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I asked Taco Bell’s CMO what his go-to order is. I wasn’t ready for the hot-sauce count.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

A person’s go-to Taco Bell order is a sacred thing.

Selena Gomez was eating a Mexican Pizza when Benny Blanco proposed. Jason Sudeikis grabbed two chicken tacos on the night his son was born. When Dolly Parton would go through the drive-thru on dates with her husband Carl Dean, she always ordered a Taco Supreme.

I’m partial to the Cantina Chicken burrito, and just last week, I convinced three different friends to try it during our 1 a.m. Taco Bell run (which somehow racked up to $117, but that’s another story).

So, when I recently sat down with Taco Bell CMO Taylor Montgomery, I knew I had to find out what his usual order is. Montgomery eats at the fast-food chain every other day, but his go-to hasn’t changed — nor has his wild hot-sauce count.


Taylor Montgomery and Benson Boone at Live Más LIVE,

Taylor Montgomery and Benson Boone at Live Más Live on March 3.

Courtesy of Taco Bell



“My order is still the same,” Montgomery, who has worked at Taco Bell for a decade, told me. “Crunchy tacos, one Fire sauce packet per bite. I have like 10 sauce packets per taco.”

“If I’m really hungry, it’s three tacos,” Montgomery added. “If it’s a normal day, it’s two.”

“Per bite!?” I asked. I’ve been known to rip through a few of Taco Bell’s hot and avocado verde salsa packets myself, but 10 was a whole new level.

“Oh yeah,” Montgomery replied. “You gotta go big. Fire sauce, only Fire.”

‘We truly are one of one’

While some fast-food brands have spent the past week trying to outdo each other with burger taste-test videos, Taco Bell has been focusing on the premiere of Live Más Live, an annual event where the chain unveils every new menu item it plans to release during the year.

Montgomery was originally inspired by Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference when he helped launch the first Live Más Live in 2024. This year, the CMO knew he wanted to shake up the format.


Taco Bell Live Más LIVE 2026

Taco Bell Live Más Live 2026 took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

Courtesy of Taco Bell



“We truly are one of one, just like Apple, just like Amazon, just like Tesla,” Montgomery said. “So I started to look at how some of those companies are behaving, and they are behaving like entertainment companies. That’s what consumers want. That’s what consumers’ expectations are.”

“That’s how Live Más Live, an unhinged night in Hollywood, was born,” he added.

Taco Bell hired the production team behind the Academy Awards, made a streaming deal with Peacock, and rented out the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles for a one-hour awards show on March 3. Celebrities like Sudeikis, Doja Cat, Benson Boone, and Demi Lovato were on hand to help announce the 20-plus new items coming to Taco Bell’s menu in 2026.


Taco Bell's Fire Queso Sauce Packet

Taco Bell’s Fire Queso Sauce Packet is an edible version of the famous hot-sauce packet.

Courtesy of Taco Bell



Montgomery said he hopes the event makes Taco Bell’s fans feel “seen and heard,” noting that the chain also listened to their pleas for more sweet treats.

“One of the most requested things we hear from our fans is, ‘I want more desserts at Taco Bell,'” he said.

Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap Sliders, Strawberry and Cream Mexican Pizza Bites, and chocolate fudge empanadas will all be coming soon, but Montgomery said the core of Taco Bell’s brand is still “crunchy, cheesy, saucy, spicy.” This year’s menu slate even includes an edible version of Taco Bell’s Fire hot-sauce packet.

The real question is, will Montgomery be using 10 of them per taco?




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LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman’s go-to gift this Christmas was an AI-generated music album

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Reid Hoffman loves AI. So much so that, for Christmas, instead of fuzzy socks or wool sweaters, he gave his friends and family an AI music album.

The LinkedIn cofounder and Greylock partner, who Forbes estimates has a $2.5 billion net worth, recently told Wired he generated silly Christmas songs using AI and pressed them onto records.

