Teflon is a synthetic polymer known as polytetrafluoroethylene. It is used to keep burnt food away from our pots and pans. It’s a polymer with hydrophobic properties, meaning it doesn’t stick to water or liquids.
Overheating Teflon can cause semi-serious health effects. However, you would have to reach temperatures over 570F in order for the Teflon coating to break down and release toxic fumes into the air.
These toxins can cause humans to fall into a
Only a few cases have been reported where people have gone to the hospital as a result of overheated Teflon. Our winged friends don’t have the same kind of resistance against overheated Teflon though.
Birds may risk their life if they are exposed to overheated Teflon. Their lungs hemorrhage which leads to suffocation. With this in mind, I decided to do some research on air fryers and Teflon.
Some air fryers have Teflon-coated baskets, which makes it easier for the user to remove grease residue or burnt food from the air fryer’s components. Without the Teflon-coat, the baskets would be much harder to clean. There are alternatives for those who want to stay away from Teflon, and that’s ceramically coated baskets or stainless steel baskets, which are free from Teflon and the toxins it releases upon reaching high temperatures.
Teflon can commonly be found in
- Pans
- Bakeware
- Coffee Pots
- Toaster Ovens
- Waffle Makers
- Rice Cookers
- Slow Cookers
- Microwave Popcorn Bags
- and much more.
Are There Air Fryers Without Teflon?
Yes, as I mentioned above. There are substitutes for Teflon-coated baskets. Thankfully, a lot of people don’t like to use Teflon because of its reputation, which I believe it deserves. The alternative is either stainless steel baskets or ceramic baskets.
These two alternatives will provide the same kind of non-stick surface but without the bad stuff that’s produced as Teflon is heated. It’s safe to say that the options are somewhat limited when it comes to these alternatives as most air fryer baskets actually have Teflon.
Well, they’re somewhat limited if you compare them to the range of Teflon-baskets available on the market, but there should definitely be enough options for you to find what you’re looking for.
Let’s go in-depth on the topic in order to understand which option suits us best.
Air Fryers That Don’t Have Teflon Or Other Potentially Harmful Non-stick Coating
To make sure that you don’t expose yourself to Teflon and the fumes it can release, you want to get an air fryer that has either of these (in no specific order):
- Components made of stainless steel
- Ceramically coated components.
Today’s nonstick cookware is often put in two different categories, ceramic or PTFE. Teflon or “PTFE” (polytetrafluoroethylene) is arguably the most popular. However, it seems to be more harmful to us and our environment than ceramic is.
Ceramic is the safest and most environmentally friendly option for our kitchen. The downside to ceramic seems to be that it has a shorter lifespan, however long that is, I don’t know.
I do know that there have been significant improvements in the area of ceramic coats on cookware in the last years, manufacturers have added more layers, giving the surface a longer lifespan.
With that said, when cooking with oil, you risk reducing the lifespan of both Teflon and ceramic. I’ll tell you more about this later on in the article.
Stainless Steel pans and baskets are more durable because they have no coating. The downside to stainless steel is that burnt food or grease residue may be harder to remove from it. The upside is that you won’t find any flakes of coating in your food.
These are my recommendations. They are free from toxins, perform well, are affordable and easy to use. In my opinion, these are high-quality products.
Louise Sturhling – Ceramic
This air fryer can perform, it’s versatile, it’s simple and it’s entirely free from BPA, PTFE, and PFOA. The components are ceramically coated.
The surface of these components are very easy to clean, they are very durable and they will not flake when used in high temperatures. It produces perfectly crisp food. At first, I was worried that the texture and taste would be different but it really wasn’t.
One thing to take note of is that the free pizza pan that comes with the air fryer has Teflon, but the regular basket that comes in the air fryer does not.
Simply Ming – Ceramic
Simply Ming has, just like Louise Sturhling, a ceramically coated basket with great non-stick properties. It’s very easy to clean and remove grease from.
The performance of the air fryer itself is great too. The manufacturer stated that the air fryer may emit a strange smell the first time it’s used, that wasn’t the case for me.
I decided to read some of the reviews on Amazon and most of us hadn’t smelt anything. After 15 minutes in the air fryer, my food came out and tasted great.
Gourmia GAF635 – Stainless Steel Exterior
The
How To Season Air Fryer Components To Prevent Them From Sticking
While most air fryers are marketed as oil-less, adding a tablespoon of oil makes the results so much better. The problem with oil is that it can be hard to clean. Most air fryers also have a non-stick coating, that coating is definitely not non-sticky enough to keep the components free from food at all times.
To prevent the air fryer from sticking, you may have to season it. This can be done to any air fryer no matter what material its baskets or pans are made of.
When seasoning an air fryer basket or pan, stay away from aerosol sprays as they will only cause more peeling and build up grease. Instead, we’ll use coconut oil. Here’s how its done:
- Dip a soft sponge in a mixture of warm water and soap.
- Wash your air fryer basket, drawer and/or pan in the sink
- When done washing, place the basket and drawer or the pan in the air fryer and turn the temperature up to 400F and the timer to 5 minutes.
- Remove the parts after 3 minutes
- Smear a paper towel with coconut oil and then, using the paper towel, apply a thin coat to the basket or any other component.
- Place the components in the air fryer and let them sit in there for the remaining two minutes.
- You’re done. Your air fryer parts are now seasoned in a natural way. No toxins or propellants have been used.
How Oil Reduces The Lifespan Of Non-stick Coating
When cooking with oil, it’s important that you clean the dishes thoroughly. Otherwise, as you repeatedly apply oil without removing the used oil, layers will build up.
These layers reduce the effects of the non-stick surface of the cookware. Furthermore, when cleaning the surface to remove oil, one should be very careful. Using harsh brushes or scrubbing like a lunatic will cause the surface to flake.
First, try with a soft sponge, warm water and soap. If that doesn’t work, try using white vinegar. I’ve found it to be very useful when cleaning oiled surfaces.
If Your Air Fryer Basket Has A Teflon Coat, Do This.
Some may argue that the Teflon-coating on your air fryer will fall off and eventually end up in your food. As a customer, it can be hard to collect information regarding an air fryer’s parts and what type of material the manufacturer has used to produce them.
Teflon-coated kitchenware shouldn’t really be used at high temperatures, medium to low temperatures have no negative effect on Teflon. The thing about air fryers is that they often operate at high temperatures (400F).
Guidelines to safely using your air fryer basket with teflon.
- 500F is the maximum temperature recommended when cooking with Teflon. While most air fryers only get close to 400F, I would still be careful of using high temperatures.
- Don’t preheat the air fryer
- Be extra cutious when using a lightweight basket, the basket will heat up way faster than a heavier one.
- If you have birds at home, rethink your purchase as the fumes may harm them. In some cases even kill them.
Related Questions
What happens if you eat Teflon coating? An old or heavily used pan may flake, leaving the Teflon coating in your food. However, eating the flakes will not cause any serious health issues. But, when overheated, the Teflon coating may pose a threat to your health.
Are air fryers BPA-free? Some air fryers are free from BPA while others aren’t. Before purchasing an air fryer, you should do your research on that specific model to find out what material has been used to make it.