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Air fryers have seen a surge in popularity over the years, whether or not they’re actually any better than a standard convection oven. But with great popularity comes great responsibility, as the saying more or less goes. A four-year-old girl in Jacksonville, Florida, recently saved the day after she alerted her father that the family’s air fryer had burst into flames. The fire was contained, but not before inflicting minor burns to the father and obliterating the stove.
Like any common household appliance, air fryers come with their own set of safety hazards and precautions. But with proper use and care, you won’t need to worry about your air fryer spontaneously combusting. Here are 10 tips for operating your air fryer safely.
1. Read the manual
If it beeps, boops and dings, you should always the read the manual first. Air fryers are cooking devices that can get dangerously hot, so it’s common sense to read about all the precautions you should take when using it. Manufacturers include the manual for a reason: They don’t need you to get hurt with their product.
2. Don’t overcrowd the food basket
We get that you’re hungry and you want to cook as much food as possible, but you need to leave space between your food and the heating component in the air fryer — otherwise, you risk starting a fire.
3. Unplug the air fryer immediately after use
Once you’re done cooking, unplug your air fryer — it’s the safest way to make sure all the heating components stay off and don’t accidentally start up when you don’t want it to.
4. Ease up on the oil
The whole shtick of air fryers is that you need little to no oil for crispy food. Some recipes will tell you to include a minuscule amount of oil to cook, and be sure to use just as much as directed, as adding too much oil could result in a fire.
5. Don’t put anything on top of the air fryer
Air fryers’ external parts can get hot, and putting anything on top of the unit could cause overheating.
