Why Air Fryer Is Smoking? Here Are The 11 Steps To Solve The Problem

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Why air fryer is smoking? An air fryer may smoke if the food being cooked is too oily, or if there are residual oil or food particles left in the fryer from previous cooking. It can also happen if the food being cooked is overcrowded in the basket, not allowing enough hot air to circulate. Overheating can also cause smoke. To prevent smoke, make sure to properly preheat the air fryer, use minimal oil, keep the fryer clean, and do not overcrowd the basket.

Air fryers are small convectional ovens. While these ovens cover a large cooking countertop but air fryers need a very small cooking countertop to place. Instead of using a high amount of oil, it can cook your food using hot rapid air technology to cook food. A highly powerful fan circulates the hot air produced by the heating elements.

It crisps the outside and locks the moisture inside without sacrificing the taste. But air fryers are very new to the market and the new users have less knowledge of the proper use of air fryers. Sometimes air fryer smokes very badly. So let’s find out why the air fryer is smoking.

Why air fryer is smoking?

Smoke coming out of the air fryer is part of the mechanism of an air fryer. The air fryer has an exhaust fan, through this fan the excess amount of moisture comes out in the form of smoke. But sometimes the amount of smoke is coming higher than the regular smoke that comes from an air fryer. There are many reasons for the excess smoke like

What are the common reasons for smoke coming out of your air fryer?

Use of excess amount of oil or sauce
Cooking fatty food
Old leftover food residue
Small baskets with overcrowding food
Use of low smoke point oil
Cook food at high temperature
Mechanical problems

#1. Use an excess amount of oil/sauce

Using the excess amount of oil/ sauce for greasing is one of the common problems of smoke in an air fryer. The air fryer produces heat up to 350°F and above and the hot air circulation splatters the grease/ sauce everywhere inside the basket. Sometimes the oil spatters to the heating elements and starts burning the oil that’s why more fume/smoke produces. So always use a minimal amount of oil/sauce to cook food in the air fryer.

#2. Fatty food

If you cook fatty food like chicken thighs, bacon, and high fatty meats then you will see a high amount of smoke will come out from the air fryer. Air fryer high heat eliminates the excess amount of fat from the meat. The high heat evaporates the fat and makes a white smoke cloud inside the air fryer.

#3. Old leftover foods residue

If you do not clean your air fryer property and left old food residue inside your air fryer then it will maybe be a reason for smoke. The air fryer’s highly movable air sucks the food residue into the heating elements and burns them. So you will face air fryer smoke problems.

#4. Small basket with overcrowded food

If you are overcrowding in a smaller basket for cooking your food then you may face an air fryer smoking problem. The air fryer needs space for proper air ventilation to cook food. They use rapid hot air circulation, So if you stop the air by overcrowding then the air can’t pass properly and you will get unevenly cooked food every time. Due to not passing the hot air it produces high heat in the upper layer of food and burns them. So you will get burnt, smoky, and undercooked food.

#5. Low smoke point oil

Using low smoke points is also another reason for air fryer smoking. Palm oil and refined oils are low smoke point oil, they start burning at 100°F-120°F. But air fryers produce high heat in very few minutes, so if you use low smoke point oil for cooking then smoke will come out from your air fryer.

#6. Overheating

If you left your art fryer at a high temperature for a long time and your air fryer doesn’t have any overheating protection then it may be a reason for air fryer smoke. Cooking at high temperatures burns the food and tends to smoke and also may be a reason for fire catch to your air fryer. But now most air fryer has come with overheating protection. It prevents the air fryer to reach high heat.

#7. Short circuit or mechanical problems

If you see a high amount of blue smoke coming out from your air fryer then should quickly unplug your air fryer. Blue smoke coming out from the air fryer is a reason for the short circuit. Don’t open the air fryer if you are not a mechanic. Call your near mechanic/ repairer or the manufacturer’s customer care service.

How to fix the air fryer smoking problem?

1. Preheat the air fryer

Before adding food to the basket you should preheat your air fryer for a minute. This step will reduce the smoking problem and food will also be crunchy and crisped every time and take less time compared to adding food without preheating.

2. Use a minimal amount of oil

The excess amount of oil always causes smoke in the air fryer. To prevent this, use minimal oil when cooking and ensure that any food you are cooking is dry before placing it in the fryer.

3. Do not overcrowd the basket

Overcrowding the basket will cause food to steam rather than fry, which can lead to smoke. Make sure to leave enough space between the food items in the basket so that hot air can circulate properly.

4. Ventilate the room

You should open the door, and window and starts the exhaust fan to quickly ventilate the smoke from the kitchen.

5. Remove the basket

After ventilating the room remove the basket from the air fryer and check your food. If you use a high amount of oil then it may be a reason for smoke or the use of less amount of oil also be a reason for smoke. So always a minimal amount of oil for cooking in the air fryer.

6. Clean the excess oil/Fat

If you cook fatty food or a high amount of oil for greasing then you should reduce the amount of oil and fat inside your air fryer. Then put the food inside the air fryer for cooking.

7. Add some water/bread slice

You can also add some water/bread slices to reduce the smoke while cooking in the air fryer. The water prevents overheating and collects the fat drip from the fatty food. The bread slices absorb the excess smoke. So adding water and a slice of bread may be the best way to stop smoke inside your air fryer.

8. Clean the removable basket

You should clean the removable baskets if your air fryer is smoking. Because the excess oil of the last cook may be a reason for smoking.

9. Use high smoke point oil

You should always have high smoke points like avocado oil, ghee, and olive oil. This oil has a high smoke point compared to palm oil, and pressurized canned oil. These oils have high nutrients and don’t smoke at low temperatures. I have listed the 10 best high smoke point oil for air fryers.

10. Check the temperature

Overheating is also a reason for high smoking in the air fryer. So always check that you are setting the right temperature and time for specific cooking.

11. Unplug the air fryer

If a high amount of smoke continuously comes out from your air fryer and you can’t understand the reason. Then you should unplug the air fryer from electricity and examine the reason why smoke comes out from the air fryer. Before touching any inside part you should cool down the air fryer and check the heating elements properly. If any food residue sticks inside the heating element it may be a reason for smoke.

Some asked FAQ about air fryer smoke

#1. My air fryer is emitting white smoke

White smoke coming out from the air fryer is very common. Cooking fatty food like bacon, and tighs eliminates the excess amount of gat and that fat evaporates by the air fryer heat and makes white smoke. Also, the use of excess amount grease may be a reason for white smoke. So if your air fryer eliminates white smoke then don’t fear its a very common.

#2. My air fryer is emitting blue smoke

If your air fryer is emitting blue smoke you should quickly unplug the air fryer and don’t touch it until you call a mechanic. Because only in case of mechanical problems blue smoke comes out an air fryer.

#3. Can the air fryer catch fire?

Yes, an air fryer can catch fire. If you use a cheap quality air fryer there may be a reason for catching fire. In cheap air fryers, they use low-grade quality plastic in manufacturing so their plastic has low heat resistivity.

If you cook at a high temperature for a long tie then the food can also catch fire. If you use parchment paper without any weight on it then it may be a reason for the air fryer to catch fire. The air blew the paper into the heating elements and catch fire.

#4. Should I clean the air fryer every use?

Cleaning the air fryer after every use is the best way to stop many air fryer problems. If you clean the air fryer properly that ensures no odd smell, no leftover foods, a hygenic cooking basket, long durability, and many more advantages.