The day I stopped preheating my air fryer was a game changer for weeknight dinners

Been using an air fryer for about 2 years now, mostly for frozen stuff and reheating leftovers. Last Tuesday I was in a rush to get dinner going before my shift, so I tossed some chicken thighs in without waiting for the preheat beep. They came out better than they ever have, crispy skin and all. Turns out the preheat cycle was just drying out the outside before the inside got going. I read the manual online afterwards and it says preheating is optional for most models. Has anyone else skipped it and noticed a difference, or was it just a fluke with my model?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_lee481d ago

Dang, that makes total sense when you think about it! I did the same thing last week with some frozen fries, just dumped them in cold because I forgot to press the button, and they came out way crunchier with zero sogginess. I think the preheat is just wasting time and energy for most of us, especially if you're doing smaller batches or stuff that doesn't need that initial blast. Once I started skipping it, my chicken and even fish fillets got that perfect texture without the outside burning before the middle cooks through.

brookeellis1d ago

Exactly what @wendy_lee48 said, the cold start trick honestly changed my whole air fryer game too.