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Half of Air Fryers Pose Potential Safety Hazards Be Mindful of Air-Frying Food at High Temperature to Reduce Carcinogenic Risks

  • 2021.02.17

Air fryers, lauded for their ability to achieve deep-frying results without the addition of cooking oil, have become one of the most popular kitchen appliances in recent years. In fact, “healthy and easy cooking” has become a common selling point for brands to market their air fryers, which boast versatile recipes from air-fried French fries to chicken drumsticks and even homemade roasted pork. The Consumer Council tested the electrical safety and performance of 12 air fryer models and found that half the models (6) posed various safety hazards and risks to consumers, including excessive temperature rise of some parts, insufficient insulation distance, inadequate earthing terminal, etc. Besides, the cooking performance on air-frying different foods varied significantly among test models, in particular French fries, with instances of undercooking or uneven heat distribution.

In the past, the Council had reminded consumers that foods containing a relatively abundant amount of asparagine (ASN) (a type of free amino acid) in free-floating stage, such as potatoes, are more likely to produce acrylamide which has been classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A) with cooking methods in which the temperature is high (above 120°C) and the amount of water is small, such as roasting and baking. In the test, frozen thin French fries were air-fried according to the instruction of the user manual or the recipe provided by the agent, and the results revealed that 6 models (50%) contained acrylamide in excess of the benchmark levels of EU, and 1 model even exceeded the benchmark level by 13 times. The Council reminds consumers to control the intake of foods that have been air-fried at high temperature or long duration and not to lower their guard simply because air-frying is deemed to be a healthier cooking method. The risk of intaking acrylamide can be lowered by adjusting the cooking time and temperature in accordance with the amount of ingredients.

The 12 air fryers tested ranged from $298 to $2,080, which represented a six-fold difference. The models’ overall performances were relatively even, with an overall rating between 3.5 to 4.5 points. The safety test of air fryers was conducted according to the international safety standard IEC 60335-1 and 60335-2-9 (referred to as “the standard” hereafter), with test items including the temperature rise, insulation distance, earthing terminal, construction, and marking and instructions, etc.

According to the standard, the temperature rise of all parts of the product should not exceed the limit to avoid overheating and affecting the product safety. The test revealed that the maximum surface temperature rise of the handle of 2 models were 64K and 65K respectively, slightly exceeding the limit of 60K. For 1 model, the temperature rise of the internal wire exceeded the standard limit and might pose safety risk to the user.

The electric poles of live parts should be kept at a designated distance to avoid posing risks to the consumer such as short circuiting, arcing, electrical leakage and overheating. 3 models had an insufficient insulation distance between the live parts and the surface accessible by the user, with the measured distance falling 1 to 2.5mm short of the standard requirement, which may result in short circuiting.

As for the test item “earthing terminal”, 1 model failed to comply with the standard requirement as its earthing conductor was not the last to become taut in the event of accidental tugging of the power cord or failure of the stabilising device, indicating inadequate protection of the earthing terminal.

10 models had insufficient markings and instructions, such as lacking standard warnings in the user manual, labelling of the symbol of earthing or voltage frequency, etc. 1 model violated the regulation as the brand name and model number was not printed on the product. As such, consumers cannot follow up with the agent or manufacturer without the required information. This model only received a rating of 3.5 points for the overall safety level, the lowest among all models.

The cooking performance of air fryers is naturally an important criterion in making purchase decision. Performance test items included the air frying performance, energy consumption, ease of use, build quality and temperature. In the air frying performance test, 3 types of ingredients including frozen thin French fries, chicken drumsticks and spring rolls were air-fried according to the instructions of the user manual or the recipe provided by the agent. The overall performance of all models was more or less similar, with 9 models rated 3.5 points or above. However, the performance of air-frying frozen thin French fries showed the greatest disparity. 3 models performed better and scored 4.5 to 5 points, while 2 models only received 2 points due to most French fries being undercooked. 2 other models air-fried the French fries unevenly, resulting in partial overcooking and partial undercooking.

To investigate health risks arising from cooking food at high temperature, especially whether carcinogens are produced in air-fried foods, the Council tested the acrylamide content of air-fried frozen thin French fries. The International Agency for Research on Cancer had already classified acrylamide as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A) and recommended minimal intake. The test found that all models were found to contain acrylamide at levels ranging from 102μg/kg to 7,038μg/kg, a staggering difference of 68 times, amongst which 6 models contained acrylamide above the EU benchmark level (500μg/kg). Subsequently, the Council conducted the test again using the model with the highest level of acrylamide by reducing the cooking time or lowering the cooking temperature. The results showed that the acrylamide content of the French fries significantly dropped to a level that is within the EU benchmark level. The Council once again reminds consumers to pay heed to the health risks of frying foods at a high temperature, and to control the consumption frequency and size of servings carefully.

Consumers should pay attention to the following when purchasing and using air fryers:

- Air fryers generally have a higher input power and should not share a power outlet with other electrical appliances that have high power consumption;
- The amount of food to be air-fried should not exceed the maximum capacity of the air fryer and should not be densely arranged to avoid undercooking;
- Do not cover the air outlet when the air fryer is in operation to avoid obstructing heat dissipation. Also, refrain from touching the appliance and never allow children to use the appliance alone or touch it;
- Unplug the air fryer after use and let the appliance cool down before cleaning. Besides washing the air frying basket, you can also use a soft cloth to gently wipe the heating element and interior surface to remove residual oil.

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