SAVE 36%: Apple’s most affordable AirPods alternative, the Beats Flex wireless earbuds, just got even more affordable. Snag a pair for only $44.99 at Walmart as of June 14 — that’s $25 off their MSRP.

Beats by Dre, which is under the Apple umbrella, is known for its style, cutting-edge technology, and impressive audio quality. All of that generally comes at a cost. The Beats Flex, however, are an actually affordable AirPods alternative — and they just got even cheaper.

The Beats Flex are powered by Apple’s W1 headphone chip, which helps to integrate them into your world of Apple products. Audio-wise, the Beats Flex offer a “bass-forward sound signature with plenty of sculpting in the highs,” according to a review from PCMag (which is owned by Mashable’s publisher, Ziff Davis).

What makes the Beats Flex stand out is their pleasingly simple design. For those not sold on the true wireless earbud form (and poor battery life), the neckband style of the Beats Flex is a welcome alternative. They’re even equipped with a magnetic connection, so you can keep them secure around your neck when you’re not listening.

The 12-hour battery life allows you to listen all day long without needing a power boost. While it’s not quite as good as over-ear headphones, it’s definitely competitive in the earbud realm. If you manage to jam out for 12 hours straight, you can even get 1.5 hours of extra fuel with a 10-minute Fast Fuel charge.

They’re no Beats Fit Pro, but if you’re looking for simplicity, flexibility, and affordability, you can’t go wrong with 36% off the Flex buds.

Explore related content:

• Which wireless earbuds have the best sound? These are our top picks.

• Best noise-cancelling headphones for blocking out the outside world

• Look to sound quality and battery life when shopping for new headphones

SAVE $50: Sometimes a traditional upright vacuum is the best tool for the job. The Dyson Ball MultiFloor Origin is on sale for only $249.99 at Walmart as of June 14 — that’s about 17% in savings.

Robot vacuums, while extremely convenient, aren’t always strong enough to conquer every mess on your floors. That’s where an upright vacuum still reigns supreme.

Tackle your biggest messes at home with this deal on a Dyson Ball MultiFloor Origin. It’s on sale for just $249.99 at Walmart as of June 14 — that’s $50 cheaper than its usual $299.99 MSRP.

The Dyson Ball MultiFloor Origin seals in suction as it glides over living room carpets and hardwood kitchen floors. Its self-adjusting cleaner head automatically switches depending on the surface. With its Ball design, it can navigate the tight corners around your furniture and other obstacles in your home with a slight turn of the wrist, making it great for whole house cleaning.

When you need to clean up the cobwebs that collected on the tops of your curtains, pop off the wand and hose in one quick, smooth action and you’re ready to roll. Snap on the combination tool when you need to pick up dust and dirt in harder-to-reach places, like corners and between couch cushions, or opt for the stair tool for simple, effective cleaning on the steps. Note that the hose can feel incredibly stiff at first, so it may take some breaking in to reach all the spots that need cleaning.

Since it’s bagless, you can dump the dirt and dust with a push of a button and wash the filter for reuse. Just be warned (in a good way): One reviewer was “appalled at what all it picked up in just the first use.”

Explore related content:

• The best stick, upright, and robot vacuums for pet hair

• The best Dyson vacuums: A guide to the latest versions of stick, ball, and handheld cleaners

• Your ultimate guide to buying a vacuum

Wherever you are in the world, whatever the season, it’s heating up in Wordle land — to 360 degrees! Look, we’re not scientists, just word nerds, and we’re celebrating Wordle number 360. And while we know that working it out all by yourself is the most satisfying way, if you get stuck and start to get nervous about your streak, we’ve got some tips and hints to nudge you towards the solution.

You can to skip to the very end of this article for the answer to the June 14 Wordle — or scroll down for a few general tips, subtle hints, and strategies to help you every day.

