I finally agreed with my sister about preheating the air fryer

My sister kept telling me to preheat my air fryer for 5 minutes before putting food in, but I always thought it was a waste of time. I figured the fan would heat things up fast enough anyway. Last week I tried making frozen chicken tenders and they came out soggy on one side. She watched me do it and said 'see, that's why you preheat.' So I gave in and tried it her way the next day. I set it to 400 for 5 minutes empty, then put the tenders in for 12 minutes. They came out perfectly crispy all over, no cold spots at all. I honestly thought preheating was just for ovens but now I do it every time. Has anyone else been stubborn about this and changed their mind?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_knight1mo ago

Dude, I feel this so hard. I was the exact same way with my oven for years, never preheating anything because I thought it was just a waste of time and energy (and electricity is expensive here, you know?). Then I tried making frozen fries one night and they came out half burnt, half raw on the same tray like a science experiment gone wrong. My buddy finally told me to just try preheating for 5 minutes next time and I felt like such a fool when they actually came out perfect. It's like the universe punishes you for being stubborn about little kitchen rules like that. Now I just accept that some things in life are worth waiting an extra 5 minutes for.

simonl861mo agoMost Upvoted

Hang on, did you ever figure out if the preheat thing actually saves power in the long run or is it still a wash? I keep wondering that myself because I hate running the oven empty for like 15 minutes. I mean, I get that the food cooks better and more evenly so you're not wasting that energy on a half bad batch, but it still feels like I'm just burning electricity for nothing while I stand there waiting.