Appreciation post: I used to toss wings straight from the fridge into the old oven

For years I just threw frozen chicken wings in my regular oven and hoped they'd crisp up, but they always came out sad and soggy. After I bought a $40 air fryer on clearance last spring I started patting them dry and tossing them in a little cornstarch before cooking, and now they come out crunchy every time. Has anyone else found a simple change like that that made a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

umaprice1mo ago

Oh man, isn't it funny how we suffer through bad results for years before finding one tiny tweak that changes everything? It's like a metaphor for half the stuff in life, we just accept the mediocre until somebody shows us there's a better way.

jessicaw111mo ago

Air fryers are a total game changer for wings, no doubt about it. @umaprice nailed it with that metaphor - we really do put up with mediocre for way too long. The cornstarch trick is solid, but I'd also say try adding a little baking powder to your dry rub next time. It reacts with the skin to get that extra bubbly crunch, especially if you let them sit in the fridge uncovered for an hour first. That combo of cornstarch and baking powder is basically cheat code status for crispy wings.