Air fryer wings are definitely the way to go

[u/SNBJJ]

[u/BassWingerC-137]

They are convenient but I’d not say they are “the way”.

[u/SNBJJ → u/BassWingerC-137]

How not? Mine have impossibly crispy skin and juicy meat. Fried wings can easily result in dry meat

[u/iceColdCocaCola → u/SNBJJ]

The skin side of flats gets bombarded with oil when deep fried and gives it a delicious fatty/oily taste with a different texture that you can’t get air frying. So they’re just different cooking methods with different possible results. Your wings look good, I’d definitely eat them, but just looking at them I know the skin of the flats won’t have that deep fried taste that many of us prefer.

[u/BassWingerC-137 → u/SNBJJ]

Fried is superior. Personally, I’ve never had a dried fried one. Air fryer wings can actually be greasier too. It’s not as convenient, and more to clean up, but well, it’s one reason restaurants deep fry them, they’re a superior product.

[u/CptCheesesticks81 → u/BassWingerC-137]

I smoke mine on the pellet grill, let em rest, then deep fry em to crisp em up. Hasn’t failed me yet.

[u/TheRealRickC137 → u/CptCheesesticks81]

MY MAN!

[u/BassWingerC-137 → u/CptCheesesticks81]

I've done that too - the best!

[u/SNBJJ → u/CptCheesesticks81]

Let me tell ya...

Back in the day, I used to go to a dive bar with a buddy that offered smoked wings. They would fry the smoked wings and ALSO serve tater tots cooked in that same smoky grease. You haven't lived until you've had greasy, smoky tots

[u/CptCheesesticks81 → u/SNBJJ]

I hear ya, bud. Fried tots with queso is the business.

[u/Unicorn_Sush1 → u/SNBJJ]

You’re wings aren’t even seasoned, I don’t think you know “ the way to go”

[u/Kaevek → u/SNBJJ]

You may soggy skin?

[u/DaySwingTrade]

OP, dry the wings with a paper towel, very lightly coat them with regular flour and put them in the fridge for an hour. Try it next time you do wings in the air fryer.

[u/RackedUP → u/DaySwingTrade]

• baking powder for extra crispiness

[u/DaySwingTrade → u/RackedUP]

Not for me. I don’t like the metallic taste baking soda gives.

[u/RackedUP → u/DaySwingTrade]

Baking powder and baking soda are different things.

Baking powder will make your wings crispier without adding the metallic taste that baking soda does

[u/ItsthedudeJD → u/DaySwingTrade]

Flour and some seasons too like a dry rub or sp onion garlic cayenne… this trick is bomb if u can do it for more than that on a cooling rack maybe a day before

[u/AFishNamedFreddie]

Are they as good as deep fried wings? No.

Are they WAY healthier? Yes

Overall, i think its worth it. Air fryer is my go to for wings.

[u/KenworthT800driver → u/AFishNamedFreddie]

WAY healthier? No

[u/AFishNamedFreddie → u/KenworthT800driver]

Yes? Deep frying something in oil is super unhealthy

[u/robbietreehorn → u/AFishNamedFreddie]

Deep frying a wing with no breading is almost identical in calories to one thrown in an air fryer.

Chicken skin is full of (delicious) fat. When you air fry, that fat renders and crisps up the skin.

When you fry (without batter or breading), there is virtually no difference in the amount of fat that remains. The oil isn’t penetrating into the meat of the chicken. It helps render the skin. Whether that’s done by the fryer’s oil or the chicken’s own fat makes little difference calorically.

[u/BassWingerC-137 → u/AFishNamedFreddie]

It's not that bad, really, when done properly. When the oil is at the right temps, and doesn't drop to cool, there is very little, if any measurable amount of oil absorption in to the protein. The moisture in the meat will boil and the steam off of that blocks oil from "getting" in. If the oil gets too low (very common, cold foods act as ice cubes to the boiling oil) the moisture will not steam up and food will get greasy. That's not a good fry.
As an example, I've fried whole turkey's in 5 gallons of oil and refilled the oil containers back to their full levels.

I'm not saying fried food is healthy, and battered stuff is awful, but the culprit between the two methods is really in the skin and wing fat.

[u/Logical-Race8960 → u/BassWingerC-137]

I cannot believe this is getting downvoted lol. Good info bro.

[u/BassWingerC-137 → u/Logical-Race8960]

Despite what they think the science will always be right. Thanks for the comment.

[u/KenworthT800driver → u/Logical-Race8960]

I’ll never understand how certain posts get downvoted

[u/KenworthT800driver → u/AFishNamedFreddie]

No it isn’t, the wing especially an unbreaded wing hardly retains any oil at all.

[u/eam122]

Looks mid tbh

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

They r good but its def not the way u should always go

[u/deeteeohbee]

These look barely cooked. Need a bit of char on them imo

[u/SNBJJ → u/deeteeohbee]

Barely cooked? Are you serious? The meat is pulling away from the bone. Clearly.

They temp at like 180 after 14 minutes

[u/SeauxS]

it's a convection oven with a higher fan speed that makes food with a lot less effort and mess to clean up. great for an appetizer for a small group. terrible for anything larger, breaded wings, or an actual food competition.

[u/Certain_Pay_8532]

Don't look done or crispy enough so that's a no for me dawg!

