Recent tests on air fryers in Hong Kong found that there were cancer-producing chemicals in certain models — french fries cooked in these machines, for example, contain acrylamide, which can be harmful if consumed in large quantities. Some french fries contain as much as 7038 mg/kg, which is significantly above the European Union benchmark of 500 mg/kg.

Although air frying is supposed to lower the risk of acrylamide formation compared to other methods, cooking starchy food like potatoes at high temperatures will cause an acrylamide-producing reaction — regardless of the method you choose. However, with foods like chicken, acrylamide levels were greatly reduced compared to traditional frying methods.