Can air fryers really cause cancer?

The claim that air fryers cause cancer is untrue. The air fryer uses a non-frying method, which will be healthier than traditional fried food, and can prevent obesity caused by excessive consumption of fried food to a certain extent. An air fryer uses high temperatures to heat food.

The main feature of fried food in an air fryer is that there is little or no oil compared to the normal frying method. But during cooking, physicochemical changes also occur that can produce harmful chemical components, such as acrylamide, which is a carcinogen. However, it's not just air fryers that produce acrylamide when cooking food.

As long as there are reducing sugars and proteins in the food, after high-temperature cooking, a complex non-enzymatic browning reaction will occur, resulting in a slight burnt taste and an attractive color and taste. It is also often said that the Maillard reaction will contain acrylamide to some extent, and using an air fryer will produce less acrylamide than normal cooking. In addition, the use of an air fryer can avoid excessive fat intake on the one hand, and reduce the production of other potentially harmful polymers during high-temperature frying of grease on the other.

Therefore, as long as the air fryer is used normally, the food made by the air fryer is properly consumed, and it usually does not cause cancer.

No.

The claim that "air fryers cause cancer" has been circulating for a long time, but the reason why it has suddenly spread recently is partly because of South Korea not long agoConsumer associationsTen air fryers on the market were tested.

They put the frozen fries in an air fryer, set the maximum cooking time on the instructions at 200 degrees Celsius, and tested the fries for acrylamide.

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It was found that 4 of the 10 fries made by the air fryer had excessive acrylamide concentrations. Acrylamide is a potentially carcinogenic substance, and 40% of the samples exceeded the standard, which sounds scary. However, based on this test result alone, it is not possible to simply and rudely conclude that "air fryers cause cancer".

The Korean Consumers Association's test used the longest cooking time on the instructions, and the longer the cooking time, the higher the acrylamide content. In addition, it is not only air fryers that produce acrylamide: no matter what method is used (frying, sautéing, frying), no matter what pan is used, as long as the temperature exceeds 120 degrees, acrylamide will be produced.

It's true.

The air fryer claims to be "oil-free" or even "low-oil", but except for meats with high fat content such as pork belly, chicken wings, lamb and squid, which can be left without oil, everything else needs to be oiled.

Take French fries as an example, before the fries go into the oven, brush with scallion oil, pepper and salt, and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes. French fries are very absorbent, and if there is no oil or less oil in cooking, the texture and taste will not be delicious.

Compared with ordinary frying, the fat content of food cooked in the air fryer is indeed lower, but its heating temperature is more than 120, mostly 180 200, which will produce acrylamide suspected carcinogens. Long-term consumption of this food is harmful to the human body.

Extended Information: How the Air Fryer Works:

An air fryer uses air for deep frying. Zhu Yi, associate professor of the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University: The specific principle is to use the baking device in the machine to quickly heat the air and form a circulating heat flow in the confined space, so that the food can be cooked quickly, and at the same time take away the moisture on the surface of the ingredients to achieve a crispy taste.

Because of its special principle, the air fryer does not need to add too much additional grease, only needs to brush a layer of oil on the surface of the ingredients; If the ingredients themselves have enough oil, it is okay not to add cooking oil.

The unfamiliarity and worry about new things are the source of doubt, and looking at new things with a skeptical eye will naturally find out many problems that do not exist in the first place.

After collecting many doubts about air fryers, we found that all the doubts basically revolve around one point - the food cooked in the air fryer will produce high concentrations of acrylamide, and acrylamide is a possible carcinogen, so air fryers are not safe.

However, there are two huge logical problems here.

First of all, almost all air fryer tests were done using the longest cooking time or even longer on the instructions. The longer the cooking time, the more acrylamide will be produced, and naturally the final result will be that the concentration exceeds the standard. This is like the average person who uses an iron pot to cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, and someone who cooks with an iron pot on high heat for 10 minutes, causing the dish to burn, and finally concludes that the iron pot will cause the dish to burn, is this pot a bit wrong?

Is an air fryer with oil-free cooking really carcinogenic?

