Are Air Fryers Dangerous?

Source: newsbomb.gr

Ι thought to mention some facts about a device that most of us have or want to have. Those who have received instructions from their doctor to remove fried food from their nutrition and take care of their health but still want “fried” food usually buy an air fryer. Although it is often called a “fryer,” this device does not fry the food but bakes it at very high temperatures with the help of hot air. This warm air circulates evenly with the help of a fan at a speed of 70 km/h.

Because air fryers do require oil, various companies have released many models. The air fryer market size was estimated at 708.53 billion dollars in 2022 and over 759.54 billion in 2023. According to market research by Sky Quest, it is expected to exceed 1324.68 billion by 2031.

Typically, companies bypass some security protocols in the sacrifice of easy and fast money, with electrical malfunctions and bad wiring posing risks to users’ safety. Millions of air fryers have been recalled after hundreds of people reported burn injuries, fryer fires, overheating, melting, and other dangerous malfunctions. From March 2023 through March 2024, over 2.6 million air fryers have been recalled. Although these air fryers are branded and well-known, most are manufactured in China.

• Overheating: Many air fryers tend to overheat, which can cause their components to melt or disintegrate. Overheating can also lead to fire hazards, as seen in the recalls of the Insignia and Cosori models, where reports indicated that these air fryers caught fire or emitted smoke.
• Electrical malfunctions: Faulty wiring and poor electrical connections significantly contribute to recalls. For example, Cosori recalled several air fryers due to wiring problems that could cause the device to overheat and cause a fire.
• Melting parts: Reports of handles melting or breaking under high temperatures have led to recalls, posing burn hazards to users. This was particularly concerning for Insignia air fryers, where melting handles were linked to overheating incidents.
• Shattering glass: Some air fryers have glass doors that can shatter when overheated, creating a risk of injury. This issue was also highlighted in the recalls of some Insignia models.
• Design flaws: Some air fryers have sharp edges or other design points that can cause injuries when handling or cleaning them. In some models, there have been reports of injuries from sharp metal edges.
• Non-stick paper: Non-stick paper is usually used to prevent the fryer from filling with fat or food remnants, which may cause fire hazards. When the non-stick paper protrudes upwards, the resistances of the fryer come in contact with it and cause a fire.

In terms of health:

• When we cook French fries at a high temperature (above 120°C), a chemical reaction creates acrylamide, which is probably carcinogenic. In 1994, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified acrylamide as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A. So, even without oil, fried food may contain carcinogenic acrylamide as it is air-fried at high temperatures. Frozen French fries, when air-fried according to the recipes provided by the manufacturers, were found to contain acrylamide at levels ranging from 102μg/kg to 7,038μg/kg, a 68-fold difference! The acrylamide content of half of the models exceeded the EU reference level (500μg/kg)!
• In another test using the model with the highest level of acrylamide (7038μg/kg), the acrylamide content of French fries dropped significantly to 207μg/kg when the cooking time was reduced by 8 minutes (while the cooking temperature remained unchanged). When the cooking temperature decreased from 200 °C to 150°C (while the cooking time remained the same), the acrylamide content of French fries dropped significantly to 444 µg/kg.

The results demonstrated that cooking temperature and time could significantly affect the level of acrylamide produced. Therefore, consumers should adjust the cooking time and temperature according to the food’s size, quantity, and thickness and try to avoid frying at a high temperature or for a long time to reduce the risks of acrylamide intake.