An air fryer heats air and moves it around. That means the heat reaches the surface of the food and works its way toward the centre from there. If the food is frozen, that first stretch of cooking goes to melting the ice before real browning begins. It's not a problem: it's physics. But it changes the cooking times and, above all, the final texture.

The advantage of not thawing is that you skip the extra step, the bowl, the draining, and the risk of leaving food at room temperature longer than necessary. In a kitchen short on time, that's gold. The trade-off: you need to allow a bit more margin and keep an eye on the result, because frozen food is less forgiving than fresh.

A word of honesty: all the times and temperatures in this guide are approximate. They depend on the air fryer model (wattage, basket size, whether it has a preheat function), the amount you put in, and the shape and thickness of each piece. What takes me 15 minutes may take you 18 or 11. Start at the low end of the range and work up.

• The air fryer, with a clean, dry basket.
• A sheet of parchment paper only if the manufacturer allows it and never loose on top of the heating element: check your appliance's manual.
• Tongs or a spatula to move food around halfway through cooking.
• A small bowl for oil spray or a few drops of oil (optional; many frozen foods already contain fat).
• A kitchen thermometer if you want to check the inside of thick pieces (I explain below why I mention it cautiously).
• Paper towels to blot anything that comes out greasy.

1. Preheat for about 3-5 minutes at the recipe temperature. It isn't required on every model, but it helps make the first blast of heat a real one. If your appliance has no preheat function, skip to step 2.

1. Spread out, don't pile up. A single layer, with gaps between pieces. If you stack them, the air can't circulate and all you end up doing is thawing, not cooking. Small amount = shorter times; full basket = add minutes and shake more often.

1. Cook in batches depending on the type of frozen food. These ranges are starting points, not promises:

• Frozen fries (thin-cut): 180-200 °C (350-400 °F), 12-18 minutes, shaking halfway. Thick-cut: 200 °C (400 °F), 18-25 minutes. It depends on thickness and whether they come with added oil.
• Nuggets, croquettes and small breaded items: 190-200 °C (375-400 °F), 8-12 minutes, shaking once. Very small pieces cook sooner; large pieces need more.
• Loose frozen vegetables (peas, green beans, broccoli): 190-200 °C (375-400 °F), 8-12 minutes. Broccoli and cauliflower need a little longer; it's worth shaking the basket halfway.
• Frozen fish in thin fillets: 190-200 °C (375-400 °F), 10-15 minutes. Thickness rules: a thin fillet cooks sooner than a thick one.
• Thick pieces (frozen chicken, frozen burgers): I'm not giving fixed times here. Thickness and shape change the result too much, and food safety deserves its own section (below). Start at the low end of the range and check.

1. Move the food halfway through. Open it, shake the basket or flip the pieces. It's the move that changes the result the most with frozen food.

1. Check doneness and adjust. If it browns too much on the outside and the centre is still cold, lower the temperature and extend the time. If it stays pale, raise it by 10 °C (about 20 °F) and keep an eye on it.

1. Let it rest for 1-2 minutes before serving breaded items. The crust sets and doesn't fall apart.

• The classic mistake: filling the basket. With frozen food it's the number one error. Two short batches are better than one long, uneven one.
• Don't thaw "just in case." If you're cooking in the air fryer, frozen food goes in directly. Thawing and then cooking only adds steps and time.
• Get rid of loose ice. If the bag has ice crystals or frost, shake them off: that ice releases water and leaves the bottom soggy.
• Watch out for wet breading. Very breaded, damp frozen foods can stick together. Separate them well and move them gently.
• Oil in moderation. Many frozen foods already contain fat. A light spray is enough; flooding the basket doesn't help browning.
• Trust the look, not the clock. The times in this guide are a map, not a GPS. Poke, look, taste.
• Reheating frozen leftovers: if you froze a stew or a cooked portion, reheat it from frozen in small batches and make sure it comes out piping hot inside. Times depend on the thickness and density of the dish.

I have to be clear here: I'm not going to give you internal temperatures or thawing guidelines without a public source to back them up. Food safety is a serious subject and I don't want to quote numbers from memory. What I can tell you, as a kitchen rule, is that thick frozen pieces need their insides checked, and that if you're in doubt you should use a kitchen thermometer and consult the recommendations of your country's official food safety agency. Look at the educational material on food handling and storage that it publishes: it's the source I would use, rather than a number from some random blog.

The times and temperatures in this guide are approximate and depend on the air fryer model, the amount of food and the thickness of each piece. They are not nutritional data or health recommendations. Always adjust for your appliance and check the result before serving.

• Air Fryer Guides: How to Choose, Use and Maintain Yours
• Reheating in an Air Fryer: Crispy Leftovers, Not Soggy Ones
• Air Fryer Cooking Times and Temperatures Chart
• Air Fryer Recipes: Easy, Quick and with Approximate Times