I was preheating my air fryer wrong for months

I always preheated mine empty for the full 5 minutes like the manual said. Then last Tuesday I was making chicken thighs and forgot to preheat at all because I got distracted. They came out way juicier and crispier than normal. Now I only preheat for like 2 minutes max or skip it entirely for meat. Anyone else ditch the long preheat times?

2 comments

2 Comments

pat_park1mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal either way? I preheat mine for about 3 minutes most of the time, sometimes I forget and it's still fine. The chicken comes out crispy either way, maybe just slightly slower if I skip it. I think a lot of this stuff gets overblown online.

elizabeth4381mo ago

Tbh, that 3 minute preheat time is probably not enough to get the oil evenly hot. I tried skipping it once and ended up with a noticeably greasier coating, not really crispy.