“There’s a song on ugly sweaters and all of this kinda stuff,” he said. “As opposed to the ‘Holly, Jolly Christmas,’ you know, something that actually has some humor. Almost like what ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic would do if he was doing a Christmas album.”

To create the Christmas music, Hoffman said he used two different AI agents: one to write the lyrics and another to compose the music.

It’s not clear which AI tool Hoffman used to generated the songs. His current firm, Greylock, doesn’t list any of the major music-generating apps — like Suno, Udio, or AIVA — in its investment portfolio.

But, whichever tool he used, Hoffman said he was impressed by the result.

He said he told everyone who received the gift that it was AI, but when he played it for his wife, she couldn’t tell it was computer-generated.

The Christmas surprise comes as Hoffman has been talking about AI while promoting a new book published with journalist Greg Beato titled “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future.”

In it, the two argue that AI doesn’t need to be a dystopian technology destined to displace workers or lead to human extinction, as some more pessimistic about the technology have warned.

Hoffman argues that AI skeptics are falling into the same trap that has gripped tech cynics in the past, including existential complaints during the rollouts of the printing press, electricity, and the internet.

“My push for people is if you are not using AI in a way today that isn’t seriously helpful to you, you are not actually trying hard enough,” he told Wired. “Now, of course it’ll transform jobs, and there’ll be a bunch of pain in that transformation. But the way that you as an individual can avoid that is to be engaged.”




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I visited Grocery Outlet. It was weird, but I saw why it’s a go-to supermarket for some shoppers.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

One grocery chain is expanding using a business model that’s somewhere between Aldi and T.J. Maxx.

Supermarket chain Grocery Outlet promises low prices, and it has a novel approach: Like Aldi’s locations, Grocery Outlet stores tend to be smaller than traditional grocery stores and emphasize low prices.

But like T.J. Maxx, Grocery Outlet often sells products that other retailers or food manufacturers can’t move themselves.

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, for instance, Grocery Outlet bought 30,000 cases of 1-gallon containers of salsa that were meant for restaurants, former CEO Robert Sheedy said on an earnings call at the time.

“Grocery Outlet buyers are experts at purchasing that product opportunistically,” the chief marketing officer, Layla Kasha, said in a statement to Business Insider in September.

That means finding products “outside of the normal retail channel as a result of packaging changes, product overruns, and other varied inventory circumstances,” she said. “Our suppliers offer us great prices on that surplus inventory, and we pass those savings along to our customers.”

This approach allows Grocery Outlet to sell products for 40% to 70% less than comparable items at traditional retailers, according to the company’s latest annual report.

Grocery Outlet had 563 stores as of its third quarter, which ended on September 27. The chain said in November that it planned to end 2025 with 37 new store openings for the year.

The San Francisco-based company already has a significant presence in the Western US, but it’s expanding in Eastern states, including Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

I wanted to experience shopping at Grocery Outlet for myself, so I visited one of the chain’s relatively new stores in September. Here’s what I found.

Do you have a story idea to share about Grocery Outlet or another retailer? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com.

I visited one of Grocery Outlet’s newer stores in Maryland.

This grocery outlet wasn’t too busy on a Wednesday afternoon.

Alex Bitter/BI

Located in a shopping mall in Beltsville, Maryland, this store opened in July 2024.

Grocery Outlet’s emphasis on deals was clear from the moment I walked in.


A sandwich-board sign outside a Grocery Outlet store shows featured sale items, such as cheese balls and ribeye steaks.

This sign highlighted a major clearance on spring and summer items.

Alex Bitter/BI

This sign outside the main entrance highlighted some of Grocery Outlet’s deals, including salted caramel cookies, cheese balls, and ribeye steaks.

Grocery Outlet also sells fresh produce and meat.


A sign inside the entrance of Grocery Outlet says

I saw this sign as I walked into the Grocery Outlet location.

Alex Bitter/BI

Though Grocery Outlet says it’s “opportunistic” with its buying, the chain’s stores stock many of the same types of products that you’ll find at traditional grocery stores, such as produce. This sign reminded me of that as I walked in.

