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Expert Warns People Not To Cook Bacon In The Air Fryer

People have been warned by experts against cooking bacon in the air fryer.
Credit: Alamy

A food expert is warning people not to cook bacon in the air fryer.

The highly sought-after kitchen appliance has helped revolutionise people’s approach to cooking since it burst onto the scene in 2010.

Air fryers have now become a staple in most homes – with annual sales up 1,175% since last year, according to The Independent.

The versatile kitchen device is a go-to for many when it comes to various cooking and baking tasks, but it may have limitations with certain foods – as one expert has explained.

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If you look online, you’ll see many recipes for cooking bacon in the air fryer.

But dietician Brenda Peralta, of FeastGood.com, has warned foodies to think twice before whipping up bacon using the device.

This isn’t the only warning that’s recently been issued about air fryers.

During investigations, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) officers found that four air fryers could overheat and cause the handles to melt or break, posing fire and burn hazards.

Owners have been urged to immediately stop using the recalled models and get in touch with Best Buy.

Air fryer fans have made another recent and horrifying discovery.

There’s a sneaky hidden compartment to an air fryer that many users don’t know about – and even more worryingly, don’t keep clean.

In fact, some people have decided to ditch their air fryers entirely!

air fryer
This isn’t the only warning that’s recently been issued about air fryers. Credit: Alamy

Recently, experts hit out with six foods that should never be cooked in the air fryer, and there are a few surprise additions to the list…

But it turns out, the reason that bacon shouldn’t go into your air fryer is actually an issue of safety…

Speaking to the Huffington Post, she explained how the fattiness of the meat can make it difficult for it to properly cook in the air fryer.

Peralta says: “Bacon is a fatty food, and when it is cooked in an air fryer, the fat can drip down and cause smoke or splatter.

“This can make the bacon difficult to cook evenly, and it can also produce a lot of smoke and odours.”

When the bacon is uncooked in some areas you run the risk of getting food poisoning.

Air Fryer
While air fryers are great at cooking most things, experts say bacon should not be cooked in it. Credit: Alamy

Food poisoning is caused by eating something that has been contaminated with germs, according to the NHS.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year 48 million people in the US get food poisoning, 128,000 are hospitalised, and 3,000 die.

Any type of food can cause food poisoning. It can happen if food is not cooked or reheated thoroughly, stored correctly, left out for too long, eaten after its ’use by’ date, or handled by someone who’s ill or has not washed their hands.

Symptoms of food poisoning include stomach cramps, feeling sick, diarrhoea, being sick, aches and chills or a high temperature.

These symptoms usually pass within a week – but it’s important to have lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.

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Peralta adds that because of the size of the bacon rashers, it can be difficult to flip or remove it from the air fryer without causing damage or even breaking it.

The food expert also has bad news if you want to cook bacon in batches, as she continues: “The air fryer basket may not be large enough to accommodate a large quantity of bacon.

“This can make it difficult to cook a lot of bacon at once, which can be inconvenient if you are cooking for a group.”

Other experts have come forward to warn about other foods they shouldn’t cook in the air fryer.

Yankel Polak told the Huffington Post that many people will stick cheese and food with wet batter – such as onion rings – in an air fryer thinking that it has a similar impact to a deep fryer.

He explains: “When you make something like a mozzarella stick in a deep fryer, an instant outer crust is formed.

“In an air fryer, this does not happen, and you’ll instead end up with a gooey, cheesy mess.”

Other experts also warn against putting burgers in there, as an air fryer isn’t ideal for grilling meat, along with fresh greens.

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Written by Rosario Monachino

Rosario is a former content editor at IGV who specialized in film, TV, and entertainment news. He has a degree in English and Film from the University of Salford and a master's in Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University.