Air Fryer Thick-Cut Bacon: Cooking Time Perfection

Thick-cut bacon is a delicious, meatier alternative to regular bacon. Cooking it in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to achieve crispy bacon with minimal clean-up. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon and your desired level of crispiness. For softer bacon, air fry at 350˚F for 9-10 minutes, and for crispy bacon, cook for 10-13 minutes.

Preheat the air fryer

Preheating your air fryer is not always necessary when cooking bacon. Some recipes recommend preheating your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for about 3 minutes. While the air fryer is preheating, arrange the bacon slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. However, other recipes suggest that preheating is not necessary for cooking bacon in an air fryer.

The benefit of preheating your air fryer is that it ensures your bacon is cooked evenly. This is especially important if you are using thick-cut bacon, as it needs to be cooked for a longer period of time. By preheating your air fryer, you can ensure that the bacon is cooked through and that the outside is crispy.

However, one of the benefits of cooking bacon in an air fryer is that it is quick and easy, and preheating your air fryer can add extra time to the overall cooking process. Additionally, some sources suggest that preheating is not necessary for bacon, as the air fryer will quickly heat up once the bacon is inside.

Ultimately, the decision to preheat your air fryer or not is up to you. If you are short on time, you may choose to skip the preheating step. However, if you want to ensure that your bacon is cooked evenly, preheating the air fryer may be a good option.

Cook at 350°F for 9-10 minutes

Cooking thick-cut bacon in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to get delicious, crispy bacon with minimal cleanup. To get softer bacon, set your air fryer to 350°F and cook the bacon for 9-10 minutes. If you prefer your bacon crispy, increase the cooking time to 10-12 minutes.

When cooking bacon in an air fryer, it's important to keep a few things in mind. First, you don't need to preheat the air fryer before adding the bacon. Simply set the temperature to 350°F and let it cook. Second, place the bacon strips in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If they overlap, the bacon might not cook evenly. If you need to cook a lot of bacon, you may need to do it in batches.

While the bacon is cooking, you may want to check on it periodically to ensure it's cooking to your desired level of doneness. Keep in mind that the cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your bacon and the type of air fryer you have. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Once the bacon is done, use tongs to carefully transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. This will absorb any excess grease. Allow the bacon to cool for 1-2 minutes before serving to avoid any burns.

Cooking thick-cut bacon in an air fryer is a convenient and mess-free way to prepare this delicious breakfast side dish or BLT ingredient. Give it a try and enjoy the crispy, mouthwatering results!

Flip halfway through

Cooking thick-cut bacon in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to get perfectly crispy bacon with minimal cleanup. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the bacon and your desired level of crispiness.

To start, preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for about 3 minutes. While the air fryer is preheating, arrange the bacon slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring there is space between each slice for proper air circulation.

Now, it's time to cook the bacon. Set the timer for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on your desired level of crispiness. The key to ensuring even cooking is to flip the bacon strips halfway through. Use tongs to carefully flip the bacon, and if needed, rearrange the slices to ensure they cook evenly.

Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, use tongs to transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate. This will absorb any excess grease. Allow the bacon to cool for about 1-2 minutes before serving to avoid any burns.

And that's it! You now have perfectly crispy thick-cut bacon cooked in your air fryer with minimal mess and cleanup. Enjoy your bacon as a delicious addition to breakfast, sandwiches, or salads.

Drain grease

When cooking bacon in an air fryer, there will be a lot of grease dripping into the drip pan. It is important to drain the grease to prevent it from smoking and to make cleaning easier. Here are some tips for draining the grease when cooking bacon in an air fryer:

• Use a grease trap: Some air fryers come with a built-in grease trap to catch the grease. If your air fryer does not have one, you can place a piece of bread or a paper towel at the bottom of the air fryer to absorb the grease.
• Pour water into the air fryer: Adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the air fryer can help reduce smoke while cooking.
• Flip the air fryer basket: After cooking, you can flip the air fryer basket over into a larger pot or pan to allow the grease to drain. Then, dispose of the grease properly.
• Line the air fryer with foil: Placing a layer of foil at the bottom of the air fryer can help catch the grease and make cleaning easier. However, this may affect the crispiness of the bacon.
• Clean the grease pan regularly: Be sure to clean the grease out of the drip pan before making multiple batches of bacon. This will help prevent the grease from building up and smoking.
• Pat the bacon with a paper towel: After cooking, you can pat the bacon with a paper towel to absorb any excess grease.
• Dispose of the grease properly: Do not pour grease down the drain. Instead, wait for it to cool and solidify, then dispose of it in the trash.

Serve immediately

When your thick-cut bacon has finished cooking, use tongs to carefully transfer the bacon strips onto a plate lined with paper towels. This will absorb any excess grease. Allow the bacon to cool for 1-2 minutes before serving to avoid any burns.

If you are cooking multiple batches, you may need to drain some of the fat that collects in the bottom basket of the air fryer to prevent it from smoking.

Air fryer bacon is best served immediately, alongside breakfast or in any of your favorite recipes that call for crispy bacon. This includes BLTs, breakfast sandwiches, eggs benedict, omelets, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, deviled eggs, wraps, salads, and more.

The beauty of air fryer bacon is that it is mess-free and there is virtually zero clean-up, as there are no greasy splatters. It's also slightly healthier than pan-fried bacon, as the bacon isn't soaking in its own grease, which lowers the calories and fat content.

Frequently asked questions