Wordle was created by former Reddit engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his puzzle-loving partner, but soon went mega-viral. Thousands of people around the globe now play this game each day, and fans have even created alternatives to Wordle inspired by the original format. This includes music identification game Heardle, Hollywood nerd faves Actorle and Framed, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

In fact, the word puzzle game has proved so popular that the New York Times eventually bought it, and TikTok creators livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you’re after? You’ll find the Wordle answer for June 13 here.

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

We have some ideas to help you pick the perfect first move (or as close to perfect as you can get without just magically guessing the exact right word). Such tips include choosing a word with at least two different vowels in it, plus a few common consonants such as S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

While you could once play the entire archive of past puzzles, the archive was taken down at the request of the New York Times, according to the site.

Is Wordle getting harder?

If you’ve been finding Wordle too easy, there is a Hard Mode you can enable to give yourself more of a challenge. But unless you activate this mode, we can assure you that Wordle isn’t getting harder. 

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

The whole point of Wordle is that everyone’s solving the same puzzle, with the same answer, no matter where you are in the world. However, occasionally the puzzle game will accept two different correct solutions on the same day, in apparent defiance of Wordle law.

This aberration is due to changes the New York Times began making after it acquired Wordle earlier this year. To make sure you’re always getting the same puzzle as everyone else, refresh your browser before you play — don’t worry, the site will keep your streak.

A subtle hint for the June 14 Wordle answer:

It’s a verb!

Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…

The letter A!

What’s the answer to Wordle on June 14?

OK…

Ready?

The answer to today’s Wordle is…

ATONE.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Amanda Yeo and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Are you a Bitcoin holder currently wallowing in despair seeing your crypto investment plunging off a cliff?

Don’t worry. It can always be worse. You could be El Salvador.

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, is a big crypto bro and he’s invested big into Bitcoin. And when I say he invested in Bitcoin, I mean the El Salvadorian taxpayers have invested in Bitcoin because that’s whose money he’s used to buy Bitcoin.

As of June 13, 2022, El Salvador’s Bitcoin investments are worth roughly half what Bukele paid. 

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El Salvador doled out more than $60,300 per Bitcoin in October 2021 when Buekele “bought the dip” and acquired 420 Bitcoins, the highest price per Bitcoin it paid. The lowest was just last month, on May 9, when Bukele once again “bought the dip” and acquired 500 Bitcoins for more than $30,700 each.

The current price of Bitcoin is around $23,000 and continuing to fall. This means that as of now, every purchase was a loser. There wasn’t a single purchase made under the current value.

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The country of El Salvador currently holds 2,301 Bitcoin, valued around $53 million at the time of publishing. That’s around 50 percent of the $105.6 million that Bukele invested.

The crypto market has tanked over the past month and a half, plagued by a series of events like the failure of the stablecoin Terra and the insolvency of a major DeFi lender, Celsius. Basically, anyone who discovered Bitcoin over the past 18 months and decided to invest (see: the mainstream public) is currently underwater.

This is obviously not good news for El Salvador, a country that was already facing financial turmoil. Bukele went all-in on Bitcoin, hedging his bets and even working to make El Salvador the first country in the world to accept Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021. 

Shockingly, Bitcoin did not solve El Salvador’s problems. Bukele, who has been described as an authoritarian by his critics, has still had to deal with the issues facing his country, such as a violent crime wave that led to Bukele jailing 2 percent of El Salvador’s adult population. On top of all that, he’s had to deal with protests, which were blowback from the Bitcoin laws he helped create.

The falling crypto market hasn’t changed Bukele’s mind on Bitcoin either. Bukele had planned to issue “volcano bonds” in order to raise funds, which would have been used to create a “Bitcoin city.” However, the bonds, which were supposed to launch in March, have since been postponed due to, well, the current crypto market conditions. 

Now, it’s true that Bukele won’t have technically lost anything until he sells. Maybe if he keeps hodling, they’ll recoup some of the money he’s down. But time is not on El Salvador’s side. Thanks in part to these failed Bitcoin experiments, El Salvador looks like it may possibly default.

