Why is My Air Fryer Smoking

The air fryer is probably your most favorite cooking appliance because of its benefits. It makes your work easier, faster, and more efficient. Typically, the air fryer devices are very easy to use and they don’t cause many issues. However, you may sometimes see smokes coming out of the air fryer device and ask why is my air fryer smoking.

Well, there can be several reasons that make smokes coming out the air fryer. Note that just because of the smokes, you don’t need to be worried as it mostly happens because of minor issues. Below, we will let you know about some possible reasons that can cause the smoke.

Reasons That Can Cause Smokes in the Air Fryer

Before doing any sort of troubleshooting, we will recommend you to be assured whether it is smoke or steam. It is normal for the air fryer to produce steam while cooking some variations of the foods including the frozen ingredients. If you are assured that it’s smoke, you can relate to the below-discussed reasons.

Excessive Grease

One of the main reasons behind the production of the smoke can be the grease that goes into the heating elements. While cooking food at a high temperature, the splatters that touch the heating elements can produce smoke. This typically happens when you cook foods with high fat content. As an example, smoke can occur while cooking different types of meats, bacon, and chicken thighs.

You don’t need to be worried while cooking such foods. If you want to prevent the smoke, you can pour off the excess oil by using kitchen paper after pausing the cooking. If you often cook these high-fat foods, you can get some extra accessories like a snack cover, variety basket, and splatter-proof lid to prevent the grease from going to the heating element. Also, don’t use excessive oil while cooking the dishes.

Food Particles

If you are cooking something that may have loose food particles like the bread or foods covered with breadcrumbs. Like the grease, they can come into the heating elements and burn which causes the smoke. The powerful air circulation of the machine blows the particles and they end up burning on the heating element.

Like earlier, this smoke is also something you don’t need to be worried about. You can consider spraying or battering the food properly to prevent smoke. Note that apart from the above-mentioned ones, some other foods can release the food particles. They can also be released while you are overcrowding the food.

Grease Residue from Previous Cooking

Almost all the air fryer manufacturer recommends cleaning the air fryer rack and tray after cooking a dish. This helps to get rid of the grease residues, food particles, and other substances from the components. If you are cooking the food again without cleaning the air fryer, this can cause the smoking issue. You may stop cooking to get rid of these things to prevent the smokes.

You can prevent the smoke from happening again by keeping the basket, tray, and heating elements clean. Please utilize the cleaning procedure discussed in the air fryer user manual to clean correctly. And, cleaning off the components not only prevents the smoke but also makes them durable.

Small Basket and High Heat

Are you trying to cook a lot of food at a compact air fryer that arrives with a small basket? This may also cause smoke. The same thing goes for cooking the food at excessively high temperatures. Some highly capable air fryers can prepare the food at extreme temperatures which can cause the smoke by burning the food.

If you have a small air fryer basket, don’t try to cook a lot of food at once. Instead, cook them in smaller batches to get the best result. Cooking a lot of food together also cause uneven and inconsistent cooking. Besides, try to cook the food at a lower temperature. The higher temperature not only causes smoke but also produces chemical compounds which may cause severe health issues.

Using Low Smoking Oil

Another reason that can cause the smoke is using oils that arrives with low smoking properties. All things including the oil start burning or producing some when they reach a particular temperature. There are some variants of the oils that can start producing smoke while you set the machine at a high temperature. Some of these oils are safflower oil, canola oil, etc.

How to Stop Air Fryer from Producing Smoke

Here are some tips that you may find useful to prevent smokes in the air fryer while cooking:

1. Make sure to use aluminum foil or parchment paper while cooking food with high-fat content or sauces to catch the oils from going to the heating element.
2. If you often require preparing large serves for families or guests, consider an air fryer that arrives with a bigger capacity. You can go for the XL or XXL size of the air fryer.
3. Some users suggest putting a slice of bread in the bottom of the air fryer basket. This may help to soak up the excessive oil.
4. Try to cook the food at a lower temperature and slow cook the food by taking adequate time. The food will be healthy and also prevent the chances of smoking.
5. You may also consider using high-smoke oils that have a smoking point higher than 400 F. Some of these oils include peanut oil, olive oil, extra light olive oil, etc.
6. Make sure to clean the air fryer components regularly after preparing every dish. This will lower the chance of the smoke while also assuring a good lifespan of the device.

Conclusion

The air fryer can be a great way to prepare your cook within less time with the least effort. If you have been worried about the smoke of the air fryer, you should try to guess which of the following reason is causing the issue. If you still cannot find the main reason behind the smoke, you can consider calling the manufacturer’s customer support regarding the issue.