Yes, You Can Air-Fry Frozen Microwave Dinners (And Here's How)

There's no debating the convenience of microwaves, but they're not always the best regarding food quality. Fortunately, you can use another commonplace kitchen device to cook ready-made frozen meals instead: The mighty air fryer. While not quite as fast as microwaves, air fryers are ideal to enhance the taste and texture of microwave meals. That means you can enjoy a perfectly air-fried Jimmy Dean egg sandwich for your morning meal as opposed to the soft and soggy breakfast that may occur if you opt for the microwave. 

Generally speaking, if the frozen meal doesn't include air fryer instructions, you can still cook it in an air fryer at the same temperature and time as the oven directions indicate. While relatively simple, there are a few things to consider when making a frozen microwave meal in an air fryer. You'll need to confirm that the packaging is safe for cooking in an air fryer. Also, you'll need to be mindful of your air-frying technique when it comes to placing food in the basket of the device. 

The last thing you want when air-frying a frozen meal is to find yourself embroiled in a kitchen mishap. And because most microwave meals lack instructions for air-frying, you may need to make some adjustments. Read the label carefully to see if there are any instructions for baking the microwave dinner in the oven. If so, you can most likely place the container in the air fryer without worry. If you're not sure or the packaging lacks oven instructions, simply relocate the food to a dish before placing it into an air fryer.

When choosing a dish, it must be oven-safe. Using any old dish in the air fryer can ruin your meal and lead to a huge mess of broken glass should the dish crack when exposed to high temperatures. And even if the container the microwave meal comes in is oven-safe, remove any plastic components before cooking. Plastic is likely to melt in the air fryer, which will render your meal inedible. These steps ensure you can easily air fry Costco's Kirkland frozen lasagna and other meals without concerns about food safety.

Remember that air fryers work by circulating hot air around food to cook it. That means that overfilling the basket with items can result in unevenly heated food. As a result, you should always exercise caution when filling the air fryer basket with food. Depending on the size and contents of your frozen microwave meal, adding all the food at once may result in a basket that's too full, which will then decrease airflow. Only fill the basket about halfway to ensure food cooks uniformly.

It's also a good idea to cover the microwave meal with a sheet of aluminum foil. Aluminum foil prevents food from becoming dry and overcooked by retaining moisture. If you're a fan of crispy textures, especially with something like lasagna or mac and cheese, simply remove the foil for the last few minutes. With these tips, you can add microwave meals to the unexpected foods that can be put in an air fryer.