Why does nobody talk about preheating the air fryer for 5 minutes before adding food

I burned the first three batches of chicken wings because I threw them straight into a cold basket, then a friend at a BBQ last week casually mentioned it, and now I'm wondering what else I've been messing up without knowing.

3 comments

3 Comments

jackson.max11h ago

Preheating for 5 minutes" is overkill, 2 minutes is plenty.

the_felix11h ago

Honestly I used to be on the "let it preheat for 10 minutes" side of things, but @jackson.max might have me rethinking that. I tried a 2 minute warmup on my cast iron pan the other day and my eggs came out just as good as when I let it sit for 5. But I still do a full preheat for my stainless steel skillet when I sear steaks because that needs the heat to really sink in. So I think it depends on what you're cooking and what pan you're using.

faithpatel3h ago

That "2 minutes is plenty" thing worked for my buddy too but I tried it and my fries came out all soggy. I guess different air fryers run hot or cold, like my old car that always took forever to warm up in winter no matter what anyone said.