 165℉ | 74℃ |
||
| Chicken and other poultry |
Juicy 145℉ | 63℃ |
165°F | 74°C |
| Springy 150℉ | 66℃ |
||
| Firm 160℉ | 71℃ |
||
| Pork Steak/Roast/Chop |
Juicy 145℉ | 63℃ |
145°F | 63°C Rest time: 3 minutes |
| Springy 152℉ | 67℃ |
||
| Firm 160℉ | 71℃ |
||
| Salmon | Rare 104℉ | 40℃ |
145°F | 63°C |
| Medium 122℉ | 50℃ |
||
| Well Done 140℉ | 60℃ |
||
| Red Meat Organs kidney, liver, stomach, tongue, and tripe |
/ | 160°F | 71°C |
| Poultry Organs livers and other giblets |
/ | 165°F | 74°C |
Note:
- Please make sure your meats come from a commercially licensed farm when using our recommended internal temperature for cooking.
- For the fish in raw doneness, please choose the fish that can be eaten raw.
- People usually choose medium rare food doneness for better taste, please note that rare foods have a higher risk of foodborne illness than well-done foods.
- All Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are sourced from FoodSafety.gov and the USDA.
Click here to download the free printable
Tastee Air Fryer Temperature Chart for Other Proteins
| Protein | Time (in minutes) | Temperature | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon (Cold) | 5 | 450℉ | 233℃ | You can adjust the setting to meet your own preference |
| Ground Beef (Cold) | 8 (1 lb) | 450℉ | 233℃ | |
| Chicken Nuggets (Frozen) | 10 | 400℉ | 205℃ | |
| Chicken Tenders (Breaded, frozen) | 10 | 400℉ | 205℃ | |
| Sausage (Frozen) | 10 | 400℉ | 205℃ | |
| Hamburger Patty (Cold) | 8 | 450℉ | 233℃ | |
| Frozen Meatballs (Frozen) | 10 | 350℉ | 175℃ | |
| Shrimp | 13 (1 lb) | 450℉ | 233℃ | Make sure to cook until flesh is pearly or white, and opaque |
Click here to download the free printable
The Easiest Way to Cook Your Proteins Just the Way You Like
So, now you know the correct temperature and time to cook your proteins, but can you really cook them well? Do you always use a food thermometer to check your meat every time you cook? How many times do you check? Have you ever found your meat overcooked on the first check, leaving you frustrated as you eat it? And that’s just with conventional cooking. When it comes to air frying, it can be even trickier since you have to pull out the basket to check the temperature.
If you're tired of unpredictable air fryer results, it's time to try our Tastee Air Fryer. Its built-in temperature probe monitors the internal temperature of your meat throughout the cooking process. Plus, our various presets utilize a unique Multi-Stage Cooking Process that handles everything for you, helping you achieve those “chef’s kiss” results effortlessly. It's perfect for anyone who may not be a cooking expert but still craves amazing flavor!
Conclusion
You can always cook your proteins safely using certified temperature charts, but with our charts, you can also level up the taste of your proteins while keeping them safe. Just make sure your ingredients come from commercially licensed farms when following our recommended internal cooking temperatures.
For an easier way to cook your meat to your preferred doneness, try our Tastee Air Fryer. The built-in temperature probe can monitor the internal temperature of your meat to achieve your desired doneness and ideal taste. No more guesswork, no more complicated checks—just let it do its thing, and enjoy!