Pro tip: Preheating the air fryer basket actually matters

I spent 6 months wondering why my chicken thighs came out uneven every single time. The outside would be crispy but the inside still had that rubbery texture. Finally tried preheating the empty basket for 3 minutes at 375 degrees before adding the food. It made a huge difference on the second batch. Now I just set a timer on my phone before I start prepping. Has anyone else noticed this makes a bigger difference than changing the cooking temp?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosejackson3d ago

My first attempt at preheating the basket I accidentally set it to 500 degrees for 10 minutes and nearly melted the handle off the thing. Took me three tries to realize I was supposed to do 375 for just a couple minutes instead of trying to "really get it hot." Got it right on attempt number four though and now I can't go back to cold starts at all.

caseyc304d ago

Honestly, my friend Sarah had the exact same problem with her chicken tenders. She went through like two whole bags of frozen tenders before she figured it out. They were always soggy on one side and burnt on the other. She finally tried preheating the basket after watching some random TikTok video. Now she swears by it and even preheats for veggies too. Said it fixed her meal game completely.

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