Insight

The air fryer is one of the most popular appliances in modern kitchens. It is particularly convenient for people who want to cook with less oil, save time, and prepare crispy, flavourful meals. Chicken wings, fish, meat, potatoes, and various ready-to-cook products are increasingly being prepared in this appliance.

However, its widespread use raises an important food safety concern: food that appears well browned on the outside is not necessarily cooked thoroughly on the inside. This issue is associated with the so-called “Air Fryer Undercooking Trap”—the risk of insufficient heat treatment when cooking food in an air fryer.

Why Can Food Be Browned on the Outside but Undercooked Inside?

An air fryer cooks food through the intensive circulation of hot air. At high temperatures, the surface of a product may brown quickly and develop a crispy texture while its internal temperature remains too low to reduce microbiological hazards effectively.

This is particularly important when preparing high-risk foods such as chicken, thick cuts of meat, fish, and frozen ready-to-cook products.

Several factors may contribute to insufficient cooking. The thickness and size of the food are important because heat takes longer to reach the centre of thick pieces. Overloading the air fryer basket and stacking foods on top of one another can also restrict the free circulation of hot air, resulting in uneven cooking.

Incorrect temperature and cooking-time settings create an additional risk, particularly when preparing frozen foods without following the manufacturer’s instructions.

What Are the Risks of Insufficient Cooking?

Raw or undercooked food may be a source of pathogenic microorganisms. Salmonella and Campylobacter are of particular concern, as they are commonly associated with raw poultry.

If chicken is not heated thoroughly, disease-causing microorganisms may survive and cause foodborne illness. Symptoms may include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

The problem is that food safety cannot be assessed solely by colour, smell, or texture. Meat may appear fully cooked on the outside while its internal temperature remains below the level required to ensure microbiological safety. Visual assessment alone therefore cannot guarantee that food is safe to eat.

How Can We Ensure Safe Cooking?

According to recommendations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one of the most reliable ways to ensure that food is cooked safely is to use a food thermometer. The temperature should be measured at the centre or thickest part of the product.

According to the USDA, the recommended safe internal temperatures are:

• Poultry: 74°C (165°F);

• Ground meat: 71°C (160°F);

• Fish: 63°C (145°F);

• Whole cuts of beef, pork, and lamb: 63°C (145°F), followed by a three-minute resting period.

Consumers should remember that these figures refer to the food’s internal temperature, not the temperature setting of the air fryer.

It is also essential to avoid overloading the basket, leave sufficient space between individual pieces of food, and turn them over when necessary. When cooking frozen ready-to-cook products, the instructions provided on the packaging should be followed.

HACCP and Consumer Responsibility

Food safety is not solely the responsibility of food manufacturers and food service establishments. It is also influenced by consumers’ everyday behaviour.

One of the fundamental principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system is to identify hazards, assess them, and establish appropriate control measures. Cooking is a process in which proper control of time and temperature is crucial to reducing microbiological hazards to an acceptable level.

In food production and food service establishments, this process should be controlled through predetermined procedures, monitoring, and appropriate records. A similar approach is also important in the home. Consumers should not rely solely on an appliance’s timer, preset programme, or the external appearance of the food.

The popularity of air-fried food should not lead consumers to overlook fundamental food safety principles. A crispy, golden-brown surface does not prove that a product is safe to eat. Its internal temperature, cooking conditions, and proper control of the process are what ultimately determine its safety.

 

References

1. FMI—The Food Industry Association. August 2025. U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends.
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2. Food Dive. May 2024. Surging Air Fryer Popularity Leads Nestlé and Other CPG Giants to Rethink Food.
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3. National Association of Counties. July 2025. The Big Shift: An Analysis of the Local Cost of Federal Cuts.
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4. Pew Research Center. July 2025. Google Users Are Less Likely to Click on Links When an AI Summary Appears in the Results.
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