AIR FRYERS are the appliance of the day with more and more people nabbing themselves one in order to keep cooking costs down.
But if you're not helpful your handy heater can become a fire hazard.
Design Excellence Manager at Magnet, Jen Nash, explained that it's important to make sure you're not putting your home or family at risk.
She shared her five tips for making sure you're using your air fryer safely.
1. Avoid putting air fryers on tea towels
Sometimes in order to stop an appliance scuffing your countertop or to prevent it slipping around, people will pop a tea towel underneath it.
Jen explained that this is a big mistake, but a common one.
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She said: "Due to the intense heat an air fryer can produce, they should never be placed on any flammable materials like tea towels or carpets as this is a potential fire hazard."
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2. Instead make sure you check the worktop
Given that an air fryer emits heat, it's important to make sure that it's placed on a heat resistant surface.
The kitchens pro said: "It can also result in unwanted burn or scorch marks on your countertops. Checking the material of your worktops, therefore, is really important.
“The best worktop materials built to handle heat are granite, marble, quartz and laminate. If your worktops are not heat-resistant.”
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3. Don’t keep air fryers near sinks
Next up, it's important not to store your air fryer anywhere near your sink.
This is partly because it's an important safety precaution, but also because it's an important step in stopping bacteria from getting into your food.
Jen said: "Kitchen sinks harbour more than 17,000 pieces of bacteria per square inch, so it’s certainly best to prepare food and use appliances away from it.”
4. Stick with the five-inch rule
Air fryers have a vent at the back which lets out hot fumes while they cook.
It's important to make sure there is enough ventilation around the air fryer to run without over heating.
Jen said: "Stay away from using them in corners or against walls and instead stick to the five-inch rule – ensuring the appliance has at least a five-inch gap around all sides of it before use.”
5. Don’t use your air fryer near fresh food
Finally, make sure there isn't fresh food near your air fryer while it's running.
The kitchen pro said: “The heat they emit when switched on can spoil food much faster than it would typically go off.”
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