As air fryers become a staple in modern kitchens, scientists are beginning to examine how they affect the air inside our homes.
A new study from the University of Birmingham suggests that air fryers can cut down on the pollution released during frying, even when the food is very high in fat. Compared with common frying techniques, the researchers found air frying produces fewer airborne particles.
The work, published in the American Chemical Society journal ES&T Air, is among the first to map out the full mix of pollutants released during air frying. That matters because surveys indicate air fryers are quickly becoming a standard appliance in many UK kitchens. Across several foods, the team measured lower emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ultrafine particles than they typically saw with shallow frying or deep fat frying.
The study also follows earlier results from the same group showing that air frying chicken breast released far fewer VOCs. This time, the researchers focused on whether the fat content of foods changes what ends up in the air. VOCs and ultrafine particles have both been linked to health concerns, but indoor sources like cooking have received much less attention than outdoor pollution.
Measuring Emissions From Different Foods
To capture cooking emissions in detail, the University of Birmingham team ran experiments inside custom-built air quality chambers designed to detect small changes in VOCs and other airborne particles. They used a commercially available 4.7l air fryer and cooked batches of frozen fried foods, fresh low-fat foods, and fresh high-fat foods so the results could be compared under consistent conditions.
Even within the air fryer, some foods stood out. Frozen onion rings (possibly due to pre-fried oil coating), along with smoked bacon and unsmoked bacon (both of which contain cured fat and their thin shape leading to near instantaneous frying of fats), produced the highest levels of cooking-related emissions in the tests.
