Read that air fryer preheating is a total myth for most foods...

Found a test on Serious Eats that showed a 3 minute preheat barely changed cook times for frozen chicken tenders, so I skipped it last night and dinner was done 4 minutes faster with zero difference in crispiness, has anyone else noticed the same thing with their own recipes?

2 comments

2 Comments

evanfox10h ago

My buddy Dave was all about preheating his air fryer for months until he forgot one time when his kid was screaming. He just threw in some frozen potato wedges straight from the bag, no preheat nothing. He said they came out exactly the same as always, maybe even a little less dry on the edges. Now he just tosses everything in cold and shaves off that extra time. The only thing he still preheats for is frozen pizza because he swears the crust gets soggy otherwise.

lisa8398h ago

Right there with you on the frozen tenders test, I stopped preheating for most stuff too. Your buddy's experience with the potato wedges matches mine exactly, they come out way less dry on the edges which is a bonus I didn't expect. Still do the quick preheat for frozen pizza though, that soggy crust thing is real and I've ruined a couple pies learning that lesson the hard way.