Ninja is a popular brand for air fryers and has been in the market for quite a while. Air fryers are an economical kitchen appliance that cooks food for you by circulating hot air around the food. The good part is that it doesn’t require oil, so it cooks any deep-fried food without oil.
It is a machine that works from electricity and cooks the food just in a matter of minutes due to the temperature that is all in your hand.
It is an essential tool for any cooking enthusiast, especially if you want to prepare some junk food without jeopardizing your health. The bad news is that the Ninja air fryer comes with a cancer warning.
You’re probably curious why such an appliance has a cancer warning before making a purchase. We’ve compiled all of the information you need to understand why the Ninja air fryer has the p65 warning and whether it’s safe for your health.
So let’s move on with the details so that you can make a prompt decision.
How does an Air Fryer work?
Food is not cooked in air fryers.; instead, food is placed in a perforated basket and cooked by the machine blowing hot air around it.
The air force causes a convection effect, which cooks and browns the food in the basket. Breaded foods, such as frozen chicken tenders, or unbreaded starchy foods, such as french fries or tater tots, will turn brown if the air temperature rises above 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
What Kinds of Food Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?
One disadvantage of the air fryer is that it cannot cook foods that have been dipped in liquid batters, such as onion rings or fried chicken.
You can’t cook doughy foods like doughnuts or beignets because the batter will simply drip through the holes in the basket and make a big mess. So you’re stuck with breaded or dry-seasoned options.
Why Does the Ninja Air Fryer Have A Cancer Warning?
First, we need to understand what the manufacturers mean by a cancer warning.
The Ninja air fryer comes with a P65 warning, which means it can cause cancer, congenital disabilities, and other respiratory complications.
A cancer warning is an indication for consumers that this product may cause cancer under some conditions. Cancer can be caused by the production of a compound called Acrylamide.
This compound has been classified as a 2A carcinogen, therefore, it comes under the California law that manufacturers should give a prop 65 warning on their products.
Plant-based foods, such as French fries, potato chips, cereals, and cookies, can produce acrylamide, a carcinogenic chemical when cooked at high temperatures. These foods contain free amino acids and sugars like glucose and fructose, which can react with high heat to form acrylamide.
Because the air fryer cooks food at high temperatures, acrylamide can form, especially if you cook plant-based foods in it. As a result, the key to ensuring safety is to only use the Ninja air fryer to cook foods that the manufacturer considers safe.
Is The Ninja Air Fryer PFOA Free?
Yes, the good news is that the ninja air fryer is PFOA free and so it’s not toxic and harmful to your health.
Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) is a chemical that is found in some coating materials. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFOA can increase the risk of cancer, congenital disabilities, and liver problems.
This chemical can also harm the environment if it gets into bodies of water or plants. The Ninja air fryer, on the other hand, does not contain PFOA. Instead, the coating on this appliance is ceramic, which is non-toxic to your health.
Does The Ninja Air Fryer Release Radiation?
No, the Ninja air fryer doesn’t release radiation.
Air fryers emit no radiation and function similarly to convection ovens by circulating hot air around lightly oiled food. The cooking is done using radiated heat, which is not the same as radiation or how a microwave works.
Air fryers, on the other hand, use radiated heat. Radiated heat is heated quickly and circulated food. This process causes the outside of the food to quickly dry out, resulting in a crispy coating.
That’s why food cooked in an air fryer is so much crispier than food cooked in a microwave.
Are The Ninja Air Fryers Toxic?
No, and yes. It all depends on the way you cook your food and what kind of food is being cooked. While the Ninja air fryer is ideal for cooking crispy foods that remain soft on the inside, it can also be hazardous to your health.
Although this appliance does not contain PFOA, it cooks food at high temperatures, which increases the risk of acrylamide formation, a toxic chemical. Because this apparatus does not have a PFOA coating, you can cook certain types of food without fear of ingesting acrylamide.
Stick to cooking meats and avoid cooking plant-based foods in your air fryer for safety reasons. If you must cook plant-based foods like French fries and potato chips, do so at lower temperatures, typically no higher than 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reducing the temperature will reduce the possibility of acrylamide formation and other toxic chemicals forming at high temperatures. The Ninja air fryer has the advantage of allowing you to select your cooking temperature. This simplifies things.
Is There Teflon In Ninja Air Fryer?
As discussed above, you already know what Teflon is.
Teflon has excellent self-lubrication properties, which is why it has been widely used as a nonstick surface in a wide range of kitchen products and the ninja air fryer doesn’t have Teflon.
In the air fryer community, PTFE is the technical abbreviation for Teflon. So, if you hear someone mention PTFE, you now know what they’re talking about.
Teflon and other PTFE coatings are commonly found on air fryer baskets and air fryer accessories such as a grill pan. It may even be found as a coating on the metal liner of a traditional bucket air fryer.
Technically, an air fryer does not get hot enough to degrade Teflon, which has been shown to begin degrading and releasing toxic chemicals at 570°F (300°C).
Are Ninja Air Fryers Healthy?
There is no simple answer to this question, especially since the Ninja air fryer has both safe and dangerous features. This appliance, for example, allows you to cook food with little or no oil, lowering your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension.
In essence, eating air-fried food is better for your health than eating deep-fried food.
Fried food, on the other hand, can endanger your health regardless of the amount of oil used. The Ninja air fryer is also PFOA-free, making it safe to use. Although no chemical coating will leach into your food, high-temperature cooking will almost certainly result in toxic chemicals such as acrylamide.
Here’s more on whether air fryers are healthy or not:
Which Are Some Air Fryers Without Teflon?
Many brands on the market are Teflon-free just for their consumers, here are a few of them:
Pros And Cons
With all the above information you might need a little overview of how can the air fryer be beneficial for you, so below is a table of precise pros and cons of air fryers:
| Pros | Cons |
| Dishwasher safe | Louder than toaster |
| Low-fat food | can burn in a matter of seconds |
| Consumes less counter space | Though deciding due to a lot of brands in the market |
| Quick and easy to use | Too small for a big family |
| Economical than ovens | Not preferable for vegetables |
Is Ninja Air Fryer Plastic?
No, this is good news for those who don’t like plastic. A ninja air fryer is made up of a ceramic non-stick coating.
This nonstick coating will make it easy for you to clean and wash off the oil droplets that might be there. You can also read more about this if you wonder Can you put Plastic in the Air fryer?
Why Does Ninja Air Fryer Smell Like Plastic?
Well, air fryers come with a plastic coating on them. This coating has to be removed from the buckets and trays when you start using the fryer.
However, if you end up forgetting to remove the coating, it will burn and cause some fumes.
Note that these fumes are not toxic. For more, you can check out Are Air Fryer Fumes Toxic? (The truth)
Final Thoughts
Over time, the Ninja air fryer has grown in popularity. It uses heated air to cook food, leaving it soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Despite the cancer warning, the chances of contracting cancer from using this appliance are extremely low.
If you like fried food but don’t want to deal with the grease that deep-frying requires and don’t want to stink up your house, air fryers are well worth the investment. They’re especially worthwhile if you don’t have a large group to feed.
You should be able to use this appliance without jeopardizing your health as long as you cook each type of food at the recommended temperatures and conditions. However, before using your air fryer, make sure you thoroughly read the labels.
You don’t have to preheat it, so you can start cooking right away. Nonetheless, compared to the 10-15 minutes it takes to preheat your oven, preheating your air fryer only takes about 5 minutes. Cleaning your air fryer is a breeze. The parts are simple to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.