Popular Kitchen Gadget May Be Very Dangerous

Air Fryers have become a kitchen staple in recent years, offering a quick way to heat up leftovers, create passable home-made French fries without so much oil, and generally avoid heating up a much larger oven.

A big part of their appeal is the potential health benefits of avoiding the use of oils in food preparation, notes ResearchAndMarkets.com in a recent report.

“Air fryers offer a healthier alternative to traditional frying, as little or no oil is used in the cooking process. To achieve this, the cooking procedure is made without using high-fat and high-calorie oils. The harmful development of substances like acrylamide can be triggered by a serving of fried food."

DON'T MISS: Amazon's New Vans Are Raising Eyebrows Everywhere

Manufacturers are competing to stand out in the business by offering new functions and technologies that even include WiFi connectivity in some models.

Now, however, a popular brand has been forced to recall more than 2 million of its air fryers because of a potentially serious wiring problem.

Cosori air fryers with 3.7 and 5.8 quart capacities are being recalled because "a wire connection in the air fryers can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

“The firm has received 205 reports of the air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating and smoking. These include 10 reports of minor, superficial burn injuries and 23 reports of minor property damage,” according to the statement.

About 2 million of the units were sold in the U.S. through Best Buy, Target and The Home Depot stores, as well as many online outlets. The units’ prices ranged from $70 to $130, according to the statement. An additional 250,000 of the units were sold in Canada and 21,000 in Mexico, according to the statement.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and contact Cosori to receive their choice of a free replacement air fryer or another Cosori product by registering at recall.cosori.com,” The statement added. “During registration consumers must provide their contact information and submit photos of the recalled unit with the cord cut off. No receipt is needed to receive a replacement.”

The units were sold from June 2018 through December 2022.

The brand name Cosori is on the front of each unit. The model number is printed on the bottom label of each unit and on the accompanying user manual.

The recall involves Cosori air fryers with the following model numbers:

CP158-AF

CP158-AF-R19

CP158-AF-RXW

CP158-AF-RXR

CAF-P581-BUSR

CAF-P581-AUSR

CAF-P581-RUSR

CP137-AF

CP137-AF-RXB