3 Secret Air Fryer Tricks You Won’t Find in the Owner’s Manual

Take your favorite appliance to the next level with these genius air fryer tricks. There are so many more air fryer recipes to try out.

An air fryer is the perfect kitchen tool for creating “fried” foods without all the excess oils and fat. Sure, you can use it to make yummy fish and chips, crispy chicken wings and crunchy Brussels sprouts, but your new favorite gadget can do so much more! We’ve rounded up a few unique air fryer tricks we bet you haven’t tried yet.

Here’s our Test Kitchen’s expert guide to air fryers.

Trick 1: Sear the Ultimate Corn on the Cob

Enjoy a barbecue feast—including buttery corn on the cob—all year long. When you can’t grill outside, you can make the ideal barbecue side indoors with the help of your air fryer.

Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Spray the ears with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Place the ears in the basket and cook for 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Carefully remove the ears, generously spread on as much butter as you’d like and chomp away! You could also make tasty elote—aka Mexican street corn—or any of these creative corn on the cob recipes.

Trick 2: Make Perfectly Crispy Bacon

That’s right…you can use your air fryer to cook BACON!

Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. Place the bacon in a single layer in air-fryer basket and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Rearrange the bacon into single layer, if necessary. Cook until it hits your desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove to paper towels to drain. Wipe air fryer clean before cooking additional batches. Voila: flawless bacon!

Craving something both sweet and savory? Kick things up a notch and make these glorious bourbon bacon cinnamon rolls.

Trick 3: Build an Out-of-This-World Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ah, yes…the classic all-American grilled cheese. Save your frying pan and make the perfect sammy right in your air fryer.

Preheat the air fryer to 360ºF. Layer a few slices of cheese between two slices of generously buttered, toasted bread. Lay the sandwich in the basket and air fry for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Carefully flip the sandwich with a spatula and cook for another 5 minutes. And, of course, pair this masterpiece with a piping bowl of creamy tomato soup.

For more air fryer magic, check out these amazing recipes.

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Ceara Milligan
Ceara “Kiwi” Milligan is a professional marketing strategist and copywriter who is proud to call Milwaukee home. She loves baking, cooking, writing, listening to music, dancing, playing and hosting trivia, watching college basketball (Go Marquette!), telling lame jokes, and petting every dog that crosses her path.