The debate over preheating the air fryer: my sister won't budge on her way

So last Thanksgiving I was at my sister's place in Portland helping her cook, and we got into this whole argument about whether you gotta preheat an air fryer before putting food in. She swears by preheating it for 5 minutes every single time, says it makes the outside crispier and keeps things even. I told her I just toss stuff in cold sometimes and it still comes out fine, especially for frozen fries or chicken strips. She got kinda annoyed and said I was ruining the whole point of the air fryer by skipping that step. I tried her method with some brussel sprouts and yeah, they were crunchier, but honestly the difference wasn't huge to me. Now I'm stuck wondering if I'm missing out on better results or if she's just being extra. What do you guys think, do you preheat your air fryer or just start cooking right away?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleyh8928d ago

Honestly I'm with your sister on this one. Preheating makes a way bigger difference for stuff like fresh veggies or meat where you want that sear. For frozen stuff it's not as important since they're already par-cooked. I just hit preheat before I even start cutting or seasoning so it doesn't feel like a waste of time.

grace_bailey28d ago

Read something just last week from some cooking blog that said the preheat thing really matters for stuff like chicken wings or steak where you want that immediate high heat to lock in moisture. Apparently if you toss them in cold, the food releases moisture too slowly and ends up steaming instead of crisping up. That matches what I've seen with my own air fryer - cold start on frozen fries is fine, but fresh homemade sweet potato fries? Way better with a preheat. Your sister might be onto something, especially for those brussel sprouts.