Cornish Pasty

Reheating a Frozen Cornish Pasty in a Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer

Reheating a frozen Cornish pasty in an air fryer basket. The hot circulating air ensures a crispy pastry while warming the filling. A Ninja Dual Zone air fryer is an excellent tool to reheat a fully-cooked frozen Cornish pasty straight from the freezer – it can make the crust crispy (not soggy like a microwave) and heat the filling thoroughly in less time than a conventional oven. Follow the steps below to reheat your medium-sized steak pasty (originally from Looe, Cornwall) to perfection, without defrosting first.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the Air Fryer (Optional but Recommended): Preheat your Ninja air fryer to around 175°C (350°F) for 2–3 minutes. While some sources note that modern air fryers don’t always require preheating, doing so helps the pastry start crisping immediately once the pasty is inserted. (If your model has a preheat cycle, use that; otherwise just run it empty at 175°C for a couple of minutes.)

2. Place the Frozen Pasty in the Basket: Take the pasty out of any packaging (no need to thaw it at all). Place it in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ideally with a little space around it for air circulation (do not crowd the basket). For best results, place the pasty upside-down to start – this way the bottom crust (usually the softest part) gets exposed to the hot air first, ensuring it crisps up nicely. (You will flip it later.) There’s no need to add oil or egg wash – a Cornish pasty’s buttery pastry will crisp on its own.

3. Air-Fry at 175°C: Set the air fryer to 175°C (350°F) and cook the pasty for about 18–20 minutes total. This temperature and time are a good starting point for a medium-sized frozen pasty, allowing the filling to heat through while the crust becomes golden. If your Ninja air fryer model only has a 180°C setting, that’s fine – use 180°C and expect the time to be on the lower end (around 15–18 minutes). Keep in mind that air fryer pasty times can vary a bit by size and brand, so the 18–20 minutes is a general guideline.

4. Flip Halfway Through: At about the midway point (around 9–10 minutes into cooking), pause the air fryer and carefully flip the pasty over. (If you started upside-down, this will bring the pasty right-side up for the remainder of the cook.) Flipping is important in a basket-style air fryer to ensure even heating and crispiness on both sides – otherwise the top could brown while the bottom stays soft. Use tongs or a spatula to avoid breaking the pastry when flipping. Resume air frying for the remaining time.

5. Check for Doneness: After the full cook time (≈18–20 minutes), check that the pasty is hot and ready. The crust should be crispy and golden-brown, and the filling should be piping hot. The best way to be sure is to check the internal temperature with a food thermometer – it should reach at least 75°C (165°F) in the center. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut into the thickest part of the pasty and ensure it’s steaming hot in the middle (no cold spots). If the center is not hot enough yet, simply slide the basket back in and air fry a few minutes longer until it is fully heated through. (Every pasty varies a bit in thickness and filling, so sometimes a couple extra minutes are needed.)

6. Rest Briefly and Serve: Once heated, take the pasty out of the air fryer and let it rest for 1–2 minutes before digging in. This brief rest allows the heat to distribute evenly and prevents you from burning your mouth on the very hot filling. The crust will remain nicely crisp. After a minute or two, your Cornish pasty is ready to enjoy – the exterior should be flaky and crisp, and the interior warm and savory.

Tips for Best Results

• Crispiness Without Dryness: The air fryer’s hot convection will restore a pasty’s crisp crust. There’s no need to spray oil or butter on the pasty – authentic Cornish pastry is rich enough to crisp up on its own due to the butter in the dough. To avoid drying it out, do not overcook the pasty. If you cook it for too long or at too high a temperature, the crust can turn rock-hard or start to burn. Keep an eye on it and consider checking at the 10-minute mark (especially for smaller pasties) to gauge how quickly it’s browning. The goal is a golden crust, not a dark brown burn. If you see it browning very fast, you can slightly lower the temperature to finish heating through. (Likewise, if the pasty is browning unevenly due to hot spots, you already flipped it – but you can also rotate the basket if needed.)

