Researching whether small appliances contain non-stick coatings is important

Many small kitchen appliances have polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) non-stick coatings on them, which can be deadly to birds. If you have any questions concerning whether or not an appliance you are considering contains them, it is best to email the company that manufactures it with the appliance number and ask if the appliance itself, or any accessories that come with it, contain PTFE or other non-stick coatings.

So, while this information only pertains to one company’s products, if you are considering an air fryer or other small appliance from any company, inquiring with the company before purchasing or using it is important.

Christine Chaffee’s research on air fryers from Instant Pot Company

Christine Chaffee recently was in the market for an air fryer, and because Instant Pot had been so responsive in the past concerning whether their Instant Pots contained non-stick coatings, she wrote to the company to find out if any of their air fryers or toaster ovens with convection/air fryer settings included non-stick coatings.

One model, the Omni 26 Toast Oven (NOT the Plus model) doesn’t contain PTFE

What she found was that one model, the Omni 26 Toaster Oven (NOT the Omni Plus 26 Toaster Oven) was free of PTFE and other non-stick coatings in the appliance itself and its accessories.

From Christine:

I really wanted an Air Fryer but have heard reports of bird deaths due to their use.    I decided to phone the Instant Pot company to get information on the Air Fryers that they sell and to ask about PTFE, Teflon, or any other material that could harm our birds.

I found there is 1 model only that is safe.   I will be buying that model.

I have attached the letter from Instant Pot regarding the safety of their Air Fryers, and they freely admit all other models are not to be used with birds.   The model I will be buying is actually a toaster oven air fryer.

Feel free to spread this information to all of your bird groups.

InstantPot, support
To: Christine Chaffee
Oct 25 at 2:22 PM

Hello Christine,

Thank you for calling us regarding the materials in our various air frying appliances. We take concerns for pet health very seriously, and we are happy to ensure our customers are informed of any potential risks.

Please refer to the following material information for each model:

Omni 26 Toaster Oven:

The cooking pan is made with an enamel-coating
The rotisserie spit, lift, and forks are stainless-steel: 201 and 304
The oven rack and air fry basket are chrome
The interior of the oven has no coating

Omni Plus 26 Toaster Oven:

The cooking pan is made with an enamel-coating
The rotisserie spit, lift, and forks are stainless steel: 201 and 304
The oven rack and air fry basket are chrome
The interior of the oven has a non-stick PTFE coating*

Vortex and Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryers:

Both air fryers have a non-stick PTFE coating on their cooking trays*

Vortex Plus 10-Quart Air Frying Oven:

The rotisserie spit, lift, and forks are stainless-steel: 201 and 304
The cooking trays and drip trays have a non-stick PTFE coating*

*Because of the presence of PTFE in the cooking trays of the Vortex air fryers and air frying ovens, these would not meet your requirements for a PTFE-free product.

*The Omni Plus 26 also has a PTFE coating on the interior, so it would not meet your requirements either.

The Omni 26 contains no PTFE. It contains enamel coating, stainless steel, and chrome in its various parts.

If there are any other materials besides PTFE that may cause a potential risk, please let us know and we would be happy to confirm if they are used in a specific product.

We hope this information will help you select an appliance that is safe to use in your home without affecting your pet. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Matthew J.
Instant Brands – Customer Care
1-800-828-7280