Call for air fryer instructions grows
Leatherhead Food Research is urging manufacturers to prioritise air fryer‑specific cooking instructions, after new consumer data revealed widespread adoption of the appliance — and equally widespread uncertainty about how to use it safely.
According to Leatherhead’s latest survey, 65% of UK households now own an air fryer, with 77% of owners using it at least two to three times a week. Usage is particularly high for safety‑critical foods:
- 57% cook breaded chicken products
- 56% cook sausages
- 51% cook chicken portions
- 50% cook breaded fish
Despite this, 76% of consumers say they have cooked a product in an air fryer without dedicated instructions, and 35% admit they “mainly guess” cooking times and temperatures.
Natasha Burton, head of cooking instructions at Leatherhead Food Research, says the findings highlight a growing gap between consumer behaviour and on‑pack guidance.
“Consumers are adapting their cooking habits in the absence of dedicated air fryer instructions,” she explains. “Many are relying on personal judgement or online guidance to achieve the desired results.”
With air frying now firmly embedded in everyday cooking routines, Burton says manufacturers are increasingly questioning whether their products — especially chicken, meat and fish — require validated air fryer instructions as standard.
Leatherhead has conducted more than 9,000 air fryer cooking trials, and Burton notes that the biggest challenge for manufacturers is consistency across the huge variety of domestic models.
“For safety‑critical products, air fryer cooking instructions are becoming essential rather than optional,” she says. “Variations in wattage and design can add complexity, so a rigorous, science‑led approach to instruction generation and validation is needed to deliver consistent outcomes.”
Leatherhead Food Research carries out over 15,000 cooking instruction trials each year in its UKAS‑accredited laboratory (no. 9365), covering air fryers alongside ovens, hobs, grills, microwaves, deep fat fryers and defrost testing.
As air fryers continue to reshape home‑cooking habits, the organisation expects demand for validated, appliance‑specific instructions to accelerate — particularly in categories where food safety and consumer confidence are paramount.
