Crispy Perfection: How to Cook Italian Sausage in Air Fryer
The air fryer is a cooking tool with a very high usage frequency nowadays. People use it to cook various foods. I often use it to cook Italian sausages. Now I will share with you "How to cook Italian sausages in an air fryer".
How to cook italian sausage in air fryer?
It's not difficult to cook Italian sausages in an air fryer. The details are as follows:
Preparation work
Wash the sausages: First, rinse the Italian sausages with running water to remove impurities and grease on the surface. Then gently dry them with kitchen paper to ensure that the surface of the sausages is dry, so that it is not easy to splash oil when baking.
Make cuts: In order to allow seasonings and heat to penetrate better, you can make several cuts on the surface of the sausages with a small knife. At the same time, it makes the sausages easier to be cooked thoroughly during the baking process.
Prepare seasonings: According to personal taste, you can prepare some seasonings, such as olive oil, black pepper, rosemary, etc. After mixing the seasonings evenly, gently apply them on the surface of the sausages with a brush.
Cooking steps
Preheat the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 180 - 200 degrees Celsius. The preheating time is about 3 - 5 minutes. Ensure that the temperature inside the air fryer is uniform to better bake food.
Put in the sausages: Put the prepared Italian sausages into the preheated air fryer. If the sausages are longer, you can cut them into small sections for better heating and baking.
Set the temperature and time: Set the temperature of the air fryer to 180 degrees Celsius and the time to 10 - 15 minutes. This time can be adjusted appropriately according to the size and thickness of the sausages. During the baking process, you can open the air fryer timely to observe the baking situation of the sausages to avoid burning or overcooking.
Turn the sausages: In order to ensure that both sides of the sausages are heated evenly, you can turn the sausages timely during the baking process. This can make the sausages baked more evenly from the inside to the outside and taste more delicious.
How long do you cook Italian sausage in the air fryer?
The time depends on the size and quantity of the sausages.
If it is an ordinary-sized Italian sausage and there is only one, then preheat the air fryer to 200℃. It only takes 8 - 10 minutes to be cooked thoroughly. If there are more Italian sausages, it will take longer. It may take about 10 - 12 minutes.
When baking Italian sausages in an air fryer, it is best to turn them over so that the sausages are heated more evenly and each side is baked just right. During the baking process, you can observe the color and state of the sausages. When the surface of the sausages becomes golden and starts to sizzle and emit oil, it is almost done.
Should you poke holes in sausage before air frying?
I think it's a very good practice to poke holes in the sausages before air frying.
First of all, there is air and grease inside the sausage. During the cooking process, as the temperature rises, the internal air and grease will expand. If you don't poke holes, the sausage is very likely to burst. This will not only affect the shape of the sausage but also may cause the filling inside to flow out and become messy. That's not good-looking or delicious.
Secondly, poking holes can allow heat to penetrate better into the inside of the sausage. The air fryer heats food through hot air circulation. When you poke holes in the sausage, the hot air can reach the inside of the sausage more directly. This can make the sausage cooked more evenly from the inside to the outside. I usually use bamboo sticks or special small tools to poke several small holes evenly on the sausage. About 3 - 5 small holes can be poked on each sausage. Be careful not to poke too deep to avoid puncturing the casing too much.
Moreover, after being processed in this way, the sausage will have a crispier surface after cooking, and the inside still maintains a tender and juicy taste.
How long to cook Italian sausage in air fryer at 400?
It only takes 5 - 7 minutes to cook Italian sausages at 400°F (about 204°C).
For normal-sized Italian sausages, at 400°F in an air fryer, it only takes about 5 - 7 minutes.
But in practice, it still needs to be adjusted according to the actual size and quantity of the sausages.
During the cooking process, it is best to turn them over after about 3 minutes so that both sides can be baked evenly.
When the surface of the sausage becomes golden brown and sizzles and emits oil, it can be taken out.
It should be noted that at 400°F (the temperature is relatively high and it is easy to be overcooked. Observe the sausages more during the baking process.
Are sausages better in the oven or air fryer?
Baking sausages in an oven and in an air fryer each have their own advantages.
Advantages of baking sausages in an oven
Even heating
The oven has a relatively large space and can provide more uniform heat distribution. It is suitable for larger-sized or a large number of sausages, which can ensure that each part of each sausage can be heated more evenly.
Suitable for batch baking
If you want to bake a lot of sausages, for example, when there is a family gathering or a friend gathering and a large number of sausages are needed, the oven is very convenient. You can put multiple sausages in at one time and bake them at the same time to save time.
Can be combined with other foods
You can also bake other foods in the oven at the same time. For example, sometimes I bake sausages with vegetables such as potatoes and onions. In this way, a whole table of food can be prepared in one oven, and different foods can absorb each other's fragrance.
Advantages of baking sausages in an air fryer
Healthier and less oily
The air fryer cooks food through hot air circulation. Relatively speaking, it requires less oil than an oven. If you don't like greasy taste very much or want a healthier diet, choosing an air fryer to bake sausages is very good.
Faster speed
The speed of baking food in an air fryer is usually faster than that in an oven. If you just want to simply bake a few sausages as snacks, the air fryer is very convenient and fast. I probably use an air fryer to bake an ordinary sausage. At 180 degrees, it only takes 8 - 10 minutes, while in the oven it may take 15 - 20 minutes.
Easy to clean
The structure of the air fryer is relatively simple. After baking sausages, it is relatively easy to clean. The internal space of the oven is large and there are many corners, so it is more troublesome to clean.
What temperature should Italian sausage be cooked to?
Italian sausages are cooked when the internal temperature reaches 160°F (about 71°C).
Because this temperature can ensure that possible harmful bacteria are killed and it is safer to eat. Especially Italian sausages may contain raw materials such as pork and beef. When this temperature is reached, you can enjoy them with confidence.
If you don't have a thermometer, you can observe the state of the sausages. When the skin of the sausage becomes golden and crispy and the meat inside no longer looks pink and becomes firmer, it is almost there. However, for the sake of safety, it is still the most reliable to measure with a thermometer.
