Frozen veggies need way more time than recipes say

I saw this post on Serious Eats saying frozen broccoli needs 18-22 minutes in an air fryer, not the 10 minutes most bloggers say. Tried it last night with a bag of mixed veggies from Aldi and they actually got crispy instead of soggy. Who's got the real facts on frozen vs fresh cook times? Every recipe feels like a lie.

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_shah24d ago

Isn't it frustrating how cook times never match reality?

wren63824d ago

Nah, you're just not reading the instructions right. Most cook times are based on an ideal setup - preheated oven, room temp ingredients, straight from the fridge stuff takes longer obviously. If you're throwing a cold chicken in a cold pan it's gonna be off. Plus manufacturers test in perfect conditions with calibrated ovens. Your oven at home might run 25 degrees hot or cold, that's gonna mess with timing. Also people don't account for carryover cooking where stuff keeps cooking after you pull it out. Take a steak off the heat 5 degrees early and it'll rest right up to temp. The real issue is people follow times like they're gospel instead of using common sense.

parkerbrown23d ago

@wren638 actually the frozen vs fresh rule is way different... and @seth_shah you're right, the timing never matches.