Do You Need to Preheat an Air Fryer?

What Does Preheating an Air Fryer Mean?

Preheating simply means allowing the air fryer to heat up before adding the food.

It is similar in principle to preheating an oven, although air fryers are much smaller appliances and can heat differently depending on their design.

Some air fryers include a dedicated preheat function. With others, preheating may involve running the appliance at the required cooking temperature for a short period before adding the food.

There is no universal preheating time because models differ.

Follow the instructions for the particular appliance and recipe being used.

The control panel shown here displays selected values of 180°C and 10 minutes. It is an example of the controls, not a preheating recommendation or evidence that the appliance is preheating.

Do I Preheat My Air Fryer?

Usually, no.

I use a COSORI Dual Blaze and for much of my everyday air fryer cooking I start with the food already in the basket.

I then choose the temperature and cooking time and start the air fryer.

My Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are a good example. The chicken goes into the basket before cooking begins and comes out browned and crisp.

This is a firsthand example of my normal cooking workflow, not a controlled comparison between preheated and non-preheated cooking, and it does not prove that preheating never matters.

The same four chicken thighs after cooking show the genuine result of that published recipe and my normal workflow. The photograph alone does not prove that preheating is unnecessary.

Why My COSORI Dual Blaze Is a Little Different

The COSORI Dual Blaze uses heating elements at the top and bottom of the cooking chamber together with automatic temperature control.

COSORI describes this system as 360 ThermoIQ technology and says the dual heating system is designed to cook both sides of food evenly without requiring the usual shaking or flipping for even cooking.

That design is one reason my own air fryer routine may not be identical to someone using a different model.

However, the dual heating elements do not mean the appliance never needs preheating.

COSORI publishes some recipes for the Dual Blaze that specifically call for preheating, so the appropriate approach can still depend on the recipe.

When Can Preheating Help?

Preheating can be useful when you want food to meet strong heat as soon as it enters the basket.

According to COSORI's general air fryer guidance, preheating can be useful when texture matters or cooking times are short. Examples can include foods where a crisp exterior or quick initial heat is desirable.

That does not mean those foods will automatically fail without preheating.

Think of preheating as one cooking tool rather than a compulsory first step.

When Is Preheating Less Important?

COSORI's general guidance says preheating can be less necessary for reheating leftovers, longer cooking times where food has time to heat gradually, and recipes specifically designed for a cold start.

That fits the way I often cook with my own air fryer.

Many of my everyday recipes begin with the food in the basket before I start the appliance.

The important thing is to follow the method you are actually using rather than automatically adding a preheating step to every recipe.

Can Skipping Preheating Change the Cooking Time?

It can.

A recipe written for a fully preheated air fryer may behave differently if the food starts in a cold appliance.

The air fryer needs time to reach the cooking temperature, so the food is experiencing a different heating pattern during those first few minutes.

That does not mean you should automatically add a fixed number of minutes.

Cooking time depends on the air fryer, the food, its size and thickness, how full the basket is and the cooking temperature.

Check the food as it cooks and follow appropriate food-safety guidance where relevant.

Does Preheating Make Food Crispier?

Sometimes it can help.

Putting food into an already hot cooking environment can encourage faster surface cooking, which may help with browning or crisping in some recipes.

But preheating is only one factor.

Airflow, moisture, overcrowding, oil, food thickness, cooking temperature and the air fryer itself can all affect the final texture. What Not to Cook in an Air Fryer explains more about airflow and overcrowding.

What About Parchment Liners When Preheating?

Be particularly careful with lightweight parchment liners.

Do not place a loose parchment liner into an empty air fryer and switch the appliance on unless the instructions for the specific appliance and liner explicitly permit the setup.

Strong airflow can lift lightweight parchment towards a heating element.

If a parchment liner is being used, it should be used according to its instructions and properly secured by food where required.

Can You Use Air Fryer Liners? covers the full safety and airflow guidance.

Should You Follow the Recipe or the Air Fryer?

Start with the instructions for your appliance and the recipe you are using.

If a recipe has been developed specifically around a preheated air fryer, skipping that step may change the result.

Likewise, if a recipe has been developed from a cold start, there is no reason to automatically add a preheating stage just because another recipe uses one.

Air fryers differ in size, power, airflow and heating design.

Learning how your particular appliance behaves is more useful than assuming one rule applies to every model.

So, Do You Really Need to Preheat an Air Fryer?

Not every time.

I don't routinely preheat my COSORI Dual Blaze. For many of the meals I cook, the food goes into the basket first and the air fryer starts from there.

But I also would not tell someone never to preheat.

Some recipes specifically call for it, some foods may benefit from immediate high heat, and different air fryer models behave differently.

If your recipe or manufacturer tells you to preheat, follow those instructions. Otherwise, whether you preheat can depend on what you are cooking and the result you want.

For me, it is another useful option rather than an automatic step.