Using The Air Fryer Is Surely One Way To Make Rice Krispie Treats, We Guess

Many appliances make life in the kitchen easier. A prime example is the air fryer, which can make crispy food in minutes. As their popularity grows, so do the creative recipes and different ways to use them. While many of these recipes and cooking methods are valid, some seem over the top and unnecessary.

There comes a time when every cook should ask themselves, I know that I can make this recipe using a certain appliance, but should I use it? Case in point: making Rice Krispie treats in an air fryer. Sure, it can be done, but why not use the tried-and-true method designed for recipes like that? It seems a tad messy to use anything other than a baking pan.

The first thing to consider is the safety hazard. Air fryers work by circulating hot air around the food to cook it rapidly and produce crispy results. Rice Krispies or Fruity Pebbles, which are being used in the newest TikTok craze,  are small bits of cereal. True, the marshmallows go on top of the cereal, weighing them down, but if any of the cereal breaks loose, they will fly around the air fryer and potentially lodge in the heating element or damage the air fryer.

Read more: 13 Store-Bought Ice Cream Bars Ranked From Worst To Best

Cooking Rice Krispie Treats In An Air Fryer

To make Rice Krispie treats in an air fryer, dump the cereal in and add nearly a whole bag of jumbo marshmallows. Then, add butter. The melted butter toasts the marshmallows, the sweet glue that holds the treats together. Finally, mix the ingredients in the basket and remove to a baking sheet or bowl.

Baking and mixing melted sugar in an air fryer basket creates a sticky mess — and not just in the basket. Small bits of food can and will fall through the slots at the bottom of the basket and land on the heating element. These will burn and smoke, and this is obviously unwanted.

Speaking of the basket, one of the primary rules of air frying is not crowding the basket so the air can properly circulate. That's hard to achieve when you fill it with cereal and marshmallows. While this can technically be done, it seems like this is just one step in the wrong direction for the air fryer craze. Just because something can be done, that doesn't mean that it should be. It's kind of like scrambling eggs on a grill without using a pan.

Read the original article on Mashed.