I stopped preheating my air fryer and got better results

Everyone online seems to swear by preheating for 3-5 minutes before adding food. I did that for months with frozen chicken tenders and they always came out a bit dry on the outside. Last week I tried putting them straight in cold and just added 2 extra minutes to the cook time. The outside was way crispier and the inside stayed juicy. I'm wondering if anyone else has experimented with skipping the preheat step or if this only works for frozen stuff.

3 comments

3 Comments

emmam891mo ago

Air fryers aren't that complicated. You're just cooking frozen food, not running a lab experiment.

viola_lopez301mo agoTop Commenter

So you say air fryers aren't complicated, but what about all those people who keep burning their chicken or making soggy fries because they don't preheat? I mean, if it's just frozen food, why does EVERY recipe online tell you to shake the basket halfway through or adjust the temperature for different brands of nuggets? What's YOUR secret for getting that perfect crispy texture every time without following a three-step guide?

nathan1001mo ago

Set a timer halfway and give the basket one quick shake, that's it.