The apparent lesson is that, shockingly, gambling away taxpayer money on highly speculative crypto investments is not a good way to run a country.

‘Evil’ stars Katja Herbers, Mike Colton and Michael Emerson go into detail on their biggest internet fears and temptations. Michael Emerson and Katja Herbers give a little insight into the feud between Leland and Kristen’s kids. Evil Season 3 is currently streaming on Paramount+.

For 27 years, audiences have followed Buzz Lightyear and his friends to infinity and beyond in a string of Toy Story movies and shorts. But now, with Lightyear, the Buzz we know and love gets a down-to-Earth plotline, which re-imagines him as a real man facing some all-too-real inner demons.

While kiddos might be confused about the concept, the whole family will revel in Lightyear. Pixar’s latest boasts thrilling action, clever callbacks, and a new cast of cute and quirky characters that blast off in a rousing space ranger adventure. 

How does Lightyear connect to Toy Story? 

Buzz Lightyear, the child’s plaything, is merchandise from a movie that Andy loves. That movie is Lightyear. An opening title card lays this out. That might not make sense to the little kid contingent of the audience. Yet they probably won’t be too caught up in the particulars once the action gets going, which is almost immediately. As for the rest of us, if you understand the chronology of the Star Wars movies, then you’ll have no trouble following how this fits into the Toy Story cinematic universe. 

Lightyear is a prequel of sorts, giving an origin story to Buzz’s signature suit, his dramatic flair for solo derring-do, and even classic lines like, “There seems to be no sign of intelligent life anywhere.” Funny enough, this movie essentially retcons Tim Allen as the knock-off voice actor who is hired to lend voice to toys when it’s not in the star’s contract. Tying the two together, Evans does a solid Allen imitation when Buzz is first “narrating” a mission log into his bracer. It’s a self-important habit that Buzz’s bestie, Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), gleefully teases him about. This friendly conflict also hints that this Buzz’s journey will mirror his toy version’s arc —  learning not to take himself so seriously. 

Lightyear’s plotline touches on guilt, time travel, and misfits

Credit: Disney / Pixar

Directed and co-written by Angus MacLane, Lightyear begins on an uncharted alien planet, where Buzz has crash landed, leaving the ship and its passengers marooned. While Alisha and the others build a settlement (and battle back the resident species of big bugs and clutching plants), Buzz dedicates himself to test flights to fix their hyperdrive system and get them all back home. There’s just one hitch: Every leap into hyperdrive sends Buzz four years into the future. So, Alisha ages, gets married, and begins a family, while the society around her grows as well. But Buzz, hellbent on his solo mission, is frozen in time. 

That is until the colony comes under threat from a mysterious robot overlord called Zurg (James Brolin). Determined to save the day, Buzz reluctantly teams up with his robo-cat Sox (Peter Sohn) and a trio of wannabe space rangers: Alisha’s plucky granddaughter Izzy (Keke Palmer), an elderly parolee with a deep love of explosives (Dale Soules), and a cowardly Kiwi voiced by Thor: Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi. 

Chris Evans brings new emotional depths to Buzz Lightyear

Credit: Disney / Pixar

Like his playtime counterpart, Buzz is a man of action over emotion. He rushes headfirst into dangerous quests rather than confronting his feelings of guilt, regret, and loss. That is, until he can’t run anymore. Instead of a mournful Randy Newman song and a crushing fall from a banister, this Buzz comes face-to-face with how his good intentions and self-sacrifice aren’t enough. He needs a community as much as they need him. And yes, that includes a cat who talks, does advanced mathematics, and burps up a butane lighter as needed. 

Evans has plenty of experience playing a superhero with unprocessed trauma (see any Captain America movie). All of that bleeds into his vocal performance here. Buzz’s tone can go from unblinking bravado to trembling aggravation, from crestfallen vulnerability to fragile joy. Evans expresses the undercurrent of emotions that beat within the heart of a hero whose greatest fear is admitting that he might not be able to go it all alone. 

