
Individuals who hate American cheese both don’t perceive it, or have allowed classism to smash it for them. I might not serve it on an assiette de fromage, however it’s my go-to for burgers, bologna sandwiches, and easy grilled cheeses (particularly when paired with tomato soup). It’s designed by meals scientists to soften and stretch and it received’t grease out or pull focus when utilized to an all-beef patty. True meals understanders admire it for the optimized product that it’s. If American cheese has no extra followers, meaning I’m useless.
However even I—the primary American cheese enjoyer in America—didn’t count on it to hit so laborious as a cheese crisp. My favourite TikToker/sorority home chef, Kevin Ashton, was the primary to expose me to this intriguing thought, and I’ve been frying slices of American cheese ever since, each with and with out pickles. Frying American cheese in a nonstick pan works properly, however you may get a barely completely different, aerated, tremendous crispy cheese crisp if you happen to transfer issues to the air fryer.
What’s so completely different about air fryer cheese crisps?

The place your normal, pan-fried frico is lacy and flat, your air-fried cheese crisp is bubbly and cavernous. The whipping winds of the air fryer trigger the cheese to puff up dramatically, making a community of enormous cheese bubbles that shatter with a touch of strain. Relying on how lengthy you crisp your cheese, there’s additionally usually a layer of chewy, melted cheese within the middle of the crisp, offering pleasant textural distinction. It’s form of like a cheese chicharon.
The right way to make a cheese crisp in your air fryer
Sorry to these with the toaster oven fashions; this can be a recipe for basket air fryers. Set your air fryer to 400℉, then place a slice of American cheese (or a number of slices of cheese) on the ground of the basket (take away the little tray). You’ll be able to attempt it with different cheese slices, however you’ll must experiment with the prepare dinner time.
Cook dinner for about 8 minutes. (There’s a probability your cheese might fly round. This occurs in my massive air fryer typically, however not my small one. Take a peak after a minute and examine on it.) As soon as your crisp is puffed and properly browned on high, use a small silicone spatula to softly pry the cheese of the ground of the air fryer. Plate and end with smoked paprika and/or a drizzle of honey.