According to This is Money, approximately 9.8 million households in the UK contain an air fryer. In the past few years they’ve become a staple appliance in the kitchen owing to their convenience and ease of use.
However, a firefighter has issued an urgent warning about their safety following a number of air fryer related blazes in the UK in the past year. Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue’s Station Manager, Richard Booth has taken to TikTok to issue important advice you should be wary of next time you’re preparing a meal.
“Use an air fryer? Then do so safely! We’ve attended nine fires caused by air fryers in the last 10 months,” he penned in a caption alongside his clip. Richard began next to a standard air fryer model, positioned underneath a kitchen cupboard, which is a potential fire hazard.
“We recommend when it’s in use bringing it out from under the cupboards and just making sure the general condition of the air fryer and the plug is in good condition and not cracked,” Richard said. He added that regular checks should be carried out to ensure the drawers open, close and fit properly and no damage has been done to them over time.
Next, he flipped the air fryer round to point out vents which release hot air and may experience a build-up of grease – another factor to be wary of. Richard also advised only using your air fryer to cook foods deemed safe to do so in the instruction booklet.
He added: “In the air fryer there is a non-stick lining, so there’s no need to use any grease proof paper or anything like that inside. Make sure you don’t overload it.”
Richard then detailed further the incidents that hed led his workforce to take action in recent time. “Four of the call-outs were where the air fryer was actually on a hob, which had either been switched on accidentally or deliberately. Other incidents were due to poor maintenance and dirty air fryers that had been clogged up with fat.”
He closed: “There was one incident where someone hadn’t checked the packaging – and there was packaging left in one of the drawers of the air fryer. We do still recommend their use, however, they’re still much safer and cheaper than using your oven.”
Responding to Richard’s warning, one TikTok user penned: “Love the video, great tips! Had grease proof paper in mine once and it set light! Very dangerous! Keep up the great content.”
A second shared: “I always keep mine clean and when not in use I always unplug it. Thank you.” Whilst a third person simply added: “Well done, thank you.”
