Do You Need to Preheat an Air Fryer? YES! But How to Do It? How Long Does It Take to Preheat?

Preheating an air fryer is helpful as it maximizes crisping and cooking outcomes. Given the many models available, learning how to preheat an air fryer is not easy. Before switching on the fryer, it is crucial to go through the guidelines.

Most air fryers come with an automatic preheat; while others need manual preheating. This article will guide you on how to preheat an air fryer and how long does it take? More than 10 tips for successful preheating and common mistakes according to my 5 years of experience. Keep scrolling to discover!

After reading the article, you will know:

  • The correct way to preheat an air fryer, step by step.
  • When you need to preheat and when you don’t need to do it.
  • More than 20 tips from experts when preheating
  • How to know if your air fryer is preheated well
  • Related questions about preheating the air fryer

You can also check the table of content and jump to the knowledge you want to know!

Do You Need to Preheat an Air Fryer? Why?

how to preheat air fryer, how long does it take

An air fryer is related to an oven, and it can cook and crisp your favorite foods. An air fryer has an inbuilt fan that pushes the heat inside, cooking the food evenly. Besides, the fan stimulates raised heat roasting, and deep-frying.

Preheating gives your air fryer recipes a crisp signature that you will love. The thick cuts of frozen and raw meat, such as frozen ribeye steaks and chicken breasts, gain from the preheating process. Moreover, preheating lowers the cooking time as the process will start immediately.

If you choose not to preheat your air fryer or oven, you will make the food less crispy, and the cooking may not be even.

Preheating is unnecessary for air frying. Although some air fryer models do not perform the preheating process, you may need to preheat some recipes that come with reheating instructions.

When to Preheat an Air Fryer

Reheating Leftovers

Reheating smaller foods, thin frozen food, and leftover aids make your food crispy and quick.

Good Sear and Crust 

Thinner meat such as chicken tenders, thin steaks, and pork chops provide a good sear and crust when you air fry them.

Frying Frozen Foods 

Preheating the already cooked foods such as cheese sticks, fish sticks, and French fries gives a hot and crisp outside.

A Recipe Asks for Preheating 

If you have a recipe that you trust and asks you to preheat the air fryer, you will need to preheat to your recipe’s desired results while following the manual instructions.

When not sure about the Preheating

If you are unsure whether to preheat an air fryer, you should preheat it to make your fried french fries more crispy.

The Manual Instructs You to Preheat  

If the model of the air fryer you are using advises you to preheat an air fryer before you cook, then it is essential to do it. Importantly, follow their manual preheating instructions to get the best outcome.

Now you have known the detail of when you need to preheat the air fryer, so here comes another question: When you don’t need to preheat it?


Think a while and we will show you the answer later!

When Not to Preheat an Air Fryer

when you don't have to preheat an air fryer

Besides being essential to preheating your oven, applying that to your air fryer is also good. Although, some specific situations may not need to be preheated. Here are some of the situations that do not require the preheating process:

Baking Cake, Pastries, or Bread 

Preheating the air fryer will make the exterior more crispy earlier, resulting in an overly crunchy exterior and undercooked dough inside.

Cooking Thick Raw Foods

It is unnecessary to preheat your air fryer when you want to cook thick raw foods such as roasts or a whole chicken, or else you risk having the food overcooked outside before it’s cooked on the inside.

The Manual Does not Instruct You to Preheat 

It is important to follow the instructions keenly since some models do not need to preheat. However, some air fryers do not mention the preheating, meaning it is not necessary and will not cause any harm if you need to preheat.

A recipe Instructs You not to Preheat

If you have a well-written recipe, the owner must have tested it with the exact instruction. Therefore, you may slightly alter the cooking time and results after preheating the air fryer.

Using the Parchment Paper

use Parchment Paper for air fryer

If you are using parchment paper, do not preheat an air fryer as it might shift around while hitting your heating element and making it burn. So, use parchment paper when done with your preheating process.

Cooking Delicate Food

If you cook delicate foods like vegetables, you will not need them crispy as they may burn the exterior before the interior gets tender.

How to Preheat an Air Fryer? Step by Step!

how to preheat air fryer at first

Preheating the air fryer is as easy as a snack since it involves some steps.

1. First of all, before putting on an air fryer, go through the user manual for certain models. Some air fryers contain a preheating setting, some are automatically set, and others manually instruct you to preheat with the settings.

