Identify and set up the appliance
Find the full model number on the rating label and read its official US manual before first use. Check its stated operating location, ventilation, plug requirements, included cooking components and cleaning directions. A general air-fryer article cannot replace the manual for your hardware. Breville’s US BOV900 and a drawer-style fryer, for example, have different rack or basket arrangements.
Inspect the appliance and included parts for damage before using it. Keep intake and outlet paths as the manufacturer specifies. Our manual finder resolves documented exact models; a look-alike regional name should not be used to substitute a different manual.
Preheat only as the exact instructions require
Preheating is a program and model question, not a universal number of minutes. Breville’s BOV900 Air Fry function includes a preheat cycle and asks users to insert food after its alert. Another appliance or packaged food may give a different instruction. Check the manual and package instead of relying on a blanket oven-to-air-fryer time conversion.
If the exact directions specify a preheat phase, include it in your total time and electricity estimate. Keep an empty liner out of the heating area: Philips US support warns that loose paper or foil in its listed models can be pulled toward the heating element and burn. Follow the liner rule for your exact appliance.
Arrange, turn and verify the food
Place food in the documented basket or tray arrangement, leaving room for airflow. USDA warns that crowding can cause uneven cooking; batches are often more reliable than squeezing in one oversized load. Philips recommends shaking layered food in its listed models, while fragile food may be better arranged in one layer. Follow the exact recipe and manual for turning, rather than assuming every food must be shaken halfway.
The appliance display measures a setting, not the food center. Follow package directions and check meat, poultry or seafood with a food thermometer against USDA minimum internal temperatures and any required rest time. USDA advises not to cook raw stuffed breaded chicken breast products in an air fryer; follow their package cooking directions.
End the session deliberately
Use the model controls to stop the program, handle hot parts as the manual instructs and transfer food to a clean plate. Keep raw and cooked food contact items separate. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within the USDA time limits. Once the appliance cools, clean removable food-contact parts and electrical body by their separate manual directions; never immerse the powered housing because a basket is washable.
If the appliance shows a fault code, overheats or is in an affected recall, stop using it and consult its official support or recall notice. Do not copy reset steps from another model or open the electrical housing. The troubleshooting guide and recall lookup provide the next information to check.
Guide authored and sources checked 2026-09-15. No hands-on testing claimed.