Ninja has been a big brand in the market for some time, producing many appliances. Nowadays, you can see that air fryers are the top-most bought appliances.
An air fryer is supposed to provide you with comfort so that you don’t have to keep standing in front of the hot wok while your food cooks on the stove.
But somehow you might not be convinced whether they are safe to use and whether using an air fryer can cause cancer or not.
There’s a long-ongoing debate about whether they are cancerous or not. Well, in my opinion, if you use them correctly, they cannot be cancerous. All you need to do is keep a tab on the manual and look out for food that has been labeled to avoid.
However, there are plenty of brands on the market that give a cancer warning on their appliances and Ninja is one of them.
In this blog, I have compiled every piece of information you need to know about air fryers and if they are healthy or not. So let’s dive right into the details.
What Is Air Fryer?
In essence, an air fryer is a mini convection oven. Air fryers allow you to cook foods that would normally be deep-fried, such as french fries, with very little oil.
While the result isn’t exactly the same as deep-fried food, air fryers are a healthier way to cook.
It promises to replicate the taste and texture of your favorite deep-fried foods without the fat and calories. This countertop kitchen appliance sounds promising, with its promise of crispy, close-to-fried perfection.
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
An air fryer, as opposed to a deep-fat fryer, uses convection heat to cook food. It circulates hot air to cook the food, similar to a fan oven, and relies on a chemical process known as the Maillard reaction to crisp up the exterior of food, resulting in delicious results.
Most air fryers have perforated trays or baskets that allow hot air to circulate freely around the food. This cooking method uses very little oil but still produces crisp, golden-brown results, which is one of the reasons air fryers are regarded as a healthier way to prepare traditionally high-fat foods.
What Is A “Prop 65 Warning”?
Prop 65 is an act of California law.
More than 800 chemicals are listed in the Act as “known to the state to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive toxicity.” This list is updated at least once a year.
Prop 65 applies to all consumer goods sold or distributed in California, including textiles, footwear, hard goods, DIY products, toys, juvenile products, stationery, electrical/electronic items, and other items.
Prop 65 is a “right-to-know” law for consumers. Businesses may not expose individuals to a listed chemical without first providing a “clear and reasonable warning” unless exempted (a Prop 65 warning).
Does The Ninja Air Fryer Have A Cancer Warning?
Yes, the Ninja air fryer shows a Prop 65 warning.
A prop 65 warning says that a certain chemical known as acrylamide can be produced when your food is exposed to high temperatures, but the good thing is that only starchy foods can produce acrylamide and not others.
Acrylamide is a chemical that is produced during the browning of baked, fried, or roasted food. It is produced as a byproduct when sugars react with asparagine, an amino acid. This is known as the Maillard reaction.
The amount of acrylamide in food is determined by cooking temperature, food sugar content, moisture, and cooking time. Sugary foods, such as potatoes, have the potential to produce higher levels of acrylamide when cooked at extremely high temperatures.
When using an air fryer, you use less oil. While the cooking temperatures are high, often as high as deep frying, the production of acrylamide is reduced because less oil is used and cooking times are shorter.
Using an air fryer produces less acrylamide than deep frying, which produces significantly more of the substance.
So even though it does have a cancer warning, you can prevent the production of acrylamide by not overcooking the starchy vegetables or bread. Check if all air fryers are cancerous or not here.
Why Is There A P65 Warning On The Ninja Air Fryer?
Ninja air fryers have a p65 warning because of the following:
Production of hazardous chemicals that pose a cancer risk. To explain, Ninja air fryers emit cancer-causing chemicals known as acrylamide.
Acrylamide, according to this research on Cancer, is a potentially carcinogenic and highly toxic chemical.
So, How does Acrylamide Get Make?
When plant-based foods are cooked at extremely high temperatures, acrylamide is produced.
French fries, potato chips, cookies, and cereals are examples of such foods which are high in amino acids and sugars (glucose & fructose). When these components are exposed to high heat, they produce the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide.
When frozen food, such as French fries, is air-fried, some acrylamide is produced.
Are Ninja Air Fryers Safe To Use?
Yes, ninja air fryers are safe to use until and unless they are being cleaned properly and used under the given conditions.
