GE’s No Preheat Air Fry sounds like an easy win in a market where air fry has become standard. In this episode of The Steel Codcast, Anthony and Jon break down why leading with speed without defining tradeoffs quietly sets this feature up for failure.

The conversation explains why preheating is not a formality, but a critical part of how ovens stabilize temperature before cooking begins. By skipping that step, No Preheat Air Fry asks the oven to heat the cavity, cook the food, and brown the surface at the same time. That can work well for certain foods like frozen items, thin proteins, and reheats, but it struggles when volume, density, or even cooking matter most.

This episode helps appliance professionals reposition No Preheat Air Fry as a situational advantage rather than a default mode. If you sell cooking appliances or struggle to balance speed promises with real cooking outcomes, this conversation will change how you talk about air fry on the sales floor.

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Who This Episode Is For

Appliance sales professionals, showroom managers, manufacturer reps, and anyone selling wall ovens or ranges with air fry features.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 Why air fry has become background noise on the floor
• 00:30 Why no preheat sounds better than it behaves
• 01:15 What preheating actually does in an oven
• 01:45 How skipping preheat compresses the cooking process
• 02:15 When no preheat air fry actually works well
• 02:45 The tradeoffs GE did not clearly define
• 03:15 Why speed should not be the default value
• 03:45 How overselling creates long term disengagement
• 04:25 Why limits make features more valuable