Keke Palmer and Taika Waititi are terrific, but Sox is a scene-stealer

Credit: Disney / Pixar

Evans’s nuanced performance grounds the higher stakes of this spinoff, where the lives of a whole colony depend on Buzz and his team. Meanwhile, the rest of the voice cast offers broader — more cartoony — vocal performances, providing a terrific contrast to brow-furrowed Buzz.

More importantly, Palmer, Waititi, Sohn, and Soules bring a wacky unpredictability to the atmosphere with popping vocal performances, alive with attitude. Waititi makes a conversation about a curious sandwich laugh-out-loud funny. Soules is reliably wild as a gruff but lovable granny. Palmer matches Evans for star power throughout, yet her standout moment is the definitive delivery of the word “no.” (When you see it, you’ll see why. Expanses are expressed in that no.) But Sohn’s pet-bot is running away with this movie. 

Sox — an orange cat who is a pal to a space-trekking superhero and has weird powers you wouldn’t predict from its humble feline facade — feels like a repeat of Captain Marvel’s cat, Goose. (Well, that and Disney’s most obvious ploy for a cuddly toy tie-in.) Yet MacLane and co-writer Jason Headley have worked in the sci-fi quirks of this cat so well, it’s impossible to be bothered by the Disney double-beat. From the moment Sox offers his version of sleep sounds (from whale to “white noise”), you can’t help but become a cat person…or at least a “robot feline” person. 

Lightyear is a rollicking good time

Credit: Disney / Pixar

This spinoff pays tribute to the Buzz that’s come before, with callbacks to his lines, look, gadgets, attitude, and more. And even though it walks in the shadow of the giant that is Toy Story, Lightyear manages to set its own course for fresh adventure. 

The elements from the past are a launchpad, not solely a ploy to lure in audiences who grew up with these movies. Director Angus MacLane offers exhilarating action sequences, involving racing rockets, robot armies, and a truly breathtaking space walk. The animation is Pixar in its comfort zone, building incredible worlds full of adorably oddball characters. The whole endeavor is bolstered by a vibrant voice cast, lively and full of heart. In the end, Toy Story fans will have plenty of new reasons to cheer in Lightyear.

Lightyear comes to theaters June 17.

Going to the gym is so 2019.

Since the start of the pandemic, working from home and working out from home became the norm — and we don’t think the almighty home gym is going anywhere.

While building a home gym might be easy for folks with extra rooms and garages to spare, not everyone has space to house a treadmill and a million other fitness machines. That’s where smart fitness mirrors come in. And no, the Mirror isn’t the only one on the market anymore.

How do workout mirrors work?

Fitness mirrors work by displaying a professional trainer on a screen to lead you through a workout. Some options act as actual mirrors that allow you to see yourself and the trainer as you exercise, allowing you to self-correct your form. Other options aren’t actually mirrors at all, but give you AI-powered form recommendations, among other smart features.

Instead of streaming a Chloe Ting workout from your tiny phone every day, workout mirrors display a trainer right in front of you on a big screen with a small footprint. Most only require a few feet of wall real estate and can be mounted on the wall or used with a stand. You’ll obviously need a few feet of open space to do your workout comfortably, but you’ll be able to take a yoga class, work on your cardio, and lift weights without needing to own any huge, bulky machines. Owning a fitness mirror is basically like working out in the future.

All workout mirrors will require a close outlet and a stable, speedy internet connection to access live and on-demand workout classes. The list of the best fitness mirrors below also includes both touchscreen options and mirrors that have to be controlled through a smartphone app.

Are fitness mirrors worth it?

