Air fryer sales increased by 1,175% over the past year – and if you haven’t joined the hype, you definitely know a few people that can’t shut up about the appliances.
It’s not without good reason, either. Air fryers are generally cheaper to run, proving to be invaluable during a cost of living crisis.
Additionally, for favourites like bacon, air fryers create the same crispy texture that we love but with less fat, according to BBC Good Food.
Win-win, right? Well, not quite. According to one recipe developer, we shouldn’t be cooking bacon in our air fryers. Here’s why.
Why you shouldn’t cook bacon in the air fryer
Speaking previously to HuffPost, recipe developer Brenda Peralta, of FeastGood.com, urged people to think twice before rushing to throw a handful of rashers in the air fryer.
According to the food expert, “bacon is a fatty food, and when it is cooked in an air fryer, the fat can drip down and cause smoke or splatter”.
“This can make the bacon difficult to cook evenly, and it can also produce a lot of smoke and odours,” she explained.
She added that bacon strips are small and delicate foods, meaning they can be difficult to flip or remove from the air fryer basket without them snapping.
Plus, it’s hard to cook the whole packet in an air fryer due to limited space.
What is the best way to cook bacon then?
Well, who better to answer this than America’s culinary queen Martha Stewart? Her bacon cooking method is very simple:
- First, preheat your oven to 205°C
- Line two rimmed baking trays with parchment paper, then lay the bacon strips flat, making sure the rashers do not overlap
- For extra-crispy bacon, place a wire rack on top of each baking sheet and lay the bacon rashers on top of the rack
- Bake until crisp and browned (around 15 to 18 minutes), rotating the sheets once
- Transfer the strips to a paper towel to drain.
Stewart also stores the fat that comes off the bacon in a jar in the fridge to be used later for cooking potatoes or eggs.
Brb, I’m suddenly very hungry.