That trick about preheating the air fryer was complete nonsense

My buddy Dave swore I had to preheat my air fryer for 5 minutes every single time or the food would come out soggy. I followed his advice for about 3 weeks, wasting electricity and waiting around for no reason. One night I forgot to preheat before tossing in some frozen chicken tenders, and they came out just as crispy as always. I tested it twice more with fries and even some breaded fish, same result every time. Turns out preheating only matters if you're cooking something super thick like a whole roast or a dense casserole. For everyday stuff, that 5 minute wait is totally pointless. Has anyone else been given a kitchen rule that turned out to be a total myth?

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ruby_murphy21d ago

...and the real kicker is nobody ever tests this stuff, they just repeat what they heard. I stopped preheating mine months ago and the only thing that actually changed is I eat dinner like 5 minutes sooner. The thick stuff is where you might notice a difference, like if you're doing a whole chicken or a big chunk of pork, but even then I just flip it halfway through and it comes out fine. Same with people who insist you have to soak rice or salt water before boiling pasta, half these "rules" are just habits that got passed down without anyone checking.