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My air fryer often makes its way around my kitchen, as I'm always rearranging the layout of my countertops. Truthfully, although it's handy, this slightly obtrusive appliance slightly ruins my aesthetic. It's big, bulky, and in comparison to my white and sage green kitchen, it sticks out like a sore thumb. But the placement of your much-loved air fryer is often overlooked as a mere suggestion in the manual, but really, it's the difference between your air fryer overheating and setting on fire in your kitchen, and not.
After placing my dual-zone stacked air fryer in my pantry for a few weeks, I quickly realized how dangerous this was. It was getting hot in there! It's such a tight space, with three large shelves and a small countertop area on offer. This countertop area also plays home to my microwave and milk frother. So, eventually, I came to peace with the fact that my air fryer had to be on display, for safety reasons.
Now, after reading the manual (and actually abiding by the recommendations), my air fryer is on show on my countertop, but I've got peace of mind that it's is a lot safer. Even when I throw frozen fodder in the drawers and walk out of the room for 20 minutes, I'm assured it's as safe as it can be. It's recommended, really, that you leave around 10cm of clearance space on either side of the air fryer — that's back and sides. Yes, you should never be pushing it right up against your backsplash.
Keep your kitchen safe
There are so many air fryer dos and don'ts, but the number one safety hazard has to be wrong air fryer placement. Other than keeping it somewhere that's easy to reach, especially if, like me, you use it a lot, you also have to allow for ventilation. It's recommended that you leave at least 10cm of space on the back and sides of the air fryer to allow the air vent to breathe. This air vent pushes out a lot of hot air, so if it's pressed against something, like a wall, tiles, or even another appliance, this could cause a fire.
Once the air vent has overheated, there's a chance this appliance could catch on fire. And we all know how fast that spreads. I've heard of many a case of an air fryer being the cause of an entire house fire.
So, when it comes to rearranging your countertops, you need to consider two things: where your closest (and free) socket is, and how you'll ensure that your air fryer has 10cm of free space around it. You can, obviously, push it into a corner, and when you're using it, pull it away from the wall. Just always ensure that when it's plugged in, it's away from the wall.
More air fryer safety must-knows
- Always unplug your air fryer when it's not in use
- Never add too much oil
- Don't use its top for storage purposes
- Clean it after each use
- Always use the correct air fryer accessories
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