My frozen dumplings came out crispy without any oil spray

I tossed a bag of those cheap pork and chive dumplings in at 380 for 12 minutes, no oil, and they got that golden crunch I usually only get from a deep fryer. Did I just stumble onto a trick or do I need to flip them halfway for even browning?

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jessica_robinson231mo ago

and honestly that air fryer magic is real, I've had the same thing happen with my frozen gyoza. The key is that you're getting that crunch because the hot air is hitting the dumplings directly and pulling the moisture out super fast, it's basically like a mini convection oven on steroids. If you flip them halfway, you'll get that same crunch on both sides instead of just the bottom, but honestly for the cheap ones I don't even bother unless I want them extra crispy. What I've noticed is that the type of wrapper makes a huge difference too, the thinner those wrappers are, the more they crisp up without needing oil, it's like they're already pre-fried the way they're made. So no, you're not just lucky, you stumbled onto the exact reason everyone keeps buying air fryers instead of using their regular ovens, it's just way better at this specific thing. Just don't overdo it though, twelve minutes is pretty much the sweet spot, if you leave them in any longer they'll go from golden to burnt in like thirty seconds.

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