The air fryer has taken the world’s kitchens by storm, with devotees swearing by the appliance’s convenience, range and health benefits.

But users are now being warned to play by the book when cooking with air fryer – or face serious health risks.

With Australian Food Safety Week (November 9-16) in full swing, the Food Safety Information Council advised consumers air fryers could be a food safety risk if cooking instructions are not followed.

The council’s research found two in three Australians surveyed had an air fryer in their household, with more than half using it weekly, and 38 per cent using it several times a week.

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But only three in 10 consumers said they always read food cooking and storage instructions.

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Many also said specific air fryer cooking instructions were often not available on crumbed and packaged food.

“Air fryers are convenient and easy to use, but there have been individual foodborne disease cases around the country linked to air fryers, especially when cooking crumbed products that may look cooked on the outside but aren’t fully cooked on the inside,” Food Safety Information Council CEO Lydia Buchtmann said.

Before using an air fryer, she recommended consumers should ‘‘look before you cook’’, and follow the following tips:

• Follow instructions that come with your air fryer, which often cover how to cook different products
• Check for specific air fryer cooking instructions on food packaging. These might be placed next to cooking instructions for the cooktop, oven, or microwave
• Use a meat thermometer to make sure higher-risk foods, such as schnitzels, are cooked to the safe temperature of 75 degrees Celsius in the centre.

The onus for maintaining food safety while using air fryers should not rest entirely on the consumer.

Food manufacturers should also work to ensure air fryer cooking instructions are listed on packaged food, Buchtmann said.

Exciting air fryer news @nickw84, Birdseye fish fingers now have air fryer cooking instructions pic.twitter.com/2vhEbqqwVr

— Alex Wilson (@adjwilson) June 25, 2024

Similar research conducted by Leatherhead Food Research in the UK found although more than half of UK households owned an air fryer, less than a fifth of owners said the labels for most of the items they air fry had dedicated instructions.

Leatherhead Food Research operations director Mariko Kubo said consumers required guidance around different time and temperature requirements to make sure products were safe to eat.

“It’s about striking an effective balance between microbiological factors and consumer enjoyment,” she said.

“A joint of beef might benefit from a longer cook at a lower temperature in the air fryer to enhance sensory qualities without compromising food safety.

“On the other hand, tuna steaks or prawns may respond better to a quicker cook at a higher heat.

“From cooking regularly in air fryers, we have also found that cooking in a single layer and not overfilling the device has a significant impact.”