Hot take: preheating the air fryer is a waste of time for most foods

My buddy Mark told me last week that he never preheats his air fryer and his fries come out just as crispy, now I'm wondering if I've been wasting 5 minutes every time for nothing, what do you all think - is preheating actually needed or just a habit?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucasking4d ago

Man do I have to preheat now? I was a diehard preheater for like two years. Felt like it was just the right way to do it. Then my roommate started throwing frozen chicken fingers in cold and they came out perfect. Now I just toss stuff in right away and honestly haven't noticed a difference with fries, nuggets, even battered fish. The only thing I still preheat for is something like a steak or a thick piece of meat where you want that immediate sear. But for frozen stuff? Waste of time.

sandragonzalez3d ago

honestly tho why does this even matter that much? like you're eating frozen chicken fingers not cooking a michelin star meal. i never preheat and my food still comes out crispy enough for me.