Yes, you should definitely cook hot dogs in the air fryer

There’s a reason hot dogs are a staple of the busy and the broke. They’re cheap, easy to make, and tasty.

So, air-frying hot dogs? That might just be the simplest recipe in existence. After all, a major promise of an air fryer is hassle-free, high-heat cooking. Still, because AirFryDay is all about testing anything and everything air fryer related, we tested out a viral recipe from @cibsandibus on TikTok. And guess what? Air fryer hot dogs are good and easy to make. There’s a reason the recipe racked up more than a million views.

Here’s what you need to know.

Ingredients

• Hot dogs

• Buns (optional, you know, if you’re living the gluten-free life)

• Condiments of your choosing, which are optional

Directions

1. Remove as many hot dogs as your wish to cook from the packaging. Line them up in a row, then, using a knife, score the dogs on the diagonal without cutting through entirely. Flip the dogs and cut then on the diagonal in the other direction, so the hot dogs have a criss-cross pattern on top.

2. Pre-heat your air fryer to 350 degrees. If you’re using buns, you can throw them in the pre-heating air fryer to toast them.

3. Air fry the dogs at 350 degrees until they’re crispy. The viral TikTok recommends 10 minutes, but it may take significantly less time depending on your air fryer and the thickness of your hot dogs.

4. Place dogs in buns, top with your favorite condiments, and enjoy.

Here’s how the process looked in the TikTok.

Notice how the hot dog should look after it’s cut.
Credit: Screenshots: TikTok / @cibsandibus

The details

I…I don’t know what to tell you here. This is not rocket surgery, nor is it brain science. You’re air-frying hot dogs, pal. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

The only thing to really explain is the cutting of the dog. As the directions state, you basically cut into the dog but not through it. The picture above from the TikTok gives you a good idea about how it should look. It’s a simple cross-hatch pattern. But don’t fret — it doesn’t have to be perfect. All this process does is create more surface area on the dogs, which helps it crisp up. Also, the spiral dog just looks cool. But it’s not a big deal if yours isn’t perfect.

Here’s how my hot dogs looked after being cut.

Sliced dogs! Nice.
Credit: Mashable

From there, I preheated my air fryer to 350 degrees. While it warmed up, I tossed my buns in the basket, which ended up being the perfect amount of time for toasting. What a neat little hack if you enjoy a toasted bun, as well.

Then, once preheated, I placed my hot dogs in the basket, cut side up. I cooked them for a little less than 10 minutes, shaking the basket around every few minutes. In all likelihood, you won’t need the full ten minutes to cook your hot dogs. I had skinnier, Sabrett hot dogs because I’m a New Yorker and refuse to eat a mediocre hot dog. They really needed about half the time I cooked them, but I wanted to stay true to the TikTok in my test. They ended up getting almost too crispy and shriveling up. Still, they looked pretty good.

Mmmmmmmm.
Credit: Mashable

And guess what? They tasted great. It’s a crispy, spiral hot dog. What’s not to love? The only issue was it actually should have taken less time and been even more convenient.

I loaded up my dog with mustard and ketchup and went to town. It was salty, crisp, and…I don’t know what else to say, it was a good hot dog! You know what a good hot dog tastes like. This recipe is truly idiot proof. It is impossible easy. Make it and have a good lunch.