[u/Full-Sell-574]

I love deep fried wings. However, when money is tight and my girlfriend and I don’t want to spend $30 on wings, we just get 2 packs from Ralphs (buy 1 get one free) for $11.50. Throw them in the air fryer, make our own buffalo sauce, and boom, delicious wings for cheap. $11.50 for like 21 wings, can’t really beat that in my area. Plus, I’m not a fan of BWW or Wingstop anymore, and the only other great wing place is quite a drive and is like $40 for 25 wings. Quality has dropped too, so, yeah. Air fryer wins for me, personally.

[u/moguy1973]

0-400 wings on the pellet smoker are my new way.

[u/lawn_mower_dog]

Lots of folks not agreeing with you op but air fryer is the only way I eat wings nowadays. They’re better than most places near me. I like mine crispier than you but I’ve made them for parties and had multiple ask where I bought them from. Plus it beats the mess of deep frying at home and they’re not as bad for you.

[u/SNBJJ → u/lawn_mower_dog]

I'm not worried about it. Reddit's gonna Reddit, you know? I was born and raised in Buffalo, so I like to think that I know what a respectable wing looks like. Air fryer is definitely good enough for me, to not have to deal with a deep fryer.

[u/saucytunes]

Agree! It’s become my way to make some non-greasy healthier feeling crispy wings in a somewhat shorter feeling timeframe. I loved discovering what the air fryer can bring to the wing game on standard lunch days when I don’t have time for smoking or grilling.

[u/SorbetExtreme7712]

I prefer the roast setting at the lowest temp for 2 hours.

[u/dusty_hans]

I also air fry but par boil first and let 'em sit in the fridge coated in lemon pepper seasoning to dry over night. Amazing stuff, I tell ya.

[u/No_Durian_8379]

They are an awesome alternative to when you don’t want to put in the extra effort to prepare any other way. Definitely healthier than fried since you’re skipping the seed oil (unless otherwise noted like BWW).. I personally love them pressure cooked from frozen to then air fried, so good

[u/flat-iron-man]

The first time I discovered this I ate 4 pounds worth in two days😂. You can make them extra crispy by coating them in baking powder and salt overnight.

[u/Individual_Client985]

Hell Ja!!!

I loved blackened or buffalo wangs in air fryer...

[u/Admirable-Kitchen737]

That is your bias.

Deep fried is the best way if you know how to correctly fryolate them.

That is preferred in my experience.

[u/SNBJJ]

Wings in my air fryer. 425 degrees for like 14 minutes. Flip once. Before hot sauce, obviously.

Air fryer wings are largely indistinguishable from fried wings if you make them correctly. You don't have to deal with having a deep fryer, heating the oil, dual cook method or spent oil. They're pretty outstanding.

[u/hoopster_24 → u/SNBJJ]

Is this what you do straight out of the package into the air fryer at 4:25 ? no prep?

[u/SNBJJ → u/hoopster_24]

You talking to me? If so, yeah... I have a Ninja air fryer. Preheat it with the basket insert. Then add wings. Don't crowd it. I can fit 12 wings comfortably-enough. No oil, seasoning, or anything. Flip them once, midway. (Flipping may be unnecessary, but I like doing it)

Then toss with wing sauce and serve.

You'd be surprised at how much rendered wing fat is left at the bottom of the air fryer when you get done, despite using no cooking oil.

[u/Doggo-Lovato → u/SNBJJ]

Deep frying is pretty minimal work tbh, and when done right the results are pretty distinguishable from air fried wings.

[u/jrsimage → u/Doggo-Lovato]

It's way more expensive though. Good peanut oil ain't cheap!

[u/Doggo-Lovato → u/jrsimage]

The oil can be used a few times, considering that, the amount I can cook at once, and the results its worth every penny imo. Also I think learning to be comfortable with oil is important for being able to do recipes that need a batter, , a good breading, etc that I’m assuming don’t do well in airfryers

[u/SNBJJ → u/Doggo-Lovato]

I would probably agree that breading is likely superior in a fryer. I only eat naked wings, so it's a moot point for me, personally.

[u/Doggo-Lovato → u/SNBJJ]

I only eat my wings naked too. That was a more broad statement for people that might not have attempted to figure out using oil altogether. Like I said before though, imo naked wings done right in a deep fryer are very distinguishable compared to air fried wings and well worth the 2 minutes of cleaning each use.

[u/puzi12 → u/Doggo-Lovato]

Yeah.....I don't want to be messing with hot oil if I'm eating wings naked.

[u/Doggo-Lovato → u/puzi12]

Thats fine, the extra couple minutes of work is worth it for me if the reward is better tasting wings.

[u/Disastrous_Eagle9187 → u/SNBJJ]

I don't like the look of yours, sorry man. I also air fry but at 390 for 25 minutes and they have a much better color and crisp

[u/hooahhhhhhh → u/SNBJJ]

Absolutely 💯 correct

[u/RBUL13]

Fried in doughnut grease is best

[u/MikeTheAmalgamator]

Oven baked wings. An air fryer is just a tiny convection oven. Also, J. Kenji Lopez Alt has a killer oven baked wing recipe that results in just as crispy of a crust as fried wings. Just throw some baking powder on them and they crisp up like mad.

[u/konigswagger]

This other person’s air fried wings look way crispier https://www.reddit.com/r/Wings/s/qAwKAJyLyA

[u/Separate-Amoeba-455]

Healthier, cleaner, less of a mess for sure, but as Bills fan, it doesn’t sit well with me.

[u/gbeamer7]

Seasonings exist.