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Had a lady return a burned air fryer chicken and it stuck with me

Last month at the Walmart in Eugene, some woman came up to me while I was grabbing frozen veggies and said her air fryer ruined her chicken thighs at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. She told me she never preheated and just tossed them in frozen, then got mad when the outside burned but the inside was raw. I still think about that conversation every time I see someone skip the preheat step. Has anyone else had a stranger give you cooking advice that actually changed how you do things?
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3 Comments
amy_sanchez
Burned chicken? Sounds like user error to me tbh
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charlesanderson
Take what nancy said about patting things dry and run with it... I think a lot of the burning comes from people not shaking off the excess moisture from marinades or brine. That water turns to steam and just scorches the surface while the inside stays raw. Little tweaks like that make a huge difference in how the heat hits the food.
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nancy820
nancy8202mo agoProlific Poster
yeah i see it different than @amy_sanchez. i mean yeah user error for sure but air fryers are tricky cause they run hot and fast. i learned the hard way you gotta pat stuff dry and use a little oil or it'll char on the outside while the middle stays cold. also 400 for 20 mins on frozen thighs is asking for trouble, i do 375 for like 25-30 and flip halfway. that cashier was right to be bugged by it.
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