Anyone with an air fryer has been warned to avoid cooking one very popular breakfast food in it. This popular appliance has become the holy grail of convenience, promising faster, healthier cooking and crispy results with barely any oil.
From chips and chicken wings to reheated leftovers, people seem to believe there’s nothing it can’t handle. But according to Julian Klenda, food expert and founder of Maine Lobster Now, there’s one item that doesn’t belong in the air fryer at all: bacon. He’s warned that while it might sound like a quick hack for a mess-free fry-up, cooking bacon in an air fryer can turn into what he calls “a smoky, greasy disaster waiting to happen.”
He warned: “Bacon is naturally very fatty. When you cook it in an air fryer, the fat drips down onto the heating element. That fat quickly heats up, causing smoke, splattering, and sometimes even minor flare-ups. You’re not only risking burnt bacon but also a smoky kitchen and a very unhappy smoke alarm.”
Air fryers rely on hot circulating air to cook food evenly, but when something greasy like bacon enters the mix, things can quickly go south. The dripping fat doesn’t just make the appliance messy – it also affects how well the bacon cooks.
“It’s difficult to get even cooking,” Julian. “The fat and moisture distribution inside the air fryer can lead to some rashers being underdone while others turn dry and brittle. And undercooked bacon, of course, can pose a risk of foodborne illness.”
Anyone who’s ever overfilled their air fryer basket will understand the struggle – and when you stack the bacon strips or try to cook a larger batch at once, you make things worse. “Air fryers need proper airflow to work efficiently,” Julian said.
“If you layer bacon, it blocks the circulation of hot air. That’s when you end up with chewy edges and raw centres.”
Beyond the uneven cooking and smoke, there’s another big issue to be aware of – the cleanup process.
“People think the air fryer is the easier, cleaner option, but bacon grease can actually create more of a mess,” Julian said. “The fat splatters and sticks to every corner of the basket and the heating element. Once it cools down, it hardens, which makes cleaning a nightmare.”
Leftover grease can also pose long-term issues. Over time, the residue can build up and affect how the appliance functions, even causing unpleasant smells every time you use it.
“You might notice a burnt, smoky odour when cooking other foods later on,” Julian added. “That’s a sign the bacon fat never fully cleared out.”
How to cook bacon
While bacon might not be ideal for the air fryer, there are plenty of other easy ways to cook it.
Julian suggested sticking to the classics. “If you want crispy, evenly cooked bacon, a non-stick frying pan or a baking tray in the oven is your best bet,” he said. “Oven-cooked bacon drains fat naturally and cooks evenly without splatter, and you can do big batches.”
He also recommends using a wire rack over a lined tray to let excess fat drip away. “That gives you the crunch you’re after without drowning the bacon in its own grease,” he explained.
For those still determined to use their air fryer, Julian recommended using protective accessories like silicone liners or parchment paper made for air fryers.
