Air fryer cheeseburgers are way more delicious than they should be

Summertime is here, the Fourth of July is coming up, and that can only mean one thing: We are at peak cookout season.

And when it's peak cookout season, there's one thing I want on my plate: a delicious, juicy burger.

But lots of folks don't have a grill handy, or don't want a cloud of smoke in their small apartment — I live in New York City, I get it — but that doesn't rule out a delicious burger this Independence Day. You can make a pretty dang tasty burger in your air fryer. Yes, really.

Now, is it going to be as good as a burger seared on a rip-roaring charcoal grill? Perhaps not. The flavor added by super-high heat and a real fire is hard to replicate. But a good air fryer burger is better than the garden variety burger you'll get at a gas grill cookout. Here's what you need to know.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. of ground beef

• 3 burger buns

• 3 slices of cheddar cheese

• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

• About 1 tsp each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder

• A few leaves of romaine lettuce

• 1 tomato

• 1 red onion

• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Then season it generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and soy sauce. Mix to combine evenly.

2. Form the ground beef into three equally sized patties. Press them down so they are at least a touch bigger than the diameter of your buns. The patties will shrink in size as they cook and the goal is to have total bun coverage.

3. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss your buns into the air fryer as it preheats to toast the bread.

4. Once the air fryer is preheated, remove the buns then spray the basket with oil. Add the burgers and air fry for eight minutes.

5. Meanwhile, slice the romaine lettuce into thin ribbons then dress it with the mayonnaise and red wine vinegar. Slice the tomato and onion into ultra-thin slices and set aside.

6. When there is one minute on your air fryer, cover burgers with cheese (or not, if you don't want cheese).

7. When finished cooking, let the burgers rest for a minute. Place the thin onion slices on the bottom buns. Put the lettuce and tomato on the top buns. Place each burger on top of the onion-covered bottom bun, then place the top bun on top of the burger. You can also dress with your favorite condiments, such as ketchup or mustard, and enjoy.

The details

This is a wildly simple recipe. That's the point of an air fryer — it's supposed to make things easy. One thing to keep in mind: Make sure you season the meat well. That is probably the most important step in this recipe. The directions are just rough estimations of how much seasoning to use — I season with my heart. Feel free to swap out garlic or chili powder and add anything you like — onion powder, paprika, cayenne, or any number of seasonings would work, for instance. Just make sure you use enough salt. And I think it helps to boost that salinity with soy sauce or something similar like Worcestershire sauce or Tamari. It ensures there is salty, umami goodness throughout the burger and helps keep it moist.

That's the biggest drawback of which you have to be aware. An air fryer is effectively a small, high-powered convection oven, and cooking a burger in any type of oven runs the risk of drying it out. An ideal burger is seared on the outside but juicy and pink in the middle. This recipe does its best to get that result. Depending on your air fryer, you might need only like six minutes of cook time. If you're able, use a meat thermometer and pull your burgers at your preferred temperature.

Burger toppings! Credit: Mashable

Otherwise, the recipe is straightforward. Toast the buns during the preheat (a favorite trick of mine). Cut, then dress the lettuce. I think this small, extra step adds tons of flavor to the burger. The acid of the red wine vinegar makes each bite a bit sharper, while the mayonnaise adds a little fat to the lean meat. Then cut the tomatoes and onions, add the cheese, and enjoy.

Here's how my final product looked. Not bad for an air fryer right?

Burgers! In the air fryer. Credit: Mashable

Not a bad burger. Credit: Mashable

The verdict? It's a good burger. Cooked right, it's juicy and, honestly, probably far better than the burger you get from some hack on the grill at your local cookout. The air fryer gets hot enough and circulates air well enough, that there is something resembling a sear on the burger. The dressed lettuce adds a nice touch and the seasoning in the meat means you get great flavor. If you don't have the time or resources for a charcoal grill, this isn't a bad option for your Fourth of July dinner.