If you’re the kind of person who can’t just go to the gym and lift weights to the sound of music, a workout mirror can make getting in shape way more motivating. Most fitness mirrors emulate the vibe of a studio style class with a pro trainer, guided exercises, and high-energy music. If you’re the type of person that pays (or would pay) hundreds per month to take a class in a fitness studio, a workout mirror will save you tons of money in the long run.

All of the fitness mirrors on this list require a separate monthly or yearly subscription to access live and on-demand content. These memberships usually run around $30 to $40 per month, but it is an additional cost to consider. In short, workout mirrors will be worth it for people who will actually use them on a regular basis and can justify the ongoing monthly membership costs.

Which fitness mirror is best?

For most people, we’d recommend the Mirror. It looks great in pretty much any home, has insanely polished classes, and has the capability for personal training, if you’re into that. As the first workout mirror of its kind, The Mirror has a pretty large community and a big backlog of classes. The workouts are powered by Lululemon, so the yoga and bodyweight classes are particularly good. It doesn’t come with any included accessories and you probably wont do any really heavy lifting here, but the classes it does offer are motivating and well-paced. There are also filters on the compatible app that allow you to search for exactly the class you want, down to the equipment needed, intensity level, time, and instructor.

If you’re interested in weight lifting or strength training, consider Tonal or Tempo. Tempo uses free weights, while Tonal features smart digital weight in the form of a cable machine. Both systems use AI sensors to correct your form, but Tonal goes the extra mile in the smart features category. Long story short, if you want to learn how to bench press, squat, and deadlift, go for Tempo. If you’re looking to get toned and tune into in-depth smart metrics, go for Tonal.

If none of these three options sound up your alley, there are plenty of other workout mirrors on the market, each with its own unique features. Read on to discover the best fitness mirrors of 2022, and see how the Mirror stacks up to the competition.

UPDATE: Jun. 13, 2022, 5:00 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include information on Peloton bike and membership pricing.

You probably know that the pricey, cult-favorite Peloton bikes skyrocketed in demand in the beginning of the pandemic. As gyms and boutique fitness studios shuttered in 2020 and folks turned to exercising from home, home gym equipment (especially connected versions like cycling bikes and smart mirrors) became indispensable. They were a way to work off stress, helped people stay active indoors, and offered an online community through app- and Zoom-based classes.

But now, over two years into the pandemic, demand for Peloton fitness equipment has slowed down significantly, and the future of the connected fitness brand is unclear. For buyers in the market to build out their home gyms, purchasing a bike from Peloton might not be top of mind any longer.

What’s going on with the Peloton layoffs?

According to a report from CNBC at the end of January 2022, Peloton planned to temporarily halt production of their connected bikes and treadmills due to waning demand. The company paused manufacturing for two months to recoup costs following diminishing interest in their products, which they attributed to increased price sensitivity on the part of consumers, as well as a steep hike in competitor activity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid these production issues, Peloton also announced on Feb. 8 that 2,800 workers would be laid off and that the Peloton CEO and founder, John Foley, would be stepping down.

If you’re still in the market for an at-home fitness bike, it’s no longer Peloton or bust. There are some amazing studio-quality bikes available that will give you the same thrill and sweat as a Peloton bike. Some of them are even compatible with the Peloton app.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Peloton?

Peloton isn’t as expensive as it once was — due to some company instability (and, probably, competitor prices) the bike brand has dropped the permanent prices on its flagship bikes multiple times. The OG bike originally sat at $2,195, was dropped to $1,895, then to $1,495 and now sits at $1,195. Similarly, the Bike+ went from $2,495 to $1,995 since it’s 2020 release. These prices, of course, are on top of the monthly membership fee that was hiked up to $44/month as of June 1, 2022.

Even considering the bike price drops, there are way more stationary bikes on the market than just Peloton, meaning there’s pretty much one for every budget.