This Grocery Outlet store was similar in size to an Aldi or other small-format supermarket.


A view of a Grocery Outlet store in Maryland.

The front of Grocery Outlet included baked goods, plants, and other items.

Alex Bitter/BI

Grocery Outlet stores generally take up between 15,000 and 20,00 square feet, according to the company’s latest annual filing. Aldi stores, by comparison, are generally about 22,000 square feet.

Both grocery chains are much smaller than the format used by traditional supermarkets, which can take up twice as much space at about 40,000 square feet.

Grocery Outlet sells more than food.


A selection of indoor tropical plants sit at Grocery Outlet

The tropical potted plants were $15.99 each.

Alex Bitter/BI

As I walked through the front of the store, I found ceramic pots, gardening tools, and this selection of potted plants.

I found name-brand groceries …


Cases of La Croix sparkling water sit on a shelf at a Grocery Outlet store.

There were three flavors of La Croix seltzer.

Alex Bitter/BI

Grocery Outlet often touts that many of its products are name brands. That was true with these boxes of canned La Croix seltzer.

… as well as items I’d never heard of before.


Bottles of Good Sport beverages sit on a shelf at Grocery Outlet.

Bottles of Good Sport were $0.99 each at Grocery Outlet.

Alex Bitter/BI

I’ve written about and followed many food and beverage brands over the years, but I wasn’t familiar with Good Sport, a dairy-based sports drink.

Grocery Outlet also has its own brands.


A bag of White Corn Tortilla chips carries the SimplyGo name.

These bags of tortilla chips were being sold under the SimplyGo brand.

Alex Bitter/BI

Grocery Outlet makes some of its own products under the SimplyGo name, such as these tortilla chips.

The chain tries to stock store-branded goods and those from name brands “as evenly as possible,” Kasha told Business Insider.

Most of Grocery Outlet’s private-label items are “everyday grocery basics” such as butter, eggs, and paper towels, she said. “We source those traditionally to ensure our shoppers can find them each time they come to the store,” she said.

Many of the name-brand goods, meanwhile, are meant to create a “treasure hunt shopping experience,” Kasha said. Think about “a holiday-themed cereal, or a fun soda flavor that you’ve never heard of,” she said.

I saw products from some popular restaurant chains in the freezer aisle.


Hooters-branded Crab Cakes sit in the freezer section of a Grocery Outlet store.

I bought a box of these Hooters-branded crab cakes.

Alex Bitter/BI

These Hooters-branded crab cakes piqued my interest, given my reporting on the chain’s bankruptcy earlier this year.

I bought a box and tried them at home. They were unremarkable.

Some parts of Grocery Outlet looked like any other grocery store.


The produce section at Grocery Outlet, with slogans painted on the wall, including

Lemons, limes, and other fruit sit in the produce section of Grocery Outlet.

Alex Bitter/BI

In the back of the store, I found the produce section, which had many of the basic types of fruit and vegetables that other stores have, from eggplants to lemons.

The quality of the produce seemed decent.


Grapes, carrots, and other fresh produce sit in a cooler case at Grocery Outlet.

Grapes in a cooler at Grocery Outlet.

Alex Bitter/BI

I bought some red, seedless grapes and was happy with the quality.

Price tags that highlighted savings were everywhere.


A shelf tag at Grocery Outlet lists the price of red seedless grapes as $1.99 a pound -- and mentions that similar grapes sell

Every price tag at Grocery Outlet included a price for the item “elsewhere.”

Alex Bitter/BI

These grapes were $1.99 a pound at Grocery Outlet. The tag said that they’d cost $3.99 a pound “elsewhere,” which seems plausible to me, though I had no clue which other stores they were talking about.

There was a robust selection of Latin American groceries.


A selection of Mexican spices sit in packages on a shelf with the brand name

I bought some dried chiles at Grocery Outlet.

Alex Bitter/BI

Besides jars of salsa and tortillas, there was a range of spices often used in Mexican cooking. I picked up some dried chiles for my next homemade salsa rosa.

