Frozen wings beat fresh ones in the air fryer, and I'll stand by that

Last Sunday I cooked two batches of wings side by side. The fresh ones from the store came out dry and chewy even after 25 minutes at 380. The frozen ones from a bag I tossed in for 22 minutes at 400 came out way crispier and juicier. I think the ice crystals help steam the inside while the outside gets that crunch. Has anyone else had better luck with frozen over fresh?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordanr892mo ago

Did you catch that America's Test Kitchen thing where they tested frozen wings against fresh? They basically said the same thing you did about the ice crystals creating steam.

beth_green2mo ago

Wait, isn't the whole point of freezing chicken wings that the ice crystals mess with the texture and make them rubbery when they thaw? I've definitely had frozen wings that turned out sad and soggy, not crispy. Maybe the Test Kitchen got lucky with their timing or temperature, but I can't see how steam from ice crystals would help you get that deep, golden crunch. I'd rather just pat fresh wings dry and season them right than rely on science experiments with frozen ones.

christopher_coleman1723d ago

Wait, did ATK actually prove that frozen wings come out crispier than fresh ones every time, or did they just get lucky with a specific method? I've been experimenting with frozen wings myself after hearing that ice crystal theory, and I'm honestly not convinced it's a magic bullet. The issue I keep running into is that frozen wings release a ton of water at the start, which can steam them instead of browning them, so you have to go way longer or hotter to get that crisp finish. But then you risk drying the meat out, and nobody wants dry chicken with a crunchy shell. So like, what's the exact time and temp they used to prevent that soggy phase? Because I'm still getting mixed results at home.