When shopping for an indoor bike, decide what type of cycling experience you want. Are you looking for a studio-style bike with an attached screen? Do you want to be able to stream interactive workouts directly to your bike? Or are you looking for something cheaper that can use your own device for workout streaming? The driving question here is which app or site you want to get your workouts from, or if you just want a bike to pedal indoors while watching TV. Bikes without connected monitors tend to be hundreds of dollars cheaper than those with flashy screens.

Who is Peloton’s biggest competitor?

Peloton’s biggest competitors are myxfitness, the Equinox/SoulCycle at-home bike, NordicTrack and Echelon. All of these bikes feature large touchscreens and streamed live/on-demand fitness classes — so they’ll all get you close to the Peloton experience. Some specifics like memberships, upfront cost, and tech specs set them apart from each other, and we’ll get into that below.

Is the Echelon bike as good as Peloton?

The Echelon bike is a solid choice as a Peloton alternative. It’s about $900 cheaper than the no-longer-available Peloton Bike+, and it features the same type of rotating screen that rolled out with the launch of the Bike+. It also has a comparable monthly membership fee to Peloton: you’ll have to pay $39.99 per month to access Echelon’s library of live and on-demand workouts. The membership will get you a pretty good selection of workout options, with classes ranging from HIIT bike rides to floor and mat-focused strength, yoga, and boxing classes.

What type of resistance is best?

The two main resistance types for indoor cycling bikes are friction and magnetic resistance. Bikes with friction resistance use felt pads that compress the flywheel of your bike when the resistance is adjusted. Magnetic drive cycles, on the other hand, use strong magnets on the flywheel to create the sensation of heavier or lighter resistance.

Friction bikes tend to be cheaper, but since the felt pads need to be replaced when they wear out, they’ll bring a recurring cost. A cycle with a magnetic drive will be much quieter than one with a friction resistance system, and basically won’t need any maintenance over its life span — but the upfront cost might be more.

What should I look for in a spin bike?

Some of the most important things to look for in a stationary bike are the type of resistance, flywheel weight, adjustability, and pedal type. Decide between magnetic resistance or friction resistance according to your budget and desired upkeep on your bike.

You’ll also want to make sure the bike you purchase is suited to your height and weight for the most comfortable ride. Remember that the heavier the user, the heavier flywheel weight you’ll want for maximum stability.

And just a note about how some reviewers of these bikes complain about the seat not being comfortable: That’s a pretty common complaint about Peloton bike seats as well. They are, after all, bike seats.

What is the best alternative to Peloton?

To get a Peloton-like experience with even more added high-tech features, we recommend the NordicTrack S22i Commercial Studio Cycle. This bike is truly the most versatile: it comes with a free 30-day iFit subscription, lets you stream movies and TV to the screen, and has added incline and decline on top of resistance for an extra workout challenge. You’ll also notice a 360-degree rotating screen that opens up a whole world of floor and mat workouts for those days when you need a break from riding. This feature was only just released at Peloton with the launch of the Bike+, so NordicTrack is 100% on top of the trends.

If you’re not already sold on a NordicTrack bike, check out our full list of the best Peloton alternatives on the market:

There’s something idyllic about hot dogs in the summertime. It’s the simplest food and it always works, whether it’s from the grill, on the boardwalk, or at a ballgame. Don’t ask me how or why, but hot dogs simply hit differently in the summer. They’re meant to be enjoyed when the weather is nice.

But here’s a little secret: You don’t need to fire up the grill to have a delicious hot dog this summer. You can make a great dog in the air fryer in just eight minutes. Plus, you can make a spicy topping at about that time as well, if you’re like me and want your food to have a bit of heat.

Here’s what you need to know about the recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 hot dogs (or as many as you like)

• 4 hot dog buns (or as many as you need)

• 1 jalapeño (optional, for spicy topping)

• Half of a small white onion, diced very finely (optional)

Directions

1. Lay your hot dogs out on a cutting board in a row. Using a knife, carefully score the hot dogs on the diagonal. Do not cut through the dogs. Make only a shallow cut.