As I ventured deeper into the store, I saw more unusual products.


A package of Roma Old Bay-flavored sausages sit in a cooler case at Grocery Outlet

These Old Bay-flavored sausages intrigued me.

Alex Bitter/BI

I’d never seen sausages flavored with Old Bay, which I wanted to try but opted not to because I had a long drive home.

I saw products I didn’t know existed from popular brands like DiGiorno.


A DiGiorno breakfast croissant from the freezer section of Grocery Outlet.

I bought one of these breakfast croissants.

Alex Bitter/BI

This frozen personal DiGiorno “breakfast croissant” was $2.49, so I picked one up.

Many of the products I bought were fine, though not wonderful.


A DiGiorno croissant from Grocery Outlet sits on a cutting board after being heated up in an oven.

The breakfast croissant, after the prescribed 20 minutes in the oven.

Alex Bitter/BI

The breakfast croissant was good, though I probably won’t be rushing back for more.

Other products were surprisingly niche.


A bottle of Organic Hawaii Noni juice sits on the shelf at Grocery Outlet.

There was one last bottle of noni juice on the shelf at Grocery Outlet.

Alex Bitter/BI

I almost bought the last bottle of juice squeezed from noni, a fruit native to Southeast Asia and common in parts of the Pacific such as Hawaii.

Curious, I did a quick Google search and found that this same bottle was selling for more than $40 online, as the price tag said.

I started to get a sense of Grocery Outlet’s strategy the more I saw.


Oreo Truffles mix sits next to cookie mix from Chrissy Teigen's Cravings brand on a shelf at Grocery Outlet

Oreo Truffles Mix sat next to a cookie mix from a Chrissy Teigen brand in the baking aisle.

Alex Bitter/BI

Many of the products that Grocery Outlet sold at the location I visited were a little outside what you’d expect in a normal grocery store.

Oreo truffle mix? A breakfast croissant with cheese and ham? It felt like I had asked the beta version of an AI model to generate pictures of normal groceries.

Many of the prices were much lower than those in other stores in the area.


Cans of California Healthy Harvest diced tomatoes sit on a shelf at Grocery Outlet.

These cans of diced tomatoes were in the center of the store.

Alex Bitter/BI

These cans of diced tomatoes were from a brand I’ve never heard of — California Healthy Harvest. At $0.50 each, I bought two, since I hadn’t seen canned tomatoes so cheap elsewhere in the DC area where I live.

For the really value-focused shoppers, there was this “last chance” shelf in the back of the store.


The

There was a limited selection of products in the “last chance” section at Grocery Outlet.

Alex Bitter/BI

Given Grocery Outlet’s model, I was curious to see what kinds of groceries ended up in the clearance section.

The answer: huge tins of soda crackers for $1.17 each and 6-pound cans of salsa verde for $2.57 each.

As I headed for the checkout, I saw more merchandise that wasn’t food.


An orange Reese's-branded throw blanket sit on the shelf at Grocery Outlet.

This Reese’s-branded blanket was $7.99.

Alex Bitter/BI

There was a selection of candy-themed blankets, such as this orange Reese’s throw.

I also found an homage to the founder of Grocery Outlet.


A painted depiction of Grocery Outlet founder Jim Read on the wall of a Grocery Outlet store.

A depiction of Grocery Outlet’s founder, Jim Read, was painted in one corner of the store.

Alex Bitter/BI

Jim Read started what would become Grocery Outlet in 1946 by selling surplus military supplies, according to the company.

Like any supermarket, there was candy near the register, tempting me as I waited.


Bags of individually-packaged Peeps sit in a display at Grocery Outlet for $1.49 each.

Marshmallow Peeps were on steep discount nearly five months after Easter.

Alex Bitter/BI

These packs of Peeps came individually wrapped to make them easier to hide in Easter eggs.

It’s a great idea, but given that I was shopping at Grocery Outlet in September, I could see why they were so heavily discounted.

