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Warning: My neighbor in apartment 4B just told me she never preheats her air fryer

We were talking about crispy tofu and she said she just puts it in cold, cooks it for 12 minutes, and it always turns out perfect. I've been preheating mine for 3 minutes every single time for years, so this blew my mind. Does skipping the preheat actually work for stuff like fries or chicken?
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2 Comments
christopherwilson
My old roommate used to do this with frozen pizza rolls and swore it made them less likely to explode. I tried it once and ended up with a sad, warm blob instead of dinner. I feel like the preheat is a sacred pact between you and the appliance, and your neighbor is breaking the rules. Maybe some air fryers are just more forgiving, but mine definitely holds a grudge.
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adam_young31
Oh man, that reminds me of my friend who tried skipping the preheat with frozen fries. He just dumped them in cold, and they came out soggy and pale, like they'd given up on life. @christopherwilson is right about that sacred pact, because my friend's air fryer seemed to punish him for a week after, burning everything slightly as payback. Some machines just have no chill.
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