Do Air Fryers Use Radiation To Cook?

The air fryer is an irregularly shaped, small kitchen appliance that promises the golden crispiness of your favorite fried-foods without the grease. While being marketed as a healthy alternative and a guilt-free option, there are still some concerns about how safe they are and whether they use radiation during their cooking process.

Prior to purchasing an appliance, you need to understand how it works. Since air fryers are a small counter-top kitchen appliance, they are often compared to microwaves which use radiation to cook your food

So, this begs the question.

Do air fryers also use radiation to cook your food? The answer is no, air fryers do not use infrared radiation or microwave radiation during the cooking process. Instead, they are more akin to your traditional convection oven, circulating hot air to cook.

With this said, let’s explore the ins and outs of how air fryers cook your food and some common questions about the cooking process.

What Type of Cooking Method Do Air Fryers Use?

Regardless of what brand of air fryer you buy, it will operate on the principle of convection cooking, albeit at a much faster rate than your traditional oven, which also uses the convection method. This method is based on the movement of heated molecules and combines the use of conduction heat transfer and forced molecule movement.

In plain speak, as molecules close to the heat source become warm, they rise, being replaced by cooler molecules, causing a circulating current that evenly distributes heat throughout your food. There are two examples of convection cooking, one being coined as natural and the other as mechanical.

Natural Convection Cooking Process

With this method, molecules that are at the bottom of your cooking area will rise and warm, while the cooler molecules will sink because they are heavier. An example of this is when you boil water on your stove; the conduction heat from your heating element warms up the pot of water.

As the molecules heat up, the convection process makes them move away from the interior of the pot but are replaced by cooler molecules. This creates a continuous current, causing the heat to transfer throughout the water and boiling it as a result.

Mechanical Convection Cooking Process

With this method, convection only occurs because an outside force is causing heat to circulate. An example of this is when your convection oven uses a fan to blow hot air over and around your food and then venting it back out.

In your air fryer, it has a small heating element and a fan that blows hot air around the cooking chamber. The difference between an air fryer and your conventional oven is that the air is swirled within the cooking chamber at a very fast pace and in a circular manner. This means that it does an incredible job of ensuring that all surfaces of your food get hit with heat.

Beyond this, the basket that you place your food in is perforated, meaning that it has holes in it, allowing the bottom of your food to come into contact with the hot moving air. The size of the basket and the appliance itself also has an impact on how crispy your food can get, as the smaller space intensifies the heat, resulting in faster cook times and crispier results.

What Is This Maillard Effect and Why Is Cooking with Oil Unhealthy?

When your food gets that crispy, golden-brown texture and coloring to it, this is from the Maillard reaction also known as a “browning reaction” which only occurs between the temperatures of 280-330 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is a surface-level reaction that happens when the amino acids and simple sugars in your food become rearranged into rings or collections of rings.

The key thing about the Maillard reaction is not the browning action we are so used to seeing but the aromas and flavors that it creates when roasting, baking, and frying food.

Although the Maillard reaction is associated specifically with fried foods, it occurs in the cooking of almost all foods. The simple sugars and amino acids within each food type are different, which is why frying fish doesn’t smell like baked bread or roasted meat.

This reaction is what distinguishes between food that has been grilled, roasted, or fried and food that has been poached, steamed or boiled. When an individual uses high-temperatures to cook, it speeds up the Maillard reaction because the heat increases the rate at which chemical reactions occur and it speeds up the evaporation of water.

The issue with cooking at high temperatures, especially when frying meat foods in oil, is it creates heterocyclic amines or HCAs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs which are chemicals that have mutagenic properties. When consumed, they can cause changes to your DNA and can increase your risk of cancer.

However, when using an air fryer, the retention of nutrients is quite high in comparison to other methods of cooking. The formation of harmful compounds such as acrylamide is also reduced in the air fryer.

Can You Skip Out on Using Oil Entirely?

Typically, most air fryers will come with a recipe book or a recipe brochure that will have recipes in it that use oil. However, the big difference between purchasing deep-fried food from a vendor and making your own with an air fryer is that your food doesn’t have to be dunked in oil or completely soaked in it to get that crispy taste you love.

Instead, most recipes that call for oil, only need one or two tablespoons of it rather than a few cups that are used in traditionally fried-food. With that said, you do not have to use oil at all and can actually add a little bit of olive oil or butter after the food has been cooked to maximize the taste.

If you were to add oil prior to cooking, you need to make sure that it has a boiling point above 400F.

Can You Use an Air Fryer on Non-Frying Recipes?

Absolutely! A lot of air fryers actually come with a few recipes for desserts and foods that can be roasted.

For baked goods, you can make chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, cinnamon biscuit bites, shortbread cookies, sugar dough dippers, lava cakes, apple pie, fried apple chips, vegan pop-tarts, homemade muffins, custards, doughnuts, chocolate cake, bread, banana bread, lasagne, and quiche to name a few. Although, if you do want to bake, you may need to purchase a separate non-stick baking dish or air fryer accessory kit that comes with a baking dish, layered rack, and a pizza pan.

For roasting foods, any vegetable that would normally be grilled can be done in the air fryer. This includes items like asparagus, green beans, baked potatoes, corn, fresh mushrooms, cauliflower, and broccoli.

Other items that work well in air fryers include egg rolls, frozen french fries, most meats, hard-boiled eggs, homemade chips, chicken strips, coconut shrimp, toasted sesame tofu, fish sticks, pumpkin seeds, and ravioli.

Although the above list is comprehensive, it certainly does not contain everything that you can make in an air fryer, so make sure to do some research on your favorite foods and find out if there is a recipe for it. There are really only a few limitations on what type of foods don’t work well in an air fryer.

Are All Air Fryers the Exact Same?

Although every air fryer’s purpose is the exact same, their build models and effectiveness are not. Some machines will do a better job of making sure your food comes out crispy while others will be better at evenly cooking your meal the entire way through.

In so long as you pre-heat and turn your food half-way through, you should get excellent results with whichever model you pick.

Are Air Fryers Safe for Younger Adults and Children?

Yes, air fryers can be used by younger adults and children, permitting they are responsible and mature enough to understand how the device works and are able to follow the safety precautions provided by the manufacturer.

Almost all air fryers come with an automatic shut off, a cooking timer, insulted panhandles, and cool-to-the-touch exteriors for safe handling. For most models, you simply allow the air fryer to pre-heat, set a temperature, place food inside the basket, and cook.

Once done, either pull the basket out and place on a non-flammable surface or use tongs to remove the food.