Air fryers are among the most convenient gadgets used in modern-day cooking that can help you make healthy food without much oil, fat, and calories. However, experts say that using air fryers at high temperatures can be extremely toxic and pose a risk of cancer. While air fryers themselves do not cause cancer, air fryers do produce compounds known as acrylamides, which are "probable" carcinogens.

According to Dr. Dimple Jangda, a gut-health expert, non-stick coating makes it toxic, releasing heavy metals into your food.

“Air fryers are mostly coated with this non-stick coating that releases toxic fumes when it is heated up. It also has these wire coatings in it—these release heavy metals into your food and then lead to heavy metal toxicity, which can impact your liver and kidney in the long run,” Dr. Jangda told her Instagram followers.

“It can lead to something called Teflon flu, a flu-like condition that is very common. It also causes bronchial health issues because of toxic fumes being released,” she added.

Experts say air fryers release potential carcinogens known as acrylamides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) created in the process of cooking at very high temperatures. Acrylamides do not come from the cooking oil itself when sugar and an amino acid, asparagine, get exposed to extremely high temperatures.

Asparagine is mainly found in plant sources like whole grains, soy, nuts, legumes, asparagus, and potatoes. Animal sources include poultry, beef, eggs, certain fish and seafood, and dairy products.

According to Dr. Jangda, using air fryers with a coating of ceramic or steel can reduce the production of chemicals that interact with your DNA and RNA and cause damage.

“If you are going to use an air fryer, make sure it doesn't have any kind of non-stick coating; it's made of stainless steel or ceramic. Use it at a lower temperature and honestly, it is better to just use a pan to fry your foods with half a teaspoon of oil,” she said.

Another way to make your air-fried food safe is by not leaving the food for a longer time in an air fryer, especially overnight. Another step is to make sure that the coating is not broken, as it can also release toxins and carcinogens in your food.

Air fryers differ from deep fryers in that they essentially work as a countertop convection oven. To air fry foods, a heating element near the top of the fryer emits heat into the cooking chamber. A high-speed fan simultaneously circulates tiny oil droplets and hot air around the food. This results in a cooking method that is closer to frying than baking.

Air fryers use very little to no oil compared to deep fryers. However, they tend to take longer to fry foods as the oil used in deep fryers has a higher specific heat than the heated air used in air fryers.

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