Are Air Fryers Toxic?
It depends on the basket coating and how clean you keep it. Maine’s environmental agency lists air fryers as cookware under its rules on products with intentionally added PFAS, and Maine law has barred selling cookware with intentionally added PFAS since January 1, 2026. The air fryer roundup linked below grades each model we have scored for PFAS risk.
On air quality, a University of Birmingham study in a research kitchen measured peak particulate matter of 0.6 micrograms per cubic metre for air frying, against 7.7 for deep frying, 26.7 for stir-frying and 92.9 for pan frying. A 2026 follow-up found that deep frying high fat foods produces 10 to 100 times higher levels of VOCs, but that an air fryer used more than 70 times gave off 23 percent more VOCs and more than twice as many ultrafine particles, which the team put down to residue in places it could not reach to clean.
On acrylamide, one peer-reviewed study found no clear advantage. It found the most acrylamide in air-fried potatoes, followed by deep-fried and then oven-fried, but the differences between the methods were not statistically significant.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Regulatory filingMaine’s Department of Environmental Protection lists air fryers, waffle makers and electric skillets as examples of cookware within the scope of its rules on products with intentionally added PFAS. Maine Department of Environmental Protection ↗
- Regulatory filingMaine law has barred selling a cookware product containing intentionally added PFAS since January 1, 2026, subject to listed exceptions. Maine Legislature ↗
- StudyA University of Birmingham study measured peak particulate matter of 0.6 micrograms per cubic metre for air frying, compared with 7.7 for deep frying, 26.7 for stir-frying and 92.9 for pan frying. University of Birmingham ↗
- StudyA 2026 University of Birmingham study found cooking high fat foods in a deep fat fryer produces 10 to 100 times higher levels of VOCs, with frozen onion rings and bacon producing the highest emissions among foods cooked in an air fryer. University of Birmingham ↗
- StudyThe same study found an air fryer used more than 70 times emitted 23 percent more cooking-related VOCs and more than twice as many ultrafine particles, which the team attributed to residue in areas it could not clean. University of Birmingham ↗
- StudyA study in Frontiers in Nutrition found the highest acrylamide in air-fried potatoes, followed by deep-fried and oven-fried, but said the differences between cooking methods were not statistically significant. Frontiers in Nutrition ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.