See various anchors promoting the air fryer as a cooking tool, saying that using the air fryer to bake food without adding oil can achieve healthy fried food with low fat and oil, but using air The fryer needs to be preheated a few minutes in advance. Why?

Why does the air fryer need to be preheated?

1. The purpose of preheating the air fryer is to allow the inside of the air fryer to reach the required temperature first, which is conducive to baking and allows the ingredients to be at the right temperature during the entire baking process. At the same temperature, let the heat slowly move from the outside to the inside to avoid uneven doneness inside and outside.

2. If the air fryer is not used for a period of time, odors and bacteria will breed. If the air fryer is preheated in advance, it can also sterilize and remove odors.

3. Especially for baking cakes, biscuits, tarts, pies and other baked goods, only when the air fryer is hot enough and put in can the batter expand quickly and evenly to the optimal level and shape, forming a beautiful color. And good taste.

4. The recommended time for many grilled foods and baked delicacies is calculated after the air fryer is heated, so it is easy to control the baking time after the air fryer is preheated.

The difference between air fryer preheating and non-preheating

1. Heating difference

The air fryer is not preheated, and the temperature of the air fryer cavity is The heating tube must not only heat the air in the inner cavity and the inner wall of the air fryer, but also heat the ingredients. The heating tube has a heavy "burden". There is also space under or near the ingredients. Because it is blocked by the ingredients, it is not heated as well as above the ingredients, which will lead to uneven heating. Even if the door is opened after preheating, some hot air will be lost instantly, but at this time, the air fryer will The temperature of the inner wall of the cavity is already very high, and it will quickly return to the preheated temperature when it is closed. When cooking is started, the ingredients will be heated more evenly.

2. Difference in taste

If the air fryer is not preheated and food is placed directly, the heating tube will be fully heated, which will not only cause uneven heating of the food and rapid water loss, but also cause It will cause the food to become burnt on the surface and undercooked inside, and the taste of the food will be much worse than the preheated food. If it is food such as cakes and bread, if it is baked without preheating, it will take 5-10 minutes to heat the ingredients from room temperature of about 25 degrees to the required temperature, which will affect the fluffy texture of the cake and bread.

3. Differences in food success rates

The premise of most air fryer recipes is to set the temperature and time after the air fryer is fully preheated, that is to say, baking The time required when baking food does not include preheating time. For example, if you need to bake for half an hour, then the time required is 30 minutes plus the preheating time. If you do not preheat, add the ingredients and start cooking. The cooking time is inaccurate, the temperature is difficult to match, and the product is prone to failure. Therefore, the success rate of delicacies cooked in an air fryer that is preheated in advance is generally higher, and the time and temperature of the recipe are also more accurate.

Is it dry cooking if the air fryer is preheated for 5 minutes?

Yes.

The way to preheat the air fryer is to put nothing in the air fryer and adjust the temperature to the temperature of the food to be baked. For example, if the cake needs 180 degrees, then adjust it to 180 degrees for preheating. , the general preheating time is 5 minutes, when the temperature of the entire fryer is felt to be relatively high, please note that it is best not to preheat for too long, as this can easily affect the service life of the air fryer.

Does the air fryer need to be preheated every time?

Not necessarily.

1. If the air fryer has just finished cooking a pot of food, and then cooks another pot of the same food, then the temperature in the pot has reached the temperature required for cooking, so there is no need to preheat.

2. Not preheating the air fryer may not have much impact on some foods, but it will take longer to bake, such as barbecue.