Is Air Fryer Steak That Bad? {Our Taste Test Results}

We all know about the amazing powers of an air fryer – its ability to cook food with little to no oil and its incredible speed. But what about air fryer steak? We’re a little skeptical (more on that later!) but we decided to put our air fryer to the test and see if it could deliver a delicious, juicy steak. We’re excited to share the results of our taste test!

First off we’ll start by saying we do love our air fryer! It’s great for appetizers, wings, hash browns, and homemade fries. It’s endless what you can make in it! But what about steak?

I’m sure you’ve seen the recipes and videos popping up of air fryer steak. The reviews have been mixed – some people raving about how tender and juicy their steak was while others complain that their steak was grey and overcooked.

This latest post by America’s Test Kitchen had us cringing. Despite the overwhelming praise America’s Test Kitchen had for air fryer steak, its presentation leaves much to be desired.

And of course, the keyboard warriors didn’t hold anything back…

Our curiosity was piqued and we decided to run our own experiment!

Our Air Fryer Steak Test

We wanted to put the air fryer to the test, so we decided to do a taste test. Air fryer skirt steak and air fryer ribeye steak are 2 of the most commonly searched air fryer steak recipes – so we decided these are the 2 steaks we need to test!

We chose a thick, well-marbled ribeye steak and a skirt steak for our test. We prepped our steaks like we normally would. First, we left the steaks out at room temperature for 1 hour. Next, we patted the steaks dry with a paper towel. Then we rubbed olive oil on the surface of the steaks and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

Skirt steaks tend to be quite long, so we decided to cut our skirt steak into three smaller portions so they would fit in the air fryer. We seasoned one piece with salt and pepper and the other 2 pieces seasoned with a dry rub – just to see if that makes a difference.

Most air fryer steak recipes call for a temperature of 400ºF so we set the air fryer to 400ºF and let it warm up for 10 minutes. We cooked the ribeye and one of the skirt steak pieces separately. The remaining 2 skirt steak pieces were small so they were cooked together in the air fryer.

The steaks were cooked to a temperature of 125ºF for a medium-rare steak (the temperature rises to 130ºF during the resting period).

We found that the ribeye reached this temperature in only 5 minutes, while the skirt steak took about 4 minutes. This method was so swift that the steaks didn’t even get flipped over before reaching the perfect temperature.

We let the steaks rest for 15 minutes before carving them.

Air Fryer Steak Results

We crossed our fingers in anticipation, however, the results were what we expected. Although the steaks were juicy, they were lacking the addition of caramelized flavour.

A crust or any sort of browning on the exterior of the steak failed to develop. Likely because the cooking time is so quick. The browning, or Maillard reaction, that typically occurs with grilling or searing on a cast iron pan is what brings out a lot of flavours.

When a crust isn’t properly formed, the steak looks dull, grey and unappealing—certainly not something you’d want to serve at your dinner table.

While the exterior may turn a crispy brown with extended cooking, it would be at the expense of overcooking your steak and rendering it dry and chewy.

Most air fryer steak recipes have a longer cooking time than we experienced – this could be because they prefer a steak closer to well done OR our cooking time was reduced because we brought our steaks to room temperature first.

The skirt steak had similar results, although the surface wasn’t as pale in appearance. A skirt steak is a thinner steak and had a drier surface which aids in browning the surface. The skirt steak was juicy and tender, but like the ribeye, lacked the full flavour from a seared exterior.

We found that the dry rub added flavour (of course) and imparted colour to the surface of the skirt steak. This partially disguised the fact that the surface was paler in colour.

The Verdict

We’ll be frank – using an air fryer to cook ribeye steak is a surefire way to ruin a beautiful piece of meat. As for skirt steak, we would do it again if we’re in a hurry to feed the kids but it’s not our favourite method.

It just doesn’t hold up to traditional methods. We longed for the scrumptious taste you can only get from a perfectly browned crust, whether it be grilled or seared.

That being said, we know the air fryer has some advantages such as cooking a steak really fast. No judgment if you need to get food on the table for your family quickly!

The air fryer is also great if you lack other cooking options (like a barbeque) or perhaps you have no kitchen because it’s under renovation. And using an air fryer in an apartment or condo has the advantage of not worrying about smoke or a greasy mess.

If you are set on using an air fryer for your steaks, here are a few things we suggest:

• we preferred the skirt steak over a fattier steak like ribeye in the air fryer (bavette would work too!)
• a dry rub that has cumin, chili powder or other spices in it may help give your steak some colour
• a drier steak surface always helps improve the browning of the meat, so pat it dry with paper towels
• avoid overcrowding the air fryer so the air can circulate evenly around the steaks
• serve your steak topped with a herbed compound butter or chimichurri to improve the presentation
• you may want to reserve this method of cooking steak to feed your family and find other options when entertaining guests

Final Thoughts on Air Fryer Steak

We can confidently say that an air fryer steak is not something we will be making again anytime soon. We have had much better results with traditional methods such as grilling or pan-frying.

However, if you are ever in desperate need of a quick meal and your only option is an air fryer, then follow our tips to help you achieve the best result possible. Otherwise, stick to other methods for your steak!