We usually think about outdoor air quality, but sometimes the air in our kitchens is even more dangerous. Did you ever think that home cooking could be dangerous for you? Not in terms of spills or burns, but the air you breathe?

Understanding the Problem

People in the UK spend about 90% of their time indoors, but most air pollution rules only focus on outdoor air. This is a serious problem because many things we do at home, especially cooking, create airborne pollutants that can harm our health.

The INGENIOUS project at the University of York is studying what happens to indoor air quality when we cook. Their research examines homes where many families experience poor air quality both indoors and outdoors.

What’s in the Air When You Cook?

Cooking releases several types of pollutants into your home’s air. The main ones are fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and formaldehyde. Did you ever think you would be breathing formaldehyde in your home as a result of how you cooked?

PM2.5 is especially concerning. These tiny particles can travel deep into your lungs and even get into your bloodstream. One study found that pan-frying chicken produced PM2.5 levels of 92.9 micrograms per cubic meter. The outdoor air quality standard for PM2.5 is 50 micrograms per cubic meter, so some cooking methods can more than double that amount in your kitchen.

Gas stoves create another issue. They release nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which can irritate your lungs and is linked to asthma and other breathing problems. If you don’t use a range hood, cooking with gas can add 25% to 33% more nitrogen dioxide to your indoor air in summer, and even more in winter. In four out of ten homes studied, gas burners released enough nitrogen dioxide to go over the health standards set for outdoor air.

Who’s Most at Risk?

Young children, older adults, and people with asthma or heart and lung diseases are especially at risk.

The numbers are worrying for children with asthma. A 2006 study found that pollution from gas stoves more than doubles the chances of wheezing and shortness of breath for kids with asthma who live in apartments. Another study showed that children with asthma who are exposed to higher nitrogen dioxide levels use their rescue inhalers 14% more often.

Some communities are affected more than others. In Washington State, Black people are exposed to PM2.5 levels that are over 1.3 times higher than White people, and Asian people face levels 1.5 times higher. American Indian and Alaska Native adults have the highest asthma rates at 18%. And there are cultural factors at work here, as well as the type of cooking you do indoors and the airflow in your home.

The Long-Term Health Impact

Being exposed to PM2.5 for a long time raises the risk of early death for people with heart or lung disease. It is also linked to chronic heart and lung problems, effects on brain health, and pregnancy issues.

Around the world, household air pollution causes 6.7 million early deaths each year. The main health problems are stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer.

Use Your Range Hood Every Time You Cook

This is the most important step you can take. A range hood that works well and vents air outside can remove 50% to 70% of pollutants if you use it correctly. But studies show that people use their range hoods only 36% of the time in houses and 28% in apartments.

If your range hood only recirculates air back into the kitchen instead of venting it outside, you should open windows or use another exhaust fan.

Cook on Your Back Burners

Range hoods work best when you use the back burners because they are more fully covered by the hood. Cooking on a single back burner with the hood on low speed usually captures 50% to 70% of the pollutants.

Open Windows and Doors

If you do not have a range hood, opening windows or doors can help. One study found that opening both the front and back doors for ventilation creates strong airflow that can remove over 95% of cooking pollutants in just 10 minutes.

Consider Switching to Electric

All cooking creates some pollution, but gas stoves cause extra problems by releasing nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and benzene. A recent Stanford study found that switching to electric stoves could lower nitrogen dioxide exposure by over 50% across the country. One of the problems, of course, is that electricity or cooking with electricity is more expensive than using gas.

Choose Your Cooking Methods Wisely

Pan-frying and stir-frying at high temperatures make much more pollution than boiling, steaming, or using an air fryer. When you can, choose cooking methods that use lower temperatures.

Why This Matters Now

About half of the people surveyed did not know that cooking creates unhealthy air pollutants. But after learning about the health risks, 64% said they would think about using their ventilation devices more often.

People are spending more time at home. In 2021, Americans spent about 62% of their waking hours at home, up from 50% in 2019. With more people cooking at home, kitchen ventilation is more important.

