The Alarming Reason Magic Chef Air Fryers Were Just Recalled

People who love air fryers will probably tell you they're great devices. But the skeptics might hold out for as long as possible because "why do they need one more appliance when they can use an oven"? According to Food Network, air fryers are useful for small meals. You don't have to wait for them to preheat, and therefore, they use much less electricity than an oven. Food requires much less oil and – most of the time – you get a crispy outcome as opposed to the floppy mess you might get from a microwave.

If you've ever bought or convinced a loved one to buy an air fryer, the last thing you probably want to hear about is a recall of the product. However, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, if you happened to purchase a Magic Chef Air Fryer Digital Air Fryer with model numbers MCAF56DB (black) and MCAF56DW (white) at any time between 2018 and 2022, you should return it. They retailed for $115 to $138.

The air fryers have the potential to cause fires or burns

About 11,750 Magic Chef air fryers were recalled by the manufacturer, Newair. The product manual for the device says it is designed to shut off if the internal temperature gets too high, but it seems there was still a significant safety risk. While there have been no incidents reported, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said that the unit can "overheat, posing fire and burn hazards." People with the air fryer have been advised not to use it and to "send a picture of the rating label to Newair for instructions on how to disable the air fryer."

If customers are able to provide a receipt of the purchase, they will receive a full refund. Those who are unable to show a receipt will still receive a $50 credit from Newair. Those who own one of the recalled models (MCAF56DB or MCAF56DW) can start the return process by going to Newair's recall registration page.

This is not the first time an air fryer has been recalled for reasons related to overheating this year. Consumer Reports says more than 600,000 Insignia brand air fryers sold at Best Buy were also recalled in April. In that case, people in Canada and the U.S. made 68 reports about the product, some of which involved injuries or damage to property.