Expert warns of ‘safety risk’ if you cook certain foods in air fryer

If you haven't got an air fryer by now, then you're probably Patrick Star, or at least rooming with him.

Whether you live on the set of Spongebob or not, you will have heard of the air fryer even if you haven't used or bought one yourself, but experts have now confirmed there is a safety risk with them while cooking certain foods.

Ladies and gentlemen, the air fryer. (Getty Images)

So what are these countertop cookers?

While convection ovens, to give them their proper name, have been in wide use since 1945, it wasn't until 2006 that a French company created an appliance under the Actifry brand - which circulates hot air around the food while continuously stirring it.

In 2010, UK-based Philips introduced the air fryer brand of convection oven, and by 2018, the term 'air fryer' was starting to be used generically.

But for the US, the air fryer boomed when it came to the market in 2017 and further boomed during the pandemic when viral food videos on TikTok saw them in popular demand.

Over the year from 2021 to 2022, sales surpassed more than $1 billion - a whopping 20 percent increase on the year before, while its reported that as of 2023, nearly 60 percent of American households own them at home, according to Nestle’s Adam Graves.

A whole roast chicken cooked in the oven - something experts advised against. (Getty Images)

The advice of what you should be wary of cooking comes from experts at Which?, a UK-based company that promotes informed consumer choice in the purchase of goods and services by testing products.

So, what should you avoid cooking in the air fryer?

Which? has said that cooking a whole chicken in the air fryer is a no go - but why? Because there simply isn't enough room to allow the hot air to circulate, and the middle will still be raw - unless your countertop is packing a huge one.

It said: "Cooking whole roasts, such as roast chicken can be problematic, so joint your bird first before frying."

Pasta, rice and even some fresh greens are advised against being used in the air fryer.

Which? said: "An air fryer isn't a go-to appliance for boiling and steaming - you're better off sticking to a slow cooker or a pot on the hob.

"You can use an air fryer to reheat pasta and sauce that's already been cooked, but the microwave is a more efficient way to do this."

But why fresh greens? Well, spinach, lettuce and kale are all so light that they will just be blown away in your convection oven, so it's best to avoid the mess.

While arguably the nation's favourite snack popcorn is also ill-advised because the air-fryer might not even be able to cook it!

"Cooking popcorn in your air fryer might not even work because most air fryers don't reach a high enough temperature to pop the kernels. The good old microwave will do a much better job", the experts warned.

It added that it would avoid putting fresh cheese in and toast - not so much for health reasons though!