Shopping at Grocery Outlet was one of the most novel experiences I’ve had at a store.


Just inside the entrance to a Grocery Outlet store in Maryland.

I took one last look back at the Grocery Outlet as I walked out.

Alex Bitter/BI

The product selection was eclectic, and that’s no accident. Grocery Outlet’s “treasure hunt” strategy encourages customers to stop by regularly to see what’s new.

That could make it a hard place to shop if you tend to buy the same groceries every week or have dietary requirements.

On the other hand, many shoppers are looking to save money after years of inflation.

There are also signs that buying food from big, recognizable brands is no longer as important for shoppers as it once was, as evidenced by Aldi’s success with its store brands and Kraft Heinz’s decision to split into two companies.

Grocery Outlet reported comparable sales of just over 1% in the third quarter, the most recent reporting period. CEO Jason Potter said on an earnings call in November that he was “dissatisfied with” that result but hoped that sales would pick up in 2026.

I’ll probably be back, especially if Grocery Outlet opens more stores in my area.


A man taking a selfie and smiling outside a Grocery Outlet supermarket.

This grocery outlet was about 40 minutes from Washington, DC, proper.

Alex Bitter/BI

Grocery Outlet continues to open new stores, including another location in Pennsylvania in August.

If the chain continues to expand — especially on the East Coast — I bet I’ll be back at some point.




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I’m a personal trainer and mom of 4. Here are my 10 go-to meals and snacks to make in an air fryer.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

  • I’m a personal trainer and mom of four, and I love using my air fryer to make meals and snacks.
  • Homemade tortilla chips and stuffed peppers are some of my favorite things to make in an air fryer.
  • I also use my air fryer to make baked apples, breakfast bowls, and kale chips. 

My health-centered, active family focuses on nutrient-dense foods that provide us with energy.

We don’t shy away from less nutritious foods (everything in moderation), but most of our meals are centered on lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and healthy fats.

On top of that, I also face the ever-pressing need to appease all four of my kids. Making nutritious foods that appeal to everyone’s palate can be challenging, but using an air fryer helps.

I love that air fryers help create that crunchy, fried appeal without adding a ton of fat to a dish. Though fats can be nutritious, they are better consumed in proportion to the carbs and protein in your meal.

Plus, my air fryer doubles as another cooking tool when the stove or oven is in use, and my kids can use it to make food on their own without having to navigate burners and dials.

Here are some of my favorite air-fryer meals and snacks.

Ham-and-egg cups are an easy breakfast.

I make these breakfast bites in silicone cups.

Rachel MacPherson

Breakfast cups are nothing new in our house, but they require less time and effort to make because of the air fryer.

Plus, we can make them in small batches to suit each person’s tastes — and my kids have no problem creating their personalized mini egg cups.

The number of cups you can make at once may depend on the basket size of your air fryer. Usually, I can make eight at a time using silicone baking cups.

The ham-and-egg cups take about 15 minutes to make.


ham cheese in silicone wrapper in air fryer

You can easily customize the ham-and-egg cups.

Rachel MacPherson

Preheat your air fryer to 300°F.

Line each baking cup with a slice of ham or prosciutto for a fancier option. Mix eggs with salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings of your choice, such as Worcestershire sauce and red-pepper flakes.

Carefully place the ham-lined cups into the air fryer and pour the egg mixture into each. Add any veggies you prefer, such as chopped asparagus or cooked spinach. Sprinkle on a cheese of your choice. 

Let the egg cups cook for about 15 minutes. Serve hot, or let them cool slightly and store in the fridge to reheat later.

I like making breakfast bowls with air-fried veggies.


asparagus and tomatoes on foil in air fryer

You can use any vegetables you have on hand.

Rachel MacPherson

It can be challenging to have a vegetable-packed breakfast, but it’s a great way to better ensure you’ll get enough nutrients throughout your day.

With the air fryer, I can easily cook fresh produce in the morning. I like to use asparagus and tomatoes, pairing them with eggs that I’ve poached or “boiled” in the air fryer.

