My neighbor claims preheating the air fryer is a waste of electricity

So I was talking to my neighbor Carol last week while we were both getting our mail. She said she never preheats her air fryer and thinks anyone who does is just wasting power for no reason. She argued that the food comes out the same and you just add a couple minutes to the cook time. But I've always preheated mine for 3 to 5 minutes because I feel like it gets a better crust on things like chicken wings or frozen fries. I tested her method with a batch of breaded fish fillets and honestly they came out a little less crispy on the outside. Now I'm wondering if I'm just used to preheating or if there's a real difference. Has anyone else tried both ways and noticed a clear winner?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas2752d ago

Tell Carol I'll trade her my preheating "waste" for her dry wings. I'll take the extra few cents on my bill.

laura_black312d ago

People keep acting like preheating is just about the oven being ready. But think about the batter itself. Cold batter hitting a cold oven means the edges cook way slower and you get a denser texture. Plus that rise you want? It comes from the initial heat blast. Cold oven startup drags that out and your cake flattens. So yeah Carol can have her dry wings, I'll keep my properly structured crumb. Nobody ever talks about how the food chemistry actually works.