Heard a guy at a rest stop say he never preheats his air fryer, and now I'm second guessing my whole routine
I was grabbing coffee at a truck stop outside Amarillo on Tuesday night and overheard two guys talking about how they cook in their rigs. One of them said he quit preheating his air fryer 6 months ago and swears his chicken wings come out better because the cold start gives the skin more time to render. I always hit the preheat button and wait the full 3 minutes, so this threw me. When I got home I tried his way with a batch of frozen wings, 380 degrees for 24 minutes, flipping at 12. The skin was crisp but the meat near the bone was still a little pink compared to my usual method. I think preheating matters more for things like fries and less for raw meat, but I'm honestly not sure now. Has anyone actually tested this side by side with the same food and same temp, or is it just one of those things people repeat without checking?