If you are health conscious, are health conscious in your cooking and try to avoid excess oil used in deep fried items then you must have an air fryer.
An air fryer is a kitchen cookware that can cook food with little or no oil while sitting on your countertop.
The top has heating elements and a fan that circulates the hot air, resulting in a crisp exterior.
Air fryers are versatile and can be used to prepare a variety of foods from your traditional chicken to puris.
What do the experts say?
Dr Ruhi Pirzada, a senior physician and critical care specialist in Mumbai, says that after 2013, most air fryers are made using Teflon, which does not contain harmful perfluorooctanoic acid (a synthetic chemical), so they are safe to use. are
However, says Dr Pooja Babbar, consultant medical oncology at CK Birla Hospital in Gurugram, the problem is that the ‘coating of air fryers’ is made of ceramic and plastic and when exposed to high temperatures, it is a Makes chemicals. which interacts with your DNA and RNA and causes damage, and can be a ‘potential carcinogen’.
According to many experts, this chemical is known as acrylamide, and it is formed when food is heated to temperatures above 120 degrees Celsius.
But that doesn’t mean acrylamide is only produced in air fryers.
In fact, almost all cooking methods, including deep-frying and even baking, are known to create acrylamide, meaning the chemical is produced if food is burned or heated to very high temperatures. Is.
However, Dr. Babber says that air fryers can build up acrylamide if we don’t use it carefully.
why like this?
An air fryer works by convection, which creates tiny droplets of oil that circulate around the food along with hot air.
This results in food that mimics deep frying and is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
However, since air circulates at temperatures above 120 degrees Celsius, this acrylamide is potentially carcinogenic.
How to stay safe?
The best way to be safe is to use air fryers with a stainless steel coating, Dr. Babber suggests.
“Acrylamide production is very low in stainless steel coated air fryers and with that, you get a healthier way of cooking,” says Dr Babbar.