Directions
<ol class="no-list-style"><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 1</h4>Preheat your air fryer to 180°C for 2-3 minutes. This initial heating ensures even cooking from the moment you add the bacon. While the air fryer preheats, pat your bacon strips gently with paper towels to remove excess moisture, which helps achieve better crispiness.</li><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 2</h4>Arrange the bacon in a single layer in your air fryer basket. It's perfectly fine if the slices overlap slightly as they'll shrink during cooking, but try to avoid completely stacking them. For even cooking, ensure air can circulate around most of the bacon surface area. If your air fryer is small, cook in batches rather than overcrowding.</li><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 3</h4>Cook the bacon at 180°C for 8-10 minutes, checking at the 6-minute mark. Cooking time varies based on your bacon thickness and desired crispiness. Thicker bacon will need closer to 10-12 minutes, while thin-cut bacon may be done in 6-8 minutes. The bacon will continue crisping slightly after removing, so take it out when it's just shy of your desired doneness.</li><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 4</h4>At the halfway point (about 4 minutes in), use tongs to carefully flip the bacon for even crisping on both sides. This step ensures perfectly uniform cooking. If some pieces are cooking faster than others (especially those closer to the heating element), rearrange them at this point.</li><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 5</h4>Once your bacon reaches your preferred level of crispiness, use tongs to carefully remove it from the air fryer to a plate lined with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb excess fat, resulting in crispier bacon. Allow the bacon to rest for 1-2 minutes before serving – this brief resting period allows the bacon to finish crisping up.</li><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 6</h4>For an extra touch of flavor, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over the hot bacon immediately after removing it from the air fryer. The residual heat will help release the pepper's aromatic oils. Serve immediately while hot and crispy for the best texture and flavor experience.</li><li class="MethodStepper"><h4 class="step-title">Step 7</h4>Before starting your next batch, carefully pour out the rendered bacon fat from the air fryer drawer (this can be saved in a heat-proof container for future cooking). Wipe down the air fryer basket with paper towels between batches to prevent smoking from leftover bacon fat. Your air fryer is now ready for the next delicious batch!</li></ol>
