Just tried preheating my air fryer for chicken thighs and wow what a difference

I always just tossed stuff in cold and hit start. Last night I finally let it run empty at 375 for 5 minutes before adding the chicken. The skin came out way crispier and it cooked faster too like 4 minutes less than normal. I seasoned them with just salt pepper and garlic powder nothing fancy. They were still juicy inside but the outside had that crunch I usually only get from deep frying. Has anyone else tried preheating for specific things like veggies or frozen stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

harris.aaron2h ago

Preheating an air fryer? That's wild to me. I toss everything in cold and just add a couple minutes, never had a problem with crunch on chicken thighs. Might have to try it for frozen fries though, those always come out soggy on one side for me.

leo_lopez33m ago

Preheating is definitely the move for frozen stuff, you gotta get that initial blast of heat to crisp them up fast. Cold start works fine for fresh food with enough fat, but frozen fries need that head start to not steam themselves.