Preheating or no preheating - which side are you on?

I used to never preheat my air fryer. Just threw food in and pressed start. Then I tried preheating for 5 minutes before putting chicken wings in. The texture was way crispier. But my friend says preheating is a waste of time and electricity. She claims the food cooks fine either way. I timed it - preheating added 5 minutes to my total cook time of 15 minutes for frozen fries. Does preheating actually make a real difference or is it just one of those kitchen myths?

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3 Comments

lucasw842mo ago

Got a buddy who NEVER preheated his air fryer for like two years. One day he threw in some store bought empanadas cold and they came out with a soggy bottom, kind of doughy. He was PISSED. Then his girlfriend preheated it one time without telling him and those same empanadas came out golden and flaky all over. He couldn't shut up about it for a week, telling everyone how it changed his whole air frying game. Now he preheats EVERYTHING even if it's just leftover pizza.

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gavin_kim2mo ago

Your buddy is basically a cautionary tale for the rest of us, you know? Two years of soggy bottoms and he never once thought to just hit the preheat button (which is literally right there on the front, presumably). That girlfriend is a hero, probably saved his relationship with frozen food and maybe with her too. Now he's out there preheating for cold pizza like some kind of air frying evangelist. Bet he tells the cashier at the grocery store about it too.

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fiona_hunt712mo ago

My neighbor never preheated either till his sister showed him the light with frozen egg rolls.

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