This produce-filled breakfast takes about 12 minutes to make and pairs well with toast.


asparagus tomato egg breakfast bowl

I like to use toast to sop up any juices.

Rachel MacPherson

Line your air fryer with foil and preheat it to 300°F.

Clean and snap asparagus, chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Add cherry or grape tomatoes to a bowl with asparagus, spritz with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the produce in the preheated air fryer for 10 to 12 minutes. If you prefer crunchy asparagus, leave it out until the last four to six minutes, and then place it on top of the tomatoes to finish cooking.

Serve with eggs and some toast for mopping up all the yummy juices.

I make chicken Parmesan without frying my cutlets in a ton of oil.


breaded chicken breasts on a piece of parchment paper

I bread my chicken (not pictured) before I cook it.

Candice Bell/Shutterstock

Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite comfort foods, and the air fryer helps me make it without having to pan-fry my protein in oil.

For two 8-ounce chicken breasts, you’ll need about ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. You’ll also need two eggs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella for topping.

Air-fryer chicken Parmesan pairs well with pasta.


homemade chicken parmesan

My chicken Parmesan is usually served with pasta.

Nancy Salmon/Shutterstock

First, pound the chicken breasts until they are a uniform thickness, about 1/2 inch. Then set your air fryer to 360°F.

Combine the Parmesan and breadcrumbs in one dish and add any desired seasonings, such as garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and red-pepper flakes. Whisk your eggs in a separate bowl. Coat each piece of chicken in egg, then in the crumb mixture.

Place the breasts in the preheated air fryer and cook for six minutes. Flip and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella. Cook an additional four minutes or so until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

We like to serve the cutlets on top of pasta with more marinara sauce.

Seasoned pumpkin seeds are a great snack.


pumpkin seeds with seasoning in bowl

Making your own seasoned nuts and seeds in the air fryer is game-changing.

Rachel MacPherson

We buy a lot of seeds in bulk, so switching up the flavor profile helps turn them into coveted snacks. We especially enjoy using seeds from squash, such as pumpkins, for this recipe.

Cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika are all excellent choices for seasoning seeds, though you can experiment with other flavors you enjoy.

You can season the seeds to be sweet or savory.


pumpkin seeds in air fryer

Sometimes, I use cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Rachel MacPherson

Toss your seeds with a bit of olive oil and salt. Place them in the air fryer at 320°F, periodically opening the machine to shake the seeds to ensure even cooking.

Cook for about 15 minutes or until the seeds are crispy. Then, toss the seeds in a bowl with a bit of oil and your preferred seasonings.

Baked apples are a favorite of ours, and they’re easily adaptable to most dietary preferences.


apples with cinnamon on them in an air fryer

We use our air fryer for more than just savory foods.

Rachel MacPherson

One of my family’s favorite air-fryer desserts is a fruity crumble that we usually make with apples.

After all, baking fruit is a delicious way to bring out its natural sugars and create a deeply comforting dessert that’s both nutritious and satisfying.

You can make this dessert in under 30 minutes.


baked apple crumble

You can pair the baked apples with whipped cream.

Rachel MacPherson

Simply combine 1 or 2 tablespoons of a fat, such as butter or coconut oil, with the same amount of oats, chopped nuts, and shredded coconut.

Add a sweetener, such as monk fruit, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, and some warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cut the apples in half and top them with spoonfuls of the mixture you’ve created. Cook them in a preheated air fryer at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Top with vanilla frozen yogurt, ice cream, or whipped cream.

This recipe can also be made with bananas or pears, though you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Polenta pizzas are an excellent snack, mini meal, or appetizer that can be dressed up or down.


polenta rounds in air fryer

I use polenta rounds as my base for the mini pizzas.

Rachel MacPherson

My kids love the idea of mini pizzas — and if you use fresh mozzarella, basil, and a balsamic reduction, you’ve got a fancy-ish hors d’oeuvre.

