Air fryers have earned their spot on the family kitchen counter. They’re quick, they use far less oil than deep frying, and they can turn a tray of frozen nuggets into something genuinely crispy in minutes. But if your fries keep coming out limp, your chicken looks done outside while the middle is still pink, or the basket has turned into a sticky mess, the machine usually isn’t to blame. A handful of everyday habits are. The good news is that each one has a simple fix, and once you understand why it works, you’ll stop making the same mistake twice.