PSA: My air fryer almost caught fire making frozen chicken patties

I was in my kitchen in Austin last Tuesday, just trying to make a quick dinner. I put two frozen chicken patties in my air fryer basket, set it for 15 minutes at 380, and walked away. About 8 minutes in, I heard a loud pop and saw smoke pouring out. I ran over and opened it to find one patty had split open, and the grease had dripped straight down onto the heating element at the bottom. It was a huge flare-up. I unplugged the unit right away and let it cool completely. The whole kitchen smelled like burnt oil for hours. I think the lesson is you really need a drip tray or some foil under greasy frozen foods, even if the basket looks fine. Has anyone else had a close call with frozen foods that leaked a lot of fat?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna8911mo ago

Almost burned down my apartment with frozen pizza rolls once. Same deal, grease fire in the toaster oven. Now I just watch everything like a hawk.

mila_perry131mo ago

Wait, frozen pizza rolls can do that? I always thought they were the safest thing to make when you're half asleep. I guess all that grease just pools up in the toaster oven and goes nuts. I'm never leaving mine alone again, that's for sure. You must have had to deal with a ton of smoke.

the_sam1mo ago

How bad did the smoke smell after?