The moment I realized I was preheating my air fryer all wrong

So I've had my air fryer for about two years now and always just hit the preheat button and waited for it to beep. Last Tuesday I was making some frozen chicken strips and tossed them in right after the beep. They came out kind of dry on the outside but still cold in the middle. My neighbor Brenda stopped by and saw me doing it and laughed. She told me the preheat beep just means it's reached temp inside but you gotta let it sit another 2-3 minutes for the basket and everything to actually heat up evenly. I tried it the next day and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a similar moment where you realized a basic step was the problem the whole time?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_hall9d ago

Wait, Brenda the neighbor just happened to be in your kitchen watching you cook chicken strips?

kimmurphy9d ago

Are you sure it's not just your specific air fryer though? I've had mine for three years and I never wait after the beep and my frozen food comes out perfectly crispy every single time. Maybe you just need to shake the basket halfway through instead of blaming the preheat.