Secondly, the presence of acrylamide in food is not caused by the way the air fryer is cooked. Because no matter what method is used (frying, stir-frying, frying, baking), no matter what pot is used, as long as the temperature exceeds 120 degrees, acrylamide will be produced.

Hearing this, some friends may be surprised, are we no longer able to eat fried food. So let's talk about "acrylamide".

Don't talk about acrylamide discoloration. Although acrylamide is listed as a carcinogen by the WHO, it is only a class 2a carcinogen, which means that it is a substance with unclear evidence of causing cancer in humans. In addition, there are also ingredients such as red meat (raw meat of pigs, cattle and sheep) that we eat daily, and even hot drinks above 65°C are classified as secondary carcinogens, so there is really no need to talk about acrylamide discoloration.

Don't put your intake aside and talk about harm. There is a popular saying that "only talking about ingredients and not dosage is a hooligan", and this sentence also applies to acrylamide. Last year, the rumor that "potato chips contain acrylamide and can cause cancer" also shocked many people into a cold sweat, and many authoritative institutions came forward to refute the rumors.

Is an air fryer with oil-free cooking really carcinogenic?

Is an air fryer with oil-free cooking really carcinogenic?

The Potato Food Professional Committee of the China Food Industry Association specifically said, "According to the relevant animal experiments provided by the Ministry of Health, long-term intake of acrylamide, the minimum body weight can cause neuropathy." If you convert it to 50kg, you will have to eat 5kg of potato chips a day for a long time; According to the poisoning, the body will be poisoned if the body accumulates to 80 130mg kg of daily body weight, not counting the metabolized toxins, converted to 50kg, people will eat 2000kg of potato chips. ”

The average person really doesn't have this amount of food!

So you really don't have to worry anymore, as long as the operation is correct and the intake is not excessive, you can eat boldly with confidence. And the air fryer is really a convenient and fast "conscience product".

Compared to traditional frying, air fryers are not only easy to clean, but also don't worry about what to do with waste oil. What's more, how the air fryer works.

1. An air fryer is actually a simple oven with a fan, which frries food through "high-speed air circulation technology" to achieve the purpose of "no oil" or "less oil".

The working principle of the air fryer is "high-speed air circulation technology", which generates hot air by heating the heat pipe inside the machine at high temperature, and then blows the hot air into the pot with a fan to heat the food, so that the hot air circulates in the closed space, and uses the fat of the food itself to fry the food, so that the food is dehydrated, and the surface becomes golden and crispy, so as to achieve the effect of frying. So, an air fryer is actually a simple oven with a fan.

Its cooking process consumes less oil, similar to meat, seafood, French fries snacks and other foods with more oil, which can be cooked directly without adding oil. And if the food itself does not contain oil, such as vegetables, adding a small spoonful of oil can make a traditional fried taste. That's why it claims to be "less oily" or "no oil", and the use of an air fryer can indeed control fat intake to a certain extent.

Second, many foods inevitably produce acrylamide during high-temperature heating, but our intake is at a safe level and there is no need to worry too much.

While air fryers are popular because they are "oil-free" and "oil-less", there are also some voices questioning that "air fryers can cause cancer".

The first theory is that the high temperature heating of the air fryer causes acrylamide to produce food, which can cause cancer. Some people believe that the working temperature of the air fryer is 180 -200, and when heating food, once the temperature exceeds 120, acrylamide carcinogens will be produced. It was also reported before:

The acrylamide of the French fries made in the air fryer exceeds the standard, which has a risk of causing cancer.

The claim that air fryers cause cancer is just a sensationalist statement by some ignorant experts. "If you want to eat safely, the key is to control your intake. In life, there are not many opportunities to use an air fryer to consume food, so there is no need to worry too much.

Just don't blindly assume that the food in the air fryer is safe and you can eat as much as you want. Secondly, be sure not to overdo it. ”

The "oil-free" air fryer also has the hidden danger of "thousands of oil"?

