Air fryers have become one of the most popular kitchen crazes of the past few years, pushing aside the last fad (remember slow cookers?) and becoming the hottest appliance on the block for time-poor chefs especially.

Often quicker to cook with than a traditional oven, as well as cheaper to run, air fryers also have the added bonus of being able to cook food with less oil too, making them healthier in a lot of cases too - win, win win. But while air fryers are a useful and versatile addition to most kitchens, they aren’t infallible, and in fact food experts have told air fryer owners that there are some foods that you should never try to cook in an air fryer.

While some foods, like broccoli, simply don’t cook as well in an air fryer as they do in a saucepan and will come out chewy and bland, others can be downright dangerous.

According to BBC Good Food, popcorn is something you shouldn’t ever put in your air fryer because of the risk of fire.

Popcorn kernels don’t cook well in an air fryer because they don’t get hot enough to pop the kernels. But what’s worse, they can become lodged in the fryer’s heater element, creating a fire hazard.

Grace Forell, consumer journalist from Which?, told the BBC: "No, don't try this one at home. Popcorn won’t cook well in an air fryer as most models won’t reach the required temperature to pop the kernels.

"Popcorn kernels can also become lodged within the air fryer’s heating element, which may cause the appliance to short creating a fire hazard. Stick with the microwave or the hob for popcorn if you're settling down for a good movie night!"

Wet batter is another food item that shouldn’t go in an air fryer. Wet batter, used on foods like fried chicken, does not get hot enough in an air fryer to set the batter, which causes it to be mushy and drip everywhere rather than turning crispy. The resulting puddle of uncooked batter can also burn the base of the basket, damaging the fryer.

Finally, toast. While this one won’t do any harm to your appliance, it won’t make edible toast, either.

Toast is best avoided, says Good Food's cookery assistant Helena Busiakiewicz who explained: "If you put bread in an air fryer, it will just move around and not really cook properly. For the best results, I'd always stick to a toaster."

While it is safe to put oil in an air fryer, this should be done sparingly, and excessive amounts of oil can still be linked to fires, says insurance firm Aviva.

This is because the devices simply aren't designed to cook large amounts of oil. Aviva said 8% of fires in its research were caused by using too much oil in an air fryer.