Do You Need to Preheat Your Air Fryer?

What is an air fryer?

First off let’s talk about what an air fryer is.

It is very similar to a convection oven on a very small scale that can also sit on your counter.

However, unlike a convection oven, normally you do not need to preheat an air fryer, which allows you to cut down on the cooking time of a meal, without compromising the dish itself.

An air fryer can also help simulate the outcome of food that you would typically want to deep fry in oil. Without using a bunch of oil to fry your food, you can considerably cut down the fat content of a meal.

Do You Need to Preheat the Air Fryer?

So to answer the question: Do you need to preheat your air fryer; I did a straightforward test on my YouTube channel, watch it and you can check to see exactly how it went when I tested it out, whether or not you do in fact need to preheat your air fryer.

I simply compared the results of using a preheated air fryer vs. cold air fryer to see what the outcome was for each dish.

Tools Used for These Tests:

1. Air Fryer
2. Instant Read Thermometer
3. Tongs

You can find even more of my favorite tools I use at AirFryerTools.com!

The First Test: Frozen Tater Tots

I put around the same amount of frozen tater tots in the air fryers and cooked them at 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C at 15 minutes.

Cold Air Fryer

Halfway through the cooking time of the tater tots I shook the basket and they seemed to be coming along nicely.

At the end of the cooking time, the tater tots looked well all nicely cooked, crispy, and had a nice golden brown color.

Preheated Air Fryer

I began by preheating the air fryer at 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C for 5 minutes.

The same as above, halfway through the cooking time of the frozen tater tots I shook the basket to make sure that they would all get evenly cooked.

Then at the end of the 15 minutes, I remove the tater tots from the air fryer and again the tots were nicely cooked, had a good crisp to them, and were wonderfully golden brown.

Tater Tot Test Conclusion

While both the cold air fryer and preheated air fryer seemed to have produced a nice crispy, well-colored tot, the only difference really was the fact that I took the time to preheat the air fryer.

Therefore you can save your 5 minutes, skip the preheating, and get cooking right away!

The Second Test: Chicken

Both of the chicken breasts used for this test were generally around 11oz weight and both were cooked at 380 degrees F or 193 degrees C.

Cold Air Fryer

I started the chicken out in the cold air fryer and after about 6-7 minutes I checked the chicken and it was a little under halfway to the safe internal temperature for chicken.

After about 18 minutes the chicken was nicely browned on the outside and was within 5 degrees of the internal temperature needed.

After letting the chicken rest in the hot air fryer for another 5 minutes the chicken was at least 165 degrees F or 74 degrees C.

Preheated Air Fryer

I preheated the air fryer at 380 degrees F or 193 degrees C for 5 minutes.

Checking the chicken again after about 7 minutes, the temperature was only at around 75-80 degrees F or 24-27 degrees C.

After letting the chicken cook for another 10-12 minutes or so the chicken was within about 5 degrees of the ideal temperature for chicken and had good color on the outside of the chicken.

I let the chicken rest in the air fryer hot for another 5 minutes, and just like before the chicken was temping at 165 degrees F or 74 degrees C.

The Chicken Test Conclusion

Besides the cooking time for the chicken being within about 2-3 minutes of each other, it did not seem super beneficial to preheat the air fryer ahead of time.

Doing both methods, I was able to produce a delicious chicken breast, with a nice crisp outside and a juicy center.

So, I would say you can even skip preheating the air fryer for chicken too!

Is There an Exception Where You Should Preheat the Air Fryer?

Overall, whether you want to preheat the air fryer is totally up to personal preference. Either way, your food will cook through (as long as you give it the proper amount of time to cook) and it will taste delicious.

However, I would say the one exception I would have where I find it beneficial to preheat the air fryer is when I am cooking steak.

It is always great to get a good sear on the outside of the meat to lock in the flavor of the steak.

Cathy’s Conclusion to the Question: Do You Need to Preheat Your Air Fryer?

Based on the test done, I would not say it is essential to preheat the air fryer most of the time. So, save yourself the extra 5 minutes, and just pop the food in and get started cooking.

Have you tested this out at home? What were your conclusions? Share with us in the comments below!

Great and Easy Recipes You Can Make in the Air Fryer:

• The Easiest 5 Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken Dinner

• Meatloaf Dinner for 1

• The Quick and Easy Guide to Air Fryer Roast Beef Dinner

• Simple Cowboy Casserole Dinner in the Air Fryer

• Teriyaki Meatballs

• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Make Perfect Chicken Street Tacos!

• Crispy and Delicious Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan- Ready in 20 minutes!
• Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken Dinner Recipe 

If you are new to the Air Fryer, make sure you check out all these hand Air fryer tips and tricks

• Air Fryer 101
• Learn these common Air Fryer Mistakes!
• All about the Best and Worst Air Fryer Accessories
• How to Clean Your Air Fryer
• How to Cook Any Recipe in the Air Fryer
• FREE Download → Air Fryer Tips & Temps
• Air Fryer Buying Guide
• Watch Fabulessly Frugal YouTube Channel for Air Fryer Recipes