How an air fryer works

In this model you can follow all five steps: setting it, the element heating up, the fan starting, hot air circling through the basket, and the food crisping while a sensor holds the temperature. Turn on Cutaway to slice it open, Exploded to pull every part apart, or open What if… to pull the drawer out mid-cook.

1. Set it. The control panel sets a target temperature, up to about 200 °C (400 °F), and a timer. A safety switch checks the drawer is shut before anything turns on.
2. Heat up. Electric current flows through a resistance wire inside the heating element. The wire turns that electrical energy into heat, so the element glows.
3. Fan on. A motor spins a fan just above the element. The fan pulls air up from the basket and throws it outward across the hot element.
4. Hot air swirls. Air races down the gap between the basket and the drawer. The ribbed floor of the drawer turns it upward, through the holes in the crisper plate and around every piece of food, then back to the fan, over and over.
5. Crisp and brown. Fast air strips away the layer of cool, damp air that clings to food, so the surface dries quickly. Once it is dry and above about 140 °C, the Maillard reaction browns it and makes it crisp. A sensor switches the element on and off to hold the temperature, and damp air leaves through the vent.

• Control panel. Sets the temperature and the time. A small computer behind it decides when the heater and fan run.
• Control board. The electronics. It switches the heating element on and off to hold your temperature.
• Heating element. A coil that turns electricity into heat, like the wire in a toaster.
• Fan. Spins fast to push air over the hot element and around the food.
• Motor. Turns the fan. A second small fan on top keeps the motor itself cool.
• Air guide. The curved hood that steers air from the fan outward and down the sides.
• Temperature sensor. Measures the air temperature, so the controller can hold it steady.
• Basket. Holds the food. You pull it out with the drawer to shake or check it.
• Crisper plate. The perforated floor of the basket. Hot air blasts up through its holes.
• Air director. Ribs in the drawer floor that turn the air upward into the food.
• Drawer. Slides out so you can shake or check the food. Closed, it seals the hot air inside.
• Safety switch. Cuts the power the moment the drawer is pulled out.
• Exhaust vent. Lets steam and damp air out, so the food crisps instead of steaming.
• Food. Dries, browns and crisps on the outside while the inside cooks through.

What if you pull the drawer out?

The safety switch opens, so the heater and fan stop at once. Push it back in and they restart.

What if you overfill the basket?

Air cannot get between the pieces. The ones in the middle steam instead of crisping, so cook in a single layer or in batches.

What if you never shake the basket?

Pieces touching each other block the airflow, so those faces stay pale. A shake halfway turns them into the air.