Newer homes are built to be more energy-efficient, so there is less air exchange with the outdoors. Without good ventilation, pollutants can get trapped inside and build up to harmful levels. In homes with poor ventilation, indoor smoke can have fine particle levels 100 times higher than what is considered safe.

The Bottom Line

Cooking is a normal part of daily life, but it shouldn’t harm your health. By learning what pollutants are released when you cook and taking simple steps to ventilate your kitchen, you can protect yourself and your family.

The research is clear: using a range hood every time you cook, opening windows for airflow, cooking on back burners, and thinking about cleaner cooking technologies can really help. These are not complicated or expensive changes. They are simple habits that can greatly improve the air quality in your home and your health as well.

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Do air fryers live up to the claims? Part of the reason I decided to investigate the claims is that I am thinking of investing in this popular kitchen appliance.

Air fryers reportedly cook food rapidly and appear safe and easy to use. With the endorsement of my mom, I began to explore air fryers.

Air fryers: How do they work?

First, let’s get this out of the way: An air fryer does not fry. Dan Zuccarello, Executive Food Editor for Cookbooks at America’s Test Kitchen, explains:

“It’s a mini-convection oven that cooks food by circulating hot air around it with a fan. This way, food is cooked by convection, which means it can approach the crispiness of fried food while using far less oil.”

We need to talk about the Maillard reaction, which the air fryer achieves with hot air (instead of hot oil). You see the Maillard reaction when you watch food turn brown and crispy. Crispy chips and seared steak are examples.

The Maillard reaction is the product of heating proteins and sugar. In my air fryer, the food sits in a wire basket, ensuring that all sides of the food contact the hot circulating air.

I still have to put a little oil in, as the air will heat it to create the browning effect — not a deep golden brown as you might get with an air fryer, but with much less fat and oil.

I like that air fryers have a timer, regulated temperature, and automated shut-off. No constantly watching for me. They are efficient, too. Another plus — no splattering oil or numerous pots and pans.

Air fryers and health: The good

I am looking at air fryers because I want to avoid deep-fried foods and their higher fat levels.

An air fryer may cut fried foods’ fat content by 75%. Many deep-friend dishes need up to three cups (750 mL) of oil, while air fryers need only one tablespoon (15 mL).

WebMD’s take: “Air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It cuts calories by 70 to 80 percent and has a lot less fat. Air frying may also avoid other harms associated with oil frying.”

Fry potatoes or other starchy foods, and you create the chemical acrylamide. When heated to high temperatures in the presence of certain sugars, this amino acid asparagine produces the substance.

Here’s the problem: The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies acrylamide as a probable carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).

While air frying uses the Maillard reaction to some degree, this cooking method lowers the amount of acrylamide in fried potatoes by 90 percent.

Air fryers and health: The bad

So far, so good. But air fryers have perils. They can raise levels of cholesterol oxidation products or COPs, created when the cholesterol in meat or fish breaks down during cooking. COPs are associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other diseases in some studies.

Can you lower COPs when I use my new air fryer? Herbs such as fresh parsley and chives serve as antioxidants, reducing cholesterol oxidation products in the foods in my air fryer.

Another downside? Air fryers cut the omega-3 fatty acids, good fats that can lower your blood pressure and elevate “good” HDL cholesterol levels.

Air fryers: My take

I am going to get out of the way on this one. Let’s listen to what dietician Vanessa Rissetto M.S., RD, CDN, has to say:

“If you tend to eat a lot of fried food, the air fryer is a good option for you. If you typically use the oven for cooking food, the air fryer can be a great tool to add more variety to your cooking — start experimenting with some veggies, potatoes, or even chicken! Just keep in mind the air fryer isn’t a magic machine that makes any food “healthy.”

Here are my three tips:

• add only a little oil
• add herbs (fresh parsley and chives)
• keep your air fryer clean

I will add an air fryer to my cooking armamentarium, to be used sparingly but with joy. My review suggests that air-fried foods are healthier than deep-fried ones but imperfect. I will continue to edge towards more use of boiling, stewing, and steaming.

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