2. Secondly, ensure that the removable parts like the air fryer basket are completely dry and super clean before inserting them into the unit. You can press the preheat setting or your cooking time program following your model’s manual instructions and automatically let the unit preheat.

3. If you have an air fryer that doesn’t preheat automatically, you will need to preheat the model manually. Also, select your air fryer setting to set your recipe’s temperature. When your preheat timer comes to an end, add your food to one layer to prepare according to your recipe.

Congratulations! You got it. You have learned how to preheat the air fryer. But you can’t keep heating it, your stomach can not wait that long.


So when the preheating process will be finished?

How Long Do You Preheat An Air Fryer?

The time you will take to preheat an air fryer depends on the temperatures you set and the air fryer’s size. The overall time may vary from 2 minutes to 5 minutes and 2 minutes for the surface. Thus, it is ideal to leave it on for 5 minutes for the interior air and surface to get hot air. Less time will be for the air fryer basket, and the top will be for the big oven air fryer.

Although many manufacturers have a specific preheating time, it is important to consider that. For the three-quarter air fryer basket, the temperature is between 350 degrees F to 400 degrees F to give crispy, crunchy, and well-cooked food. Any temperature below 350 degrees F will produce undercooked food, and above 400 degrees F will burn it.

Do You Preheat the Air Fryer with Oil?

Preheat the Air Fryer with Oil

Even if air fryers don’t need oil, adding some to the food to achieve crispiness and flavor is important. Remember that cooking with less fat will raise health risks compared to deep frying. Besides, use a basting brush to apply the fat to the food instead of pouring it straight into your air fryer recipes.

Since food may stick on the air fryer, it is important to grease it. Use at least two to three tablespoons of oil, depending on your food size and recipes. Also, ensure that your oil does not drip since it may damage your heating element or machine.

How Do I Know When My Air Fryer is Preheated?

After preheating your appliance, you will want to know whether it is preheated or not. There are a few ways of confirming that. You will need to stretch your hand next to the air fryer to feel whether the heat is getting to the outside of the air fryer.

Secondly, you can bring the air fryer baskets outside to feel the temperature. The baskets will turn to be hot if the air fryers have preheated. Remember that air fryers use electricity to run; therefore, you need to treat them with caution.

Some air fryers feature the preheat button, which shows the time you require to preheat without depending on the inside temperature. The air fryer preheat button allows you to choose the temperature and notifies you when it has officially preheated.

Tips for Successful Preheating

  • Consult the manual instructions
  • Ensure that the air fryer is dry and clean
  • Check the temperature of your air fryer since they vary
  • Do not open your air fryer’s door when heating
  •  Rearrange the air fryer racks to match what you cook
  • Use the preheat timer
  • And read your recipe

 Common Mistakes When Preheating an Air Fryer

  • Not cleaning the air fryer before preheating.
  • Not checking the manual instruction before preheating
  • Overcrowding your air fryer basket
  • Forgetting to preheat your air fryer
  • Not rotating the protein as they cook
  • Using the air fryer to prepare fried food only
  • You do not use any oil
  • You do not pat the protein before air frying
  • Doing away with the preheating process with the fresh foods
  • Using wet and loose batters
  • Using oil when not required
  • Do not check the temperatures

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Preheat an Air Fryer with the Basket In or Out?

You will preheat your basket inside since most models won’t operate while the basket is on the outside.

How to Preheat the Philips Air Fryer?

The Philips air fryer does not require the preheating process, you can place your ingredients in the basket without preheating.

How to Preheat the Power XL Air Fryer?

To preheat, use the air fryer’s power button and press the increase or decrease temperature button to set your desired temperature to cook.

How to Preheat the Ninja Air Fryer?

First, set the temperature according to your air fryer recipes; secondly, cook for 2 minutes to 3 minutes and if it has a larger side, let it cook longer, about 3 minutes to 5 minutes.

How to Preheat the Power XL Vortex Air Fryer? 

First, plug your air fryer into the ground wall socket before pressing the power button to set the temperature for decreasing or increasing, and then press the decrease time setting button.

How to Preheat the Sur La Table Air Fryer?

Preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes to 400 degrees F before you start cooking. After that, you can put part of the aluminum foil into the base of your basket and then put the kernel into it.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are an expert or an air fryer beginner, it’s important to know how to preheat the air fryer right with our post above, so you will enjoy more delicious food now! Do you have any more suggestions for the article, just leave a comment here, your comment is crucial to other food lovers! If you are satisfied with it, share it with your friends on social media, and we will have the motivation to create more quality articles!

Thanks for reading!

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