If you’re new to cooking with an air fryer, you may be unaware of what foods you can safely prepare. One of the most common questions we get asked is if you can prepare bacon in an air fryer.
A quick Google search comes up with results that say cooking bacon in an air fryer isn’t a good idea. So, can you cook bacon in an air fryer?
Yes, you can absolutely cook bacon in an air fryer so long as you take a couple of steps to ensure you are doing so as safely as possible.
How to Stay Safe When Cooking Bacon in An Air Fryer
Let’s face it, cooking can be dangerous. From kitchen fires to accidental cuts and improper food safety, there’s a lot that could go wrong.
Thankfully, when it comes to cooking bacon in your air fryer, there are only a few things you need to be concerned about.
Air Fryer Bacon Safety Tip #1 – Stop the Smoke
If you’ve ever tried cooking bacon in your air fryer before reading this article, then you may have ended up in a bit of a smoky situation.
Hey, if you did smoke yourself out of the kitchen, don’t feel bad. Even the professionals over at the Food Network smoked up their kitchen while trying to do the same.
Thankfully, it’s very easy to avoid this situation altogether. The key is knowing what the smoke point of pork fat or lard, a.k.a. bacon grease, is.
According to MasterClass, The smoke point of bacon grease is 370°F or 188°C. So, as long as you keep your temperature below 370°F, you’ll be able to enjoy delicious crispy bacon without the side order of smoke.
Air Fryer Bacon Safety Tip #2 – Watch the Pop
We all know that satisfying sound of bacon sizzling in a frying pan. Sadly, if you’ve been cooking long, then you’re probably also familiar with just how painful it can be when that sizzle turns into a pop and grease lands on your skin.
Even though cooking bacon in an air fryer is much safer than on a skillet, in my opinion, that pop can still occur when you open your air fryer to check if your bacon is ready.
The good news is that you can avoid most popping incidents by simply following one simple rule. Instead of pulling the tray for your air fryer completely out, stop at 10%.
This will allow you to be able to check the status of your bacon readiness while also keeping grease pops safely contained inside of your air fryer and off your skin.
Air Fryer Bacon Safety Tip #3 – Ensure Proper Cooking
Make sure your bacon is cooked correctly. No, seriously, this is important
Undercooked bacon can contain a variety of different bacteria and parasites that are killed during the cooking process. One such illness that can come from undercooked bacon is Trichinellosis, which according to the CDC, can make you extremely ill for several months.
On the flipside, while it isn’t as serious an issue, overcooked bacon is often far from enjoyable.
So, how can you ensure your bacon is cooked properly?
Generally, you can simply follow the instructions provided for your specific air fryer in its manual.
Even better, many air fryer models have a pre programmed setting for cooking bacon properly. I frequently refer to this on my air fryer as the “bacon button.”
If you’d like to see some air fryer models that offer a “bacon button,” you can find a quick list that we put together here.
Are You Ready to Get Cooking?
Now that you know you can in fact cook bacon in your air fryer and you’re prepared to safely do so, you’re probably wondering exactly how to cook bacon in an air fryer.
Well, since every single air fryer can be just a little bit different, we decided to create an in-depth guide on cooking bacon in an air fryer that includes specific instructions for many different air fryer models.
Please feel free to head over to the guide by clicking here.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
Do you have any additional questions or comments about cooking bacon in an air fryer?
Would you like to share your own personal embarrassing bacon smoke out story? (We’ll share ours too. After all, I know Fry Day Dave has one ?)
If so, please take the time to share them in the comments area below.
Thanks for reading and happy healthy frying!