Hot dogs are a staple of the busy and broke. They are easy to make and tasty.

Is air-frying hot dogs a thing? That may be the simplest recipe in existence. A promise of an air fryer is hassle-free cooking. AirFryDay is all about testing anything and everything air fryer related, so we tested out a viral recipe from cibsandibus on TikTok. And guess what? Air fryer hot dogs are easy to make. The recipe racked up more than a million views.

Here is what you need to know.

Ingredients

  • Hot dogs.

  • If you are living a life without wheat, you should have buns.

  • It is optional to have condiments of your choosing.

Directions

  1. Remove as many hot dogs as you want to cook. Line them up in a row, then use a knife to score the dogs on the diagonal. The hot dogs have a criss-cross pattern on top if you flip them and cut them in the other direction.

  2. The air fryer should be pre-warmed to 350 degrees. You can toast buns in the air fryer if you use them.

  3. The dogs should be air fried at 350 degrees. Depending on the thickness of your hot dogs and the air fryer, it may take less than 10 minutes.

  4. Place dogs in buns and enjoy.

The process looked like this in the TikTok.

hot dogs being cut and cooked

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

The details

I don't know what to say. This isn't rocket surgery or brain science. You are air-frying hot dogs. It's easy, lemon.

The only explanation is the cutting of the dog. The directions state that you cut into the dog but not through it. The picture above from the TikTok gives you a good idea of what it should look like. It is a simple pattern. It doesn't have to be perfect. The process creates more surface area on the dogs, which helps them crisp up. The dog looks cool. It is not a big deal if yours is not perfect.

My hot dogs were cut.

sliced hot dogs

Sliced dogs! Nice. Credit: Mashable

I put my air fryer to 350 degrees. The perfect amount of time for toasting was when I tossed my buns in the basket. If you enjoy a toast bun, it's a neat little hack.

I put my hot dogs in the basket. I cooked them for 10 minutes, shaking the basket every few minutes. You will probably not need the full ten minutes to cook your hot dogs. I refuse to eat a mediocre hot dog because I am a New Yorker. I wanted to stay true to the TikTok in my test, but they needed half the time I cooked them. They ended up getting very small. They looked good.

cooked hot dogs in buns

Mmmmmmmm. Credit: Mashable

And guess what? They tasted good. It is a spiral hot dog. What is not to love? It should have taken less time and been more convenient.

I took my dog to town with me. It was a good hot dog, it was salty, crisp and good. You know what a hot dog tastes like. This recipe is proof. It is not easy. Have a good lunch.