Heard a tip to preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes before adding food

I was watching a cooking video and the chef said preheating helps get that crispy outside faster. Has anyone else tried this and noticed a difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_murray24d ago

Skip the preheat. I've tried it both ways and honestly it adds like 2-3 minutes of cook time for maybe a slightly better crust on stuff like frozen fries. But for things like chicken or fish, it doesn't change much. Just toss it in cold and add a minute or two to the timer if you want it extra crispy.

angela_harris24d ago

Oh man, totally agree with you! I was the same way, thought preheating was a waste of time until I accidentally forgot to preheat one day and my fries came out way soggier than usual. For me, it makes a big difference on things like frozen onion rings or those pre-breaded chicken tenders from the store. I just pop it on for 5 minutes while I'm seasoning the food, and I feel like the crust sets way faster so the inside stays juicy. Your mileage may vary of course, but I've been a preheater for like two years now and haven't looked back. It's one of those small steps that just makes the air fryer work better in my experience.

ruby_jones24d ago

And that's exactly it, @tessa_murray, I think it depends a lot on what you're cooking. Like, for chicken or fish, yeah, I could see skipping it because they're so wet and need that moisture anyway. But for the breaded stuff, especially frozen onion rings or those little fish sticks, that preheat makes a big difference in how the coating sets. I've found even two minutes helps, and since I'm usually grabbing stuff from the freezer anyway, it doesn't really feel like wasted time. It's more of a habit now, like how I always let my pan heat up before putting oil in it for cooking.