Air Fryers are awesome there is so many delicious recipes you can cook in them, they help you make quick and easy recipes and the clean up afterwards in most cases is a breeze. Because you love your air fryers you end up using it quite a bit and after some time some people start to notice that their air fryer basket coating is starting to flake and peel off. What gives?? why do air fryer baskets begin to flake and peel? is it how you are using it? how you are cleaning it? the type of food you are cooking in it? There could be any number of reasons this happens and here at Uber Appliance we have done the research on your behalf to answer this question.
What is the coating used in Non-Stick Air Fryers?
To understand why air fryer baskets peel we need to first understand what they are coated with. Most non-stick air fryer baskets are coated with Teflon, Teflon is a non stick coating that was developed in 1938 at Dupont Labs. The really cool thing is that it wasn't actually developed but rather accidentally discovered by scientist Roy J Plunkett. Story goes like this, Roy was working on gasses for refrigeration and while checking on a compressed frozen sample of tetrafluoroethalyne the found the gas had polymerized into a waxy white substance now known to be polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This new substance proved to be the most slippery substance on the planet. Dupont took it from there and the rest is history as they say.
Why does Teflon Flake off Air Fryer baskets?
There could be a variety of reasons why teflon flakes off of an air fryer basket, we spent some time researching and we found the top reasons teflon flakes off and how you could make your air fryer's coating last long and not flake over time.
1- Using Harsh Chemicals and Brillo Pad to clean an Air Fryer Basket
One of the top reasons that the Teflon coating flakes off is due to using harsh chemicals and a Brillo pad to scrub off baked grease after cooking. Air Fryer baskets are delicate and require special attention when cleaning.
Harsh chemicals break down the teflon coating and the Brillo pad is like a piece of sand paper against the pan it aggressively removes the compromised coating and is not a recommended cleaning method by most air fryer manufacturers.
2- Using cooking spray in an air fryer basket
One of the worst things you can do for the teflon coating in your air fryer is using spray on cooking oil like pam. Cooking spray contains many ingredients beside the actual cooking oil, other ingredients such as anti-foaming agents, propellant that is butane or propane based and finally an emulsifier called lecithin.
If all those nasty chemicals in something you spray on your food hasn't turned you off to cooking sprays, then lets move on to what in the cooking oil spray ruins the teflon coating. The lecithin is what actually causes the most damage to teflon coatings, the lecithin breaks down teflon causing it to become more sticky instead of nice and slippery.
The combination of lecithin, teflon and heat causes the teflon to break down, get sticky and start peeling off and sticking to your food. We strongly advise against using cooking spray in general, its bad for your air fryer and even worse (in our opinion) for you and your families health. We recommend using 1 tsp of olive oil or cooking in your air fryer basket, the natural oil will not cause your air fryer basket coating to fail.
3- Cheap or poor quality Air Fryer
Not all Air Fryer's are created equally and as you say you usually get what you pay for. Deciding to buy an air fryer solely based on price is not a great idea. The bargain basement Air Fryer brands use cheap coating or put a thin layer of coating that will not stand up to regular use. Cheap coatings use various chemicals that are not good for your health releasing chemical fumes from the basket and into your food. The cheap coatings can't withstand high temperatures as well and breakdown quicker at higher temperatures. Thin coatings are just as bad, the typical thickness of an air fryer basket coating is 1mm, if the manufacturer reduces this thickness to save cost it allows the coating to fail quicker as there is not as much coating material to bond. Buy your air fryer from a manufacturer that cares about the quality of their products and back them up with a solid warranty.
How can I protect my air fryer basket non-stick coating?
There are a few things you can do to protect your air fryer basket coating and make it last longer. It starts with proper care and washing procedures. Utilizing cooking utensils that will not damage the basket and finally adding protection to the basket while cooking in it.
Proper Cleaning Procedure to avoid damage to your air fryer non stick coating:
We understand how frustrating and disgusting baked on grease can be. We put together an awesome guide on how to clean baked grease from an air fryer basket. We recommend a soapy, baking soda, vinegar and lemon overnight bath to break up the tough grease then giving your air fryer basket a gentle scrub with kitchen cloth or microfiber.
Using Cooking Utensils that do not damage the basket:
Avoid using sharp metallic utensils such as forks, knives, metal tip tongs, metal spoons and metal spatulas. Silicone and wood cooking utensils are best for teflon coating, the material is softer than teflon so it will not be able to penetrate the coating surface. Both silicone and wood are food safe and will not leave harmful teflon or metallic residue behind making them our top choice for air fryers.
Adding Protection to the Basket
Adding parchment paper, baking paper or covering the air fryer basket base with aluminum foil is a great way to separate your food from the teflon coating all together. We like also using reusable silicone liners or disposable aluminum cooking pans to cook your items. Not only does it protect the air fryer basket but you actually don't have to even wash the basket when you are done cooking. We like that idea a lot! makes our life easier.
Are you looking for a high quality, peel resistant non stick coating Air Fryer?
Look no further than the Uber Appliance line of Air Fryers, from the Air Fryer XL 5 Quart to its little brother the Air Fryer 3.7 Quart, the Uber Appliance Air Fryers are high quality built and long lasting.
our Uber Air Fryer XL is perfect for any family with its roomy 5 quart basket you can air fry a whole chicken. The dishwasher safe basket and grease separator with non-stick coating make cleaning a breeze just wipe it down with a damp soapy microfiber towel and toss it in the dishwasher.
The Uber Air Fryer XL features an easy to use touch display for temperature and time setting with temperatures ranging from 150F to 400F, the digital display also has several pre-set cooking temperatures and time to perfectly cook chicken, steak, fries, wings and so much more with a single press of a button. Every Uber Air Fryer XL Comes with a free recipe book so that you can explore tasty meals as soon as you get it with plenty more recipes on our site.
The Uber AirFryer XL’s plastic is prevented from the factory which eliminates any plastic smell or taste in your foods from the first use. This is one of the biggest complaints from air fryer users and at Uber Appliance we listen to our customer’s feedback and strive to provide the best experience from the first use!
If you think Teflon is god please watch the true story of DuPont and Teflon it’s called “dark waters” Netflix. You will be amazed and sad about teflon
Is there anything I can buy to cover the bass so it looks half decent please
I too have this problem with a tower brand air fryer.After doing some research,it appears that the health risks re potential cancer risk,not only comes from the non stick coating,but from the air fryer cooking process itself which apparently causes a reaction when certain foods( which in the main seems to be meat,turkey,etc.,)due to the very high temperatures involved which may be why there seems to be a glut of reduced price air fryers being sold in supermarkets,etc,This so often seems to be the case with fast cooking food methods,with some so called advising its best to stop using air fryers completely.How true all this is,Iam not sure,but there certainly seems to be cause for concern,and as the coating on my air fryers has also started bubbling under the heat,and is now flaking off(not just the tower brand) rightly or wrongly, I have decided to take them to the tip,and revert back to conventional cooking methods,
After reading I believe the answer is , having bought a cheap brand frier. Because I use only nylon non scratching pads, only use hot water and mild soap, and before cleaning I soak the parts overnight in hot water that cools down overnight. I have another brand at my summer vacation place and it is much tougher, no peeling that I remember after several seasons of use, but this one at home (Korean brand) looks awful and peels more and more as I keep using it. Soon it will look shiny as steel !
I too have had this problem with a Tower air fryer. The base has bubbled and peeled off. Did not want to spend a lot of money on an air fryer just in case it did not work for us. Now I am worried it will cause health problems. Maybe purchase one without a non stick surface as it seems coating is thin and not fit for purpose.
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