There is also a view that "air fryers cause cancer" and that the "thousand boiling oil" produced by air fryers will produce carcinogens. During the air circulation process of the air fryer, the volatilized oil will stick to the heat pipe and fan, and the next time it works, the oil will be heated again into the circulation, thus becoming "thousands of rolling oil".

Don't worry! First of all, the heat pipe and fan of the air fryer are different from the structure of the household range hood, and the oil smoke is by no means of an order of magnitude. Secondly, there are indeed some volatile fatty acids in food, such as various meat foods.

However, the total amount of volatile fatty acids in food is not high. Moreover, most fatty acids are not easily volatile and do not volatilize with air into the air circulation of the air fryer. Even some volatile fatty acids will volatilize in the air very quickly, and will not always exist in the air fryer, forming a "thousand boiling oil".

If you're still not sure, you can try cleaning it up with a micro steam cleaner. Note: Be sure to avoid electronic components and also to prevent burns.

No, it's a misconception and hasn't really been researched. Because in the air fryer, the heated food will be dehydrated, and at the same time produce an acrylamide substance, which is suspected of being carcinogenic, everyone thinks that the air fryer is carcinogenic, and because the air fryer is heated by a fan, it is inevitable that oil smoke will be attached to the fan, and the food oil heated next time will be attached to the oil on the fan.

The claim that air fryers cause cancer is too one-sided.

In fact, it is not the pots and pans that are the main cause of cancer.

However, the food made by this cooking method will produce a lot of calories and fat due to the high calorie level, which will lead to an increased risk of cancer.

The air fryer will not cause cancer when used normally, and it may cause cancer if used improperly.

In December 2019, a survey showed that 10 models of air fryers on the Korean market will produce acrylamide, a substance harmful to health, during the cooking process if used improperly. The test showed that after heating at a high temperature of more than 200 degrees Celsius, four models of French fries fried in the air fryer were detected to exceed the EU safety standard for acrylamide, a carcinogen.

Acrylamide is a colorless transparent sheet crystal, odorless and toxic. Its relative density, melting point is 84 85. Soluble in water, ethanol, slightly soluble in benzene, toluene.

It is easy to sublimate and polymerize. The solid is stable at room temperature, and when melted, it can be violently polymerized, and is classified as a Group 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Cancer.

Product Principle:

The working principle of the air fryer is the "high-speed air circulation technology", which generates hot air by heating the heat pipes inside the machine at high temperature, and then blows the hot air into the pot with a fan to heat the food.

The hot air circulates in the enclosed space, and the fat of the food itself is used to fry the food, so that the food is dehydrated and the surface becomes golden and crispy, achieving the effect of frying. So, an air fryer is actually a simple oven with a fan.

The above content reference: Encyclopedia - Air Fryer.

The idea that "food made by air fryers causes cancer" is not true, and there are currently no scientific studies to confirm that food made by air fryers causes cancer.

At present, it is generally believed that the "acrylamide" produced during the cooking process of fried food is the main substance that makes food carcinogenic, however, this is produced by the food itself under the condition of high-temperature cooking. Heterocyclic amines in food are derived into harmful acrylamide during roasting, frying and frying. Therefore, the production of this harmful substance has little to do with the air fryer.

In addition, because the air fryer production process is healthier than ordinary cooking methods, it can reduce the content of food fat, so the air fryer is relatively healthy.

Dear, there is no scientific basis for this statement!

Hope it helps! Kiss.

Are air fryers carcinogenic? Hello dear! Yes.

Compared with ordinary frying, the food cooked in the "air fryer" does have a lower fat content, but it is heated at a temperature of more than 120 degrees, and it will also produce acrylamide suspected carcinogens. Starchy foods are prone to acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures (>120). Other hazards are:

1. The smaller electric radiation air fryer is a kind of electric fryer, which needs to use electricity. In general, electrically charged appliances will have a certain amount of radiation, and air fryers are no exception, but compared with traditional electric fryers and ovens, air fryers have relatively less power and less radiation. The air fryer still needs oil in many cooking links (such as the heating of vegetables, potatoes and other ingredients), but the amount of oil used is less than that of traditional frying methods, and the harm may be less, but it is inevitable.

Hope it helps!