Cooking THIS popular snack in the air fryer could be a fire hazard, warns expert

The rise of a health conscious consumption trend across the globe has led to the innovation of a multitude of technological appliances that make snacking and munching on your favourite snacks an absolutely guilt-free task. With the creation of air fryers and convection ovens, people can cook their favourite dishes through healthy methods.
As per experts, cooking popcorn in an air fryer might lead to fire in your homes. Grace Forell, a consumer expert explained that the counter-top device is unable to reach the temperature needed to safely cook the popular cinema snack. "Popcorn won't cook well in an air fryer as most models won't reach the required temperature to pop the kernels,” she said to BBC.
The small kernels may also get lodged within the device’s heating element and cause a short circuit, leading to a fire. Fornell, rather advises to stick to the microwave or the hob when cooking popcorn for an at-home movie night.
A Reddit user was quick to share an opinion on the advice, writing, “I see everyone saying not to do it because of the risk of fire. Why can’t you put aluminum over the entirety of the hot plate like you should do with anything anyways to keep it clean? Or even moreso, do that and wrap it around the top for the popcorn kernels to pop into?”

But most users seemed to be agreeing to Forell’s view, warning that doing so would most likely lead to inedible snacks and a giant mess to clean. They suggested the user to cook the buttery snacks the old way, in a microwave. “Don't do it. You will just burn the popcorn. Air fryers can do a lot of things but popping corn is not one of them,” commented a user." When a kernel flies into the fan and bangs around and you swear for an hour while trying to get it out, you will wish you hadn't. Please don't," added another. A user recommended the best recipe, writing, “The best way for me is putting a cup of water next to the bag, in the microwave. It takes longer, but the popcorn will not burn, and it will be very airy, fresh, and tasty.”
Popcorn is not the only dish experts warn against cooking in air fryers. Previously, they warned air fryer users against cooking other dishes such as beer-battered fish, cauliflower wings, pasta and more. Writing for the Real Simple magazine, chef and consumer test kitchen specialist, Laurie Klein said: "The worst foods for air frying have sauces or batters." These liquid wrapped around these can drop into the holes in the bottom of the air fryer and result in a difficult mess to clean up later. As the name suggests, air fryers work well for cooking dry dishes and struggle with anything related to liquids.