Certain precautions must be taken when cooking, baking, or frying to ensure that your food is properly cooked. The risks of becoming ill from food cooked in an air fryer are the same as those from cooking in an oven.
However, air fryers are safe to be used, but there can be some precautions that you can take to be on the safer side:
- Ensure that all parts are clean before each use.
- After each use, thoroughly clean all parts.
- Check the heating element and the interior of your fryer for any leftover food splatter.
- All foods should be cooked at the recommended temperature and time.
Check out my blog if you’re interested in knowing which air fryer is the safest?.
Is Air Fryer Healthier Than An Oven?
Air frying is a much healthier cooking method than deep frying because it uses far less oil.
Deep frying requires hot oil, and some of it is absorbed by the food, increasing the calorie and fat content.
Both air frying and baking work by subjecting food to higher temperatures. Air fryers circulate hot air around the food, whereas ovens direct heat from at least one, and sometimes two, directions. So, in terms of a healthier option, both methods are roughly equivalent.
Here’s a video on whether an air fryer is worth it or the oven:
As previously stated, air fryers use convection heat, similar to a fan oven, but they have several advantages. The most obvious distinction is their size: air fryers are countertop appliances with a smaller capacity than traditional ovens.
Because of their small size, combined with a powerful heat source and fan, they can cook food much faster than a traditional oven, and frequently with more even results. Furthermore, many air fryers require little to no preheating time, making them an efficient way to speed up meal preparation, especially for busy families.
Air fryers can promote a healthier lifestyle in addition to executing a healthier cooking method because they are simple to use and cook relatively quickly. Air fryers can encourage people to cook at home more and consume less processed or pre-made food by streamlining the cooking process.
How Do I Prevent Acrylamide In My Air Fryer?
According to research, air frying foods can reduce the production of acrylamide compounds by 75 to 90 percent when compared to deep-fat frying.
While this study did use a variety of “pre-soaking solutions,” such as citric acid and sodium chloride, the results revealed that the items in the air fryer did not require a special pre-treatment solution. Sure, more research is needed in this area, but these preliminary findings are encouraging.
That being said, you can help reduce the amount of acrylamide formed by following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) tips:
- You should soak starchy vegetables for about 15 minutes.
- You should keep a tab on a timer and cook the starchy vegetable for a crispier outer only.
- Lastly, storing your potatoes in a dark place will help reduce the amount of acrylamide formed during cooking.
How Do You Clean An Air Fryer?
It is critical to keep all parts of your air fryer clean to maintain peak performance. As a result, you should always clean your air fryer before using it.
How are you able to do this? It might be easier than you think.
Taking some parts out of an air fryer is the best way to clean it. Before you begin, make certain that all large food particles have been removed from the air fryer. Remove the air fryer’s basket and drawer and fill them with hot water and Dawn dish soap. Dish soap is an excellent degreaser.
Dish soap and warm water can be used to clean parts such as the basket, grill rack, and pan. Simply refer to the instruction manual that came with your new air fryer for proper cleaning instructions.
You should also make it a habit to clean your air fryer right after each use. Check the inside of the fryer to ensure that there is no burned food on the heating element. Check inside to ensure that no food remains after you’ve removed the parts.
Which Air Fryers Are The Safest?
The following table contains a few of the safest brands of air fryers with their prices.
| Brands | Price |
| Cosori Air Fryer | $119.99 |
| Ninja Max XL Air Fryer | $149.99 |
| Instant Vortex Plus | $139.00 |
| Chefman 6.8 qt | Not available |
| Big Boss Oil Nontoxic Air Fryer | Not available |
Final Thoughts
The medical community has reached no definitive conclusion regarding the link between air fryers and cancer. However, in my opinion, if you use the air fryer correctly and keep it clean you might not face any risk of cancer.
Because air fryers produce less acrylamide than deep fryers, they are unquestionably a healthier alternative to deep frying. You can’t rely solely on your air fryer to help you lose weight.
The main advantage of using an air fryer is that it requires less oil to cook food and has shorter cooking times. This makes the air fryer a very useful appliance.
Having said that, the majority of the nutrients in an air-fried food are determined by the ingredients used. Cooking nutritious ingredients in a low-fat, low-calorie method, such as an air fryer, can and will result in nutritious recipes.