How To Preheat Air Fryer

An Air Fryer makes it incredibly easy to cook up healthier versions of all your favorite fried foods. This helpful air fryer guide shows you how to preheat air fryer, explains why you should do it (and when you shouldn’t), and includes handy tips, timings, and more!

Do you love cooking with your air fryer, but aren’t sure how to preheat air fryer? Or if you actually need to?

This helpful guide not only shows you how to preheat air fryer, it explains why you should do it (and when you shouldn’t), and also includes handy tips, timings, and more!

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It’s no wonder the Air Fryer has proven to be one of the most popular kitchen gadgets around.

An Air Fryer makes it incredibly easy to cook up healthier versions of all your favorite fried foods like crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast, and these really delicious Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and family favorite Air Fryer Green Beans.

And there are more options on the market to choose from than ever before.

But, no matter which type of air fryer you have, the one thing every air fryer owner needs to know is how to preheat air fryer.

Why Preheat an Air Fryer?

Just like cooking with a conventional oven, preheating an air fryer provides several benefits;

• Food cooks more evenly, like this how to Reheat Steak In The Air Fryer recipe.
• Exterior will be perfectly crispy.
• Cook time will be more accurate when making recipes that call for preheating.

So now that you know why preheating your air fryer is important, here’s what you need to know to do it!

How To Preheat Air Fryer – Manual Method

1. Plug in the air fryer, make sure it is empty, and power it on.
2. Set the temperature to what is listed on the recipe or food package instructions.
3. Select the preheat time needed. Use what is listed in your user manual, or follow the suggested range of times for different temperatures listed below. On average, preheating will usually take between 2-5 minutes.

I use the manual method for preheating.

How To Preheat Air Fryer – Preheat Function Button

1. If your air fryer has a preheat button, plug in the air fryer and power it on.
2. Maue sure the air fryer basket is empty, then select the preheat function button.
3. When preheating function is complete, open the air fryer basket, add food, and cook as per recipe or package directions.

Tips For Success

• Consult the instruction manual that came with your air fryer and follow the preheating instructions for your specific model.
• Make sure your air fryer is clean and dry before you begin to preheat.
• Air fryer temperatures vary depending on the make and model, so it is important to always check your food for doneness.

When Not To Preheat Air Fryer

Most of the time it is best to preheat an air fryer, but there are certain situations where you do not want to preheat;

• Do not preheat when baking bread, cake, or pastries. Preheating tends to make the outside too crispy too soon, resulting in a overly-crunchy outside and a doughy under-cooked inside.
• You may want to skip preheating when cooking thicker raw foods like whole chicken or roasts. Otherwise, you run the risk of having an overcooked exterior before the food is cooked through the center.

FAQs

While you do not have to preheat the air fryer, if you don’t, your food will take longer to cook, may cook less evenly, and the outside will likely be less crispy.

How long it takes to preheat air fryer varies depending on the model of air fryer, the size of your air fryer, and the cooking temperature.
Here are a range of times to preheat a medium-sized, basket-style air fryer:
2-3 minutes to reach 300F / 149C.
3-4 minutes to reach 350F / 176C.
4-5 minutes to reach 375F / 190C.
5-6 minutes to reach 400F / 204C.

No, you do not want to preheat your fryer with parchment paper. When parchment paper is not being held down by food items, it will blow around and could burn.
When using parchment paper for cooking, preheat the air fryer first and then add the parchment right before your food.

If your air fryer has a preheat button, you can certainly use it. Personally, I tend to skip it, as I find it easy to just run my air fryer for the time it takes to get up to the temperature needed.

Air Fryer Recipes You May Like

So here are a few recipes that you might like to cook, now that you have learnt about your preheating your air fryer.

More Helpful Info about Air Fryer

• 17 Air Fryer Tips For Better Air Frying.
• How To Clean An Air Fryer.
• Must Have Air Fryer Accessories.

Thank you for reading my How To Preheat Air Fryer post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

How To Preheat Air Fryer

Steps For Preheating An Air Fryer Using the Manual Method

1. Plug in the air fryer.

   Make sure it is empty, clean and dry, plug it in, and power it on.

2. Set the temperature.

   Set the temperature to what is listed on the recipe you are making or according to the food package instructions.

3. Select the time.

   Set the timer to what is listed in your user manual, or follow the suggested range of times for different temperatures listed below. On average, preheating will usually take between 2-5 minutes.