How Long Do You Need to Air Fry Steak Tips? (The Definitive Answer!)
Steak tips are a popular dinner choice and have been for years. However, cooking steak in the oven without oil can leave you with tough meat that is dry. A quick fix to this problem is using an air fryer!
Air-frying will give your steak all of its flavor but won’t make it greasy at the same time!
How long do you air fry steak tips?
The best way to air fry steak tips is to leave them in there for 6 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-rare or 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-cooked. Don’t forget to toss your steak tips midway into cooking time in order to make sure the hot air evenly cooks all the sides of the tips. It’s also important to let your steak tips rest for 8 minutes before diving in.
How to cook the steak tips using an air fryer
Cooking steak tips in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to get them done. However, it is important to follow some basic guidelines in order to ensure that they come out properly cooked.
- One such guideline is to not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Doing so will result in the steak tips being undercooked.
- It is important to cut the meat into equal pieces before cooking so that all steak tips are cooked at the same time. This will avoid having some tips overcooked while the others are still undercooked.
- Air frying is a healthy cooking technique that does not require the use of cooking spray. Thanks to the wonders of the air fryer, the steak tips do not stick to the basket and cook evenly.
- You can cook steak tips in an air fryer oven by placing them on either the bottom or top rack, depending on your air fryer type.
- Make sure to preheat your air fryer oven before adding the steak tips.
How to air fry at different cooks of steak
Below is a list of all the different cooks of steak and how to prepare them. Keep in mind that for each one of these methods, you have to flip or shake your steak tips midway through the cooking process to distribute the hot air and help cook them evenly.
| Cook Type | Degrees Fahrenheit Setting | Minutes in the air fryer | Recommended internal temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 400 | 5 – 7 | 125 |
| Medium rare | 400 | 6 – 8 | 135 |
| Medium | 400 | 8 – 10 | 145 |
| Medium well | 400 | 10 – 14 | 150 |
| Well done | 400 | 14 – 16 | 160 |
Air fry steak tips to rare
If you want your steak tips rare, you can air fry them at 400 ° Fahrenheit for 5 to 7 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air fry steak tips to medium rare
To get them to medium rare, you can air fry your steak tips at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 to 8 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air fry steak tips to medium
If you prefer your steaks medium, then it’s best to air fry your steak tips at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes. Your steak tips should have an internal temperature of 145° Fahrenheit.
Air fry steak tips to medium well
If you enjoy your steak tips medium well, then you should cook them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 14 minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air fry steak tips until well done
If you are the kind of person who enjoys his or her steaks well done, then I recommend cooking them in an air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 to 16 minutes. You’ll likely get an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what’s recommended at this stage.
How to tell when your steak tips are done
There are a few ways that you can check the doneness of your steak tips without a thermometer if you do not have one.
Holding your hand flat and relaxed, press just below your thumb on the soft and fleshy part of your hand. This is what a raw steak feels like. It is going to be very soft, it is going to have a great deal of give, and it is going to feel loose.
If you touch your first finger and thumb and feel the same part, it should be slightly firmer. This is a rare steak.
Apply a bit more pressure, pushing your thumb and middle finger together. This is what a medium-rare steak feels like.
Pushing your thumb and ring finger together mimics the feel of a medium steak.
Lastly, pressing your thumb and first finger together will mimic the feeling of a well-done steak.
If you prefer to use a thermometer, rare is 125 degrees, 135 degrees is medium rare, 145 degrees is medium, medium well is 150, and well is 160.
Should you add cooking oil to your steak tips in the air fryer?
When cooking with an air fryer, it is not necessary to add a ton of oil to keep the meat from sticking or to help it cook. More often, it is easier to use the oil to help the marinade or spice rub that you are making stick to the meat so that it cooks along with the meat. You can add either spray oil or a very small amount of something like olive oil for flavor, but it is not necessarily needed to keep the meat from sticking or anything else.
How long should you marinate steak tips?
Since steak is a very densely packed meat that is mainly muscle, this means that it might be harder for the marinade to make its way into the meat. The longer you marinade, the better it is going to taste and the more flavorful your meat is going to be when you start to cook it.
The best way to marinade steak tips is to add your marinade to a zip-loc bag or another bag that does have some movement to it. You then need to add your marinade and meat and lay it flat in the fridge so that the marinade touches all of the meat. You can leave it for as little as 15 minutes if you want a very mild flavor, or you can leave it for up to 2 hours for more flavor.
If the goal is to tenderize the meat, you should leave it for at least 6 hours, but no longer than 24 hours, so that the marinade has a chance to break down some of the connective tissue.
What is the best cut of steak for steak tips?
Steak tips often come from sirloin, as this is a very even cut of meat that is going to be relatively uniform in shape and thickness. This gives a very uniform steak tip. Also, the sirloin is a very tender cut of meat that is going to be easy to cook and easy to eat.
Why are my steak tips tough to chew on?
There are a few different reasons why your steak tips might be tougher than you want them to be.
With steak, the way that you cook the steak is just as important as the cut of meat that you are cooking. You need to consider what the cut of meat is, how much connective tissue there is in the meat that you are cooking, and then adjust your cooking method and the overall way that you are marinating the meat as well.
How to tenderize beef tips in an air fryer?
In order to get a very tender steak tip by using the air fryer, you want to make sure you are giving your tips enough time to marinade. You can have the best marinade in the world, but if your steak tips do not have enough time to sit in that marinade, they are not going to have enough time to get tender.
You want to give the marinade and the acids in that marinade enough time to break down the connective tissue of the meat. It is the connective tissue that makes the meat tough, you want that to break down by marinating and by apply enough heat as well to help break them down.
Tips on how to cook the best steak tips in the air fryer
To cook the best steak tips in your air fryer, you should marinate your steak for at least a couple of hours so that the flavor has a chance to get into the meat.
You can tenderize with a meat mallet before hand if you feel that the cut of steak needs it. Depending on how well you want your steak done, take the time to adjust your cook time and heat to that preferred doneness.
For those that are looking for a rare steak, cook it on a higher heat for a shorter time and adjust that time and heat setting based on your preference. For a rare steak, cook for about 4 to 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. For a more well-done steak, add a minute or two to the overall cook time.
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