• Adjust for Size and Model: Medium pasties should be nicely hot in ~18–20 minutes at 175°C, but different sizes or air fryer models may require tweaks. If your pasty is smaller or has a lighter filling, start checking for doneness around 15 minutes in, as it might heat through faster. If it’s a large or extra-thick pasty, it could need a few extra minutes beyond 20 – just keep cooking until the center hits the safe temperature. Ninja Dual Zone air fryers are powerful, so they should handle a standard Cornish pasty in the recommended time. Always use the visual and temperature cues: a bubbling hot filling and a crispy crust are indicators it’s done. If ever in doubt, extend the time in short increments rather than a long additional blast to avoid overdoing it.

• Ensure Piping Hot Filling: Always aim for a piping hot center (≈75°C) for food safety and best taste. If after the initial cooking time the pasty’s center is still lukewarm or cold, you have a couple of options: continue air frying for another 3–5 minutes and check again, or (if you’re concerned about the crust getting too dark) you can cut the pasty in half and lay the pieces cut-side-up to heat the interior more directly. Cutting it will expose the filling and warm it faster, though it may slightly compromise the pastry’s full intact juiciness. In most cases, a few extra minutes in the air fryer (with flipping back if needed) will do the trick without cutting the pasty open.

• Avoid Soggy Results: One big advantage of reheating in an air fryer is avoiding the sogginess that a microwave would cause. The dry circulating heat re-crisps the pastry. Just be sure not to cover the pasty tightly or trap moisture. Do not wrap the pasty in a paper towel (like one might in a microwave) – in the air fryer it should be exposed to the air. If you ever need to prevent over-browning on a very long reheat, you can loosely tent the top of the pasty with foil for part of the time (a trick more useful in oven reheating), but generally this isn’t necessary for the ~20 minute air fryer method. (If you do use foil, make sure it’s secured and not flying around, and remove it toward the end so the crust can crisp up.)

• Multiple Pasties: If you want to reheat two pasties at once in the Ninja Dual Zone (one in each drawer, or two in one basket if they fit), make sure they have space and aren’t touching. Air fryers work best when air can circulate all around the food. It’s often a good idea to put one pasty per basket in the Dual Zone for optimal airflow. Use the “match cook” or sync feature if you have two baskets going, so both pasties cook under the same settings and finish together. Remember to flip each pasty halfway for even results on both top and bottom. Don’t stack pasties on top of each other, as that will prevent proper heating and crisping.

• Optional Finishing Touches: For an extra-glossy, golden crust, you can brush a little milk or beaten egg on the top of the frozen pasty before air frying. This can enhance color and shine, especially if the pasty wasn’t pre-glazed. (Many store-bought Cornish pasties are already glazed from the initial bake, so this step is purely optional.) Keep an eye on it if you add an egg wash – the added protein can brown faster. As long as you don’t overcook, it will come out beautifully golden. Another tip: some pasty enthusiasts swear by starting with a lower temperature and then increasing it – for example, you could do the first 10 minutes at ~160°C then raise to 180°C for the remaining time. This isn’t strictly necessary in an air fryer (which heats quickly and crisps well at 175°C), but it’s an approach you might experiment with for very large pasties to ensure the middle warms without the crust over-browning. In fact, one method reported was 160°C for about 40 minutes for a frozen pasty – this certainly heats it through with a tender crust, but it takes much longer. The recommended 175–180°C for ~20 minutes method should be sufficient for most cases and yields a great balance of a hot filling and a crispy exterior.

• Serving and Enjoying: Once your pasty is reheated, consider serving it with a little garnish or sauce if you like. In Cornwall, many enjoy a pasty just on its own, but you could have it with some HP sauce, ketchup, or gravy on the side. The crust should be satisfyingly crisp and the steak-and-vegetable filling nice and moist. Finally, avoid reheating the same pasty more than once – it’s best enjoyed right after this reheating. Repeated reheating and cooling will dry out the pastry and filling, so only heat up the portion you plan to eat.

By following these steps, your frozen Cornish pasty should come out of the Ninja Dual Zone air fryer with a crispy, flaky crust and a piping-hot savory interior – almost as good as freshly baked. Enjoy your pasty, and kerrek lo! (Cornish for “good eating”)!

Sources: Proper pasty reheating techniques and timing confirmed by Cornish pasty experts and air fryer enthusiasts, as well as user experiences with Ninja air fryers for perfectly crispy results.