Friend told me I was ruining my chicken thighs by not preheating

I used to just toss frozen thighs in my air fryer and hit start, no preheat. My buddy saw me do it and said I was basically steaming the skin instead of crisping it. He was right, the texture was always off. I started preheating for 5 minutes at 400 and now the skin actually gets that golden crunch. Anybody else skip preheat without realizing what they were missing?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyp371mo ago

Huh, I always thought preheating was just an extra step for impatient people. Guess I owe my chicken thighs an apology now.

gracec161mo ago

Read this and honestly thought the same thing for years. Never realized how much that initial heat matters, just figured my oven was lying about being ready.

marywilson1mo ago

Wait, you mean I've been skipping the preheat and wondering why my chicken comes out like rubber for years? @lilyp37 you just saved me from another sad dinner, seriously. Guess I owe my oven an apology too for always blaming it.