Food Safety Focus (208th Issue, November 2023) – Article 4

Food Safety Tips for Using Air Fryers

The air fryer is a popular home appliance as it is able to cook food quickly with little oil, with a resulting texture which resembles that produced by deep frying. Despite its name, it is actually a small convection oven with hot air circulated by a fan.

To prevent food poisoning, cook food thoroughly, especially for larger chunks of food. Do not overload air fryers. Turn the food occasionally when cooking. Like any high-temperature dry-heat cooking method, air frying is prone to formation of process contaminants like acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). To minimise their formation, do not cook food at too high a temperature for too long. Aim for a golden-brown colour when air frying starchy food. Trimming the fat present and parboiling the food before air-frying it can also help to reduce the formation of process contaminants.

Consumers should maintain a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits and keep the total amount of fat and salt in check.