White smoke billowing from your new Emeril Lagasse AirFryer 360 can be alarming, but it’s a common and completely fixable issue. The smoke isn’t a sign of a broken appliance; it’s almost always caused by excess oil or grease burning off. You can stop the smoke by thoroughly cleaning the unit and using the right accessories to prevent drips. Let’s get your air fryer back to cooking cleanly.
Quick Answer: White smoke is caused by excess oil or grease burning. To stop it immediately, unplug the appliance, let it cool, and wipe down all interior surfaces, accessories, and heating elements to remove any oil residue. For ongoing prevention, always place the Baking Pan under the Crisper Tray or Wire Rack when cooking greasy or high-moisture foods to catch drips before they hit the heating element.
The Two Reasons Your Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer Is Smoking
Smoke is a symptom, not the disease. In an air fryer, it means a substance—almost always oil or grease—is reaching a temperature where it burns instead of cooks. Your Emeril Lagasse AirFryer 360’s troubleshooting guide pinpoints two specific culprits, and understanding which one is at play is the first step to a solution.
Excess Oil or Grease on a New Unit
If you’re seeing smoke during your very first few uses, this is the most likely cause. Manufacturing residues or protective coatings can sometimes be present on the heating elements or interior walls. More commonly, if you applied even a light layer of oil to food or accessories before that initial “burn-in” cycle, that oil can smoke as it heats beyond its smoke point. This is a one-time issue that proper cleaning resolves.
Grease Dripping Onto the Heating Elements
This is the cause of smoke during regular use, especially when cooking fatty meats like bacon, burgers, or chicken thighs. As food cooks, rendered fat, juices, or even marinades can drip off the Crisper Tray or Wire Rack. If there’s nothing to catch it, those drips fall directly onto the upper heating element at the top of the oven cavity or the lower element near the fan. When grease hits those super-hot metal coils, it vaporizes instantly into white smoke.
How to Stop Smoke From Your Emeril Lagasse AirFryer 360
Now that you know the why, here’s the how. These steps will extinguish the current smoke issue and set you up for smoke-free cooking moving forward.
Clean the Appliance and Accessories
This is your immediate action plan to stop active smoking and address residual grease. Always ensure the appliance is unplugged and completely cool before cleaning.
- Unplug the unit and let it cool. Never attempt to clean a hot air fryer.
- Wipe the interior. Use a soft, damp cloth with mild dish soap to wipe down the entire interior cavity, including the ceiling where the upper heating element is housed. Be gentle around the heating coils but make sure to remove any visible grease spatter.
- Clean all accessories. Wash the Crisper Tray, Wire Rack, and—critically—the Baking Pan in warm, soapy water. For stuck-on grease, let them soak. This removes the “excess grease residue” the manual warns about.
- Dry thoroughly. Before reassembling, ensure every part is completely dry to prevent steam and new residue buildup.
Use the Baking Pan to Catch Drips
This is the single most effective preventative measure you can take. Your Emeril Lagasse AirFryer 360 includes a Baking Pan for a key reason: to act as a drip tray. For air frying, always insert the Baking Pan on the lowest oven rack position, then place the Crisper Tray or Wire Rack on the rack position directly above it. This creates a gap that catches drips, preventing grease from ever reaching the heating element and eliminating the source of smoke at its root.
Preventing Future Smoke in Your Air Fryer
A one-time fix is good, but a permanent habit is better. Incorporate these two practices into your routine to ensure your air fryer never smokes again.
Proper Pre-Burn-In Cleaning
If you skipped this step during unboxing, it’s not too late. Before cooking any food, you should perform an initial cleaning and “burn-in” cycle to eliminate any non-food odors or residues. Wash all accessories with warm, soapy water, wipe the interior with a damp cloth, then run the empty oven at 400°F for 15-20 minutes with the clean accessories inside. You may notice a slight odor or minimal smoke as any microscopic residues burn away; ensure your kitchen is well-ventilated.
Routine Cleaning After Each Use
Consistency is key. Letting grease build up over multiple cooks is a guaranteed recipe for future smoke. After unplugging and once the unit is cool enough to touch, wipe out the interior with a damp cloth or non-abrasive sponge. Tackling grease while it’s still warm makes it easier. The Baking Pan, having caught drips, will need washing after every use. Also, avoid aerosol cooking sprays; they can leave a sticky, flammable film on the heating element that’s difficult to remove and prone to smoking. Use a brush or oil mister designed for cooking instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the white smoke from my Emeril Lagasse air fryer dangerous?
The white smoke itself is primarily vaporized oil or grease, similar to what you might see if you spilled oil on a stovetop burner. While it’s not toxic chemical fumes, it’s a clear sign that grease is burning where it shouldn’t be. This can create unpleasant odors, set off smoke alarms, and if left completely unaddressed, could potentially lead to a grease fire. It’s a warning sign you should always act on immediately by stopping the cook cycle and cleaning.
I cleaned my Emeril Lagasse air fryer and used the pan, but it still smoked once. Why?
If you’ve done a thorough clean and used the Baking Pan correctly, a single subsequent smoke event usually points to a specific, one-off cause. A very large amount of grease from an exceptionally fatty piece of meat might have splattered sideways onto the interior wall and then dripped onto the element. Alternatively, a small piece of food debris may have fallen through the rack directly onto the heating element below. Unplug the appliance, let it cool, and inspect the interior and element for any isolated debris or grease spots, wiping them away.
Can I use aluminum foil in the bottom to catch drips instead of the pan?
It’s not recommended. Placing loose aluminum foil on the very bottom of the oven cavity can block the air intake vent that feeds the convection fan, severely disrupting airflow and cooking performance. It could also overheat. The designed solution is the included Baking Pan, which sits on a rack position, maintaining proper airflow from below while effectively catching all drips. For easy cleanup, you can place a sheet of foil *in* the Baking Pan itself.
My Emeril Lagasse air fryer is cooking unevenly and smoking. Are the problems related?
They can be. If grease is dripping and smoking, it’s often a sign that food is positioned in a way that allows drippage, which might also mean hot air isn’t circulating around it evenly. Furthermore, if accessories are overloaded or not rotated as recommended, food in certain spots can release grease that pools and then drips. For a complete guide to solving uneven cooking, check out our article on why your Emeril Lagasse air fryer cooks food unevenly.
The smoke from my air fryer smells like plastic, not oil. What does that mean?
A sharp, plastic-like smell during the very first use can be normal as any final protective oils or packaging odors burn off—this is why the initial burn-in cycle is important. However, if a plastic smell occurs after several successful uses, immediately stop the appliance and unplug it. Inspect for and remove any non-stick accessory that might have a plastic handle or any foreign object that may have fallen in. Also check that the cord is not touching a hot surface. If the smell persists without an obvious cause, discontinue use, as it could indicate an electrical issue requiring service.
I’ve done everything and my Emeril Lagasse AirFryer 360 still smokes. Is my unit defective?
Before concluding it’s a defect, double-check the fundamentals: Is the Baking Pan always positioned directly below the Crisper Tray or Wire Rack? Have you avoided aerosol cooking sprays entirely? Is the interior, including the upper heating element area, completely free of a thin, sticky grease film? If all these are confirmed and smoke persists with normal foods, there may be an issue with the appliance itself. Contact Emeril Lagasse customer service using the information in your manual for next steps.
Official Documentation
Want the full specifications and manufacturer instructions? Download the official Emeril Lagasse Extra Large French Door Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo, 24 Cooking Functions and Digital Controls, 7 Accessories manual (PDF).