2. Flip the dogs over. Using a knife, score the hot dogs in the opposite direction.

3. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with eight minutes of cook time. Toss your buns in the air fryer basket as it preheats so they toast as you wait.

4. Once the air fryer has preheated, remove the buns.

5. Put your hot dogs and the whole jalapeño in the air fryer. Cook for about eight minutes.

6. While that cooks, dice the onion as finely as possible.

7. Once the hot dogs are done — you can cook for less or more time, depending on how crisp you like them — place each link in a bun.

8. Once the jalapeño has cooled enough to touch it, dice it to about the same size as the onion. If you like spice, keep the seeds, if not, discard them. Mix the onion with the jalapeño, then use it to top the hot dogs. Add any other condiments you like and enjoy!

The details

This is a wildly simple recipe. I’d like to see someone mess it up. I think it’s impossible. Because even if you make a mistake, cooking a hot dog essentially amounts to cooking it to your desired crispness. And the air fryer heats so well that you’ll almost assuredly get a nice, crispy result.

Seriously, with about ten minutes and a few knife skills, there’s precious little to mess up. Scoring the hot dog can seem unnecessary, at first. And technically it’s not something you have to do. I just like the result better because the hot dog expands and crisps further when it’s scored — the added surface area gets nice and charred. Scoring is easy, once you’ve done it. Here’s how it looked as I scored my hot dogs.

Cut into the hot dog but not through it.
Credit: Mashable

Once that process is done, it’s as easy as tossing stuff in the air fryer. My favorite trick I’ve come up with in the air fryer is to toast any kind of bread as you preheat. So make sure you do that with the buns. It takes little effort but results in a better overall product — toasted buns are superior to smooshy, soft buns — and I’ve found, at least in my air fryer, that the preheat is the perfect length of time for toasting.

Then you dice some onions, dice some roasted jalapeños, and bam, you’ve got some hot dogs that are juicy, tasty, and a little spicy.

Jalapeños, always a good idea.,
Credit: Mashable

It’s a very easy recipe, kicked up just a little bit the jalapeño addition. Here’s how my final product looked.

Not bad, right?
Credit: Mashable

Is this as good as a grilled dog? Honestly, I think so. At least if you’re using a gas grill. I do love the taste of charcoal, but it seems like a heck of a lot of work to light a charcoal fire for a few hot dogs. Gas grills, meanwhile, don’t add any flavor and the result would be as good while requiring more work.

So next time you feel like having a barbecue, I say save the space on the grill for other items, just air fry your hot dogs.

SAVE $301: As of June 13. the Shark IQ Self-Empty XL Robot Vacuum is on sale for only $299 at Walmart. That’s 50% in savings and the lowest price we’ve seen to date.

Summer days can feel very fleeting, and you’ll want to free up as much time as you can to make the most of the season. One small way you can add some extra time to your schedule: delegating to a robot vacuum.

Just in time to help you out, the Shark IQ Self-Empty XL Robot Vacuum is on sale for just $299 at Walmart. That’s 50% off its MSRP of $599.99.

How does the Shark IQ free up time for you? It lets you forget about vacuuming for 45 days thanks to its extra-large self-emptying base. It also offers faster mapping of your home’s floors for a more efficient cleaning. Instead of bouncing around, it methodically cleans row by row and then navigates room to room for complete coverage. You can even use the app to select whether you want to clean certain rooms or your whole place.

Our top pick for a mid-range self-emptier, the Shark IQ is a solid choice for a robot vacuum for pet parents, too, as it features a self-cleaning brush roll that removes hair as it cleans. (That means it shouldn’t end up with hair wrapped around it constantly.)

When it’s done cleaning, the IQ will head back to the base to refuel until its next session — all while you kick back and relax.

Explore related content:

• The best robot vacuums for every budget

• These are the best robot vacuums for carpet and rugs

• The best self-emptying robot vacuums to take yet another cleaning task off your hands