For the base, I slice up a tube of precooked polenta. From there, you can use whichever sauces, cheeses, and extra toppings you’d like.

These rounds can be customized with any toppings.


polenta topped with cheese and sauce in air fryer

I often make my own marinara sauce.

Rachel MacPherson

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F, then spritz the basket with olive oil. 

Create 1-inch-thick polenta slices, and place them in the air fryer, topping them with another spritz of oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. After five minutes, top the polenta with marinara sauce and your choice of cheese, as well as any other cooked toppings you desire.

Cook for another five minutes, then plate with fresh basil and balsamic glaze, if desired.

Pro tip: You can make a quick marinara using tomato sauce, a splash of balsamic and/or Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat this in the microwave (lightly covered) to blend the flavors.

I make my own tortilla chips in the air fryer.


tortilla slices in air fryer

You can use corn tortillas to make chips.

Rachel MacPherson

We make a lot of tacos with corn tortillas, but they go stale quickly. To avoid food waste while creating a tasty snack, we turn them into chips in our air fryer.

The chips can be ready in under 10 minutes.


tortilla chips homemade

I use a strainer to cool chips so they don’t get soggy.

Rachel MacPherson

Preheat your air fryer to 350°F. Cut small corn tortillas into quarters, spray with olive oil, and season with salt.

Place your pieces in the air-fryer basket, ensuring they’re not overlapping. Cook in batches for five to seven minutes at a time, flipping each chip halfway through.

Use a strainer to cool your batches of chips so they don’t get soggy.

I use leftover produce to make a rich air-fryer salsa.


salsa ingredients in air fryer

“Roasting” the vegetables adds flavor.

Rachel MacPherson

Fresh salsa is incredible, but roasted salsa is an easy way of using up bits and pieces to create a deep, rich dip for your air-fried tortilla chips.

The best part is you can adjust the heat, garlic, and seasonings to your preferences.

To make the salsa, I use an air fryer and a food processor.


salsa in bowl

I usually add cumin and cayenne pepper to my salsa.

Rachel MacPherson

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.

Add garlic cloves, hot peppers of choice, tomatoes, and onion to the preheated air-fryer basket and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.

You may want to remove the stems and seeds from your peppers before cooking them. Leave garlic cloves in their skin, as they will roast and become deliciously mushy and caramelized.

Cook everything for about 15 minutes, or until your veggies look slightly charred. Then, pulse your ingredients in a food processor to your desired chunkiness.

Add cilantro and fresh lime juice, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cumin and cayenne pepper make excellent additions.

For a protein-packed dish, I stuff peppers with tuna salad.


tuna stuffed peppers with shredded cheese in air fryer

I can usually fit two whole peppers in my air fryer.

Rachel MacPherson

Tuna salad is the star of many protein-packed dishes in our house. It’s quick and requires no thawing or cooking.

However, sandwiches can become boring after a while. When we crave something warm, we stuff tuna into bell peppers.

You can also easily customize these stuffed peppers.


tuna stuffed peppers

You can customize this recipe however you want.

Rachel MacPherson

Preheat your air fryer to 360°F.

Cut your bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Then, top each pepper slice with your favorite tuna salad — we make ours with mayo, Greek yogurt, green onions, diced pickles, and hot peppers.

Cook for 10 minutes, and then sprinkle with mozzarella or your favorite cheese. Cook for another two or three minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles.

Lastly, we love to snack on air-fried kale chips.


cooked kale in air fryer

You can season kale chips however you want.

Rachel MacPherson

This is another crunchy and quick savory snack that provides a ton of nutrients in a snap. 

Strip the leaves off the stems from a bunch of kale and rip them into pieces. Place them in a bowl and spritz with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Massage the kale until it turns softer and becomes a brighter green. Place in the air fryer preheated to 370°F and cook for about five minutes.

Remove the leaves when they appear crispy and have a slight color. Season the kale chips as desired. We use garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

This story was originally published in 2021, and most recently updated on January 2, 2025.




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