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Insurance company Aviva has issued a warning for fires caused by air booms, after an investigation among 2,000 adults in the VK has shown that almost one in five people (19%) has suffered potential or actual burns due to their aerial frituur use. Potential risks included smoke, overheating and scorching.
In case of fire damage due to the use of air fryse, the insurer said that the average claim for 2024 was no less than £ 29,555.
But this does not mean that air frituses are unsafe. Fire risks were usually caused by people who did not use their air fryes safely. In fact, the insurer found that Only 21% of people follow all guidelines for safe use.
According to Aviva, the respondents usually admitted to these bad habits:
- 12% of people leave their air frituse unattended when the food boils;
- 8% used too much oil in their air frituse;
- 6% used it in a non-ventilated area such as a cupboard;
- 4% are their air fryes on a tea towel or another flammable surface;
- 4% connect the device to an extension label;
- 3% often fills their air frituse.
As long as you buy an air frye from a reputable brand, an air fryer can be used safely. You can see our round-ups of the best air booms in general, the best Ninja Air Fryers, the best dual airfryers and the best air fryes for our top recommendations.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
But it is also crucial that you follow the guidelines of the manufacturer and these safety tips.
Where you can place your air frye for safe use
- Make sure that your air frituse is on a stable, non-relaxing surface, such as a countertop.
- Keep flammable items, such as tea towels, far away.
- Stacking items not on your air frituse and make sure there is enough space around and above it to circulate air.
- If you kept your air fryse away under the cupboards, pull it forward when you use it.
- Your air frye must be used in a well -ventilated area. It is a good idea to switch on your extract fan when you cook in it.
Do not forget that, in the case of an airfruiture fire – or any electric fire – you should not try to turn it off by numbing it with water.
How to cook safely in your air frituse
You don’t have to add much oil to air fried food.
An air frituse does not make sense at all, so it doesn’t need much oil to help the crispy food. It is actually a mini fan, so the brown and chips food in the same way as your regular oven. The use of too much oil can be dangerous because it can spit.
Rebecca Shepherd / Foundry
Pre-prepared and frozen foods (such as chips and nuggets) will not be necessary each Oil added. If you cook from fresh, you only need a Spritz oil from an oil spray bottle to help the food fresh.
Make sure you don’t fill the basket too much. Most air fritents cook food via a heating coil at the top of the device. If your food touches the heating coil, there is a risk of fire.
If you regularly fill your air frace basket, you need one with a larger cooking capacity. Consider exchanging it for a model with double loads or air fryes.
Finally, do not leave your air frituse unattended for too long. You don’t have to stay in the kitchen all the time that it is in use but to the stores is a no-no.
How you can safely maintain your air frye
You must regularly check your air frye for signs of wear. Never use it if the power cable or plug is damaged. It must be connected directly to a wall connection no extension cable or multi-sket.
Apart from this, the most important thing is to keep your air fryse clean. Oil that is combined in the base of the cooking drawer or stains of food to the heating coil can smoke the air fryse and can be a fire hazard.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Loosen your air fryer after each use. Once it is cool, wipe oil in the base of your air frye and wipe your rubble out of the heating coil with a dry brush or sponge. Ideally, you must also carefully clean the sharply plate with a sponge and hot soap water to build burned oil.
We have more detailed information and cleaning tips in our article about how you can clean your air frituse.