Air Fryer Won’t Go Above 200? Super Simple Explanation

Is your air fryer refusing to go above 200? You’re not alone.

In this article, we’ll uncover all the potential reasons why that temperature is stuck at 200, and how to fix it.

A common mistake with air fryers is to have them set in Celsius (C) , and not Fahrenheit (F). 200^oC is almost 400^oF! Which means that 200C can be a limit set on many fryers. By changing your air fryer to Fahrenheit, you’ll be able to set it above 200.

I’ll cover how to do that, and other possible reasons why your air fryer is stuck at that temperature, below.

When Your Air Fryer Won’t go Above 200

As mentioned above, the most obvious thing to consider when you’re trying to cook something at above 200 and your air fryer won’t allow it is where you live—and if you use Fahrenheit or Celsius. 

The other thing that may get confusing is that many brands don’t use a real conversion from Fahrenheit or Celsius. For example, 400°F is the equivalent of 204.44°C, but many brands just round that down to 200°C.

Since I doubt most appliance manufacturers want to build two separate models of everything, in many cases, there will often be a setting you can change that will switch between Fahrenheit or Celsius. 

How to Change Your Air Fryer Temperature Settings 

Below, I list the steps for the most popular air fryers. However, please note that even within brands there may be different functionality, so it’s advisable to check your user’s manual if the following doesn’t work, or if your brand isn’t listed. 

For example, if you have a Cosori of any model, you can follow the directions here:

And if you have an Instant Pot Air fryer, refer to the following. 

If you have a Ninja or Philips air fryer, you need to hold the up and down arrows at the same time until the reading changes. 

Maximum Temperature of Air Fryers 

While most traditional floor model ovens have a max temperature of 550°F (288°C), the maximum temperature of most air fryers typically ranges between 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (204 to 232 degrees Celsius). The reason for this temperature range is mainly due to the cooking techniques and limitations of the appliance. 

Remember, air fryers use convection heating, so they get hotter faster, thanks to powerful healing elements and high-speed fans that circulate hot air around the food — creating that crispy, browned exterior. So it’s typically not necessary for an air fryer to reach the same maximum temperatures that a traditional oven will.

Another important factor is the materials that are used in the construction of air fryers. Most of them are made up of many plastic components which will have temperature limitations. Having an interior temperature that went beyond the recommended temperature range for those materials could potentially damage your air fryer or even pose fire and safety hazards.

Manufacturers will determine the maximum temperature based on the above considerations.

Solving An Air Fryer Stuck At 200

So, if you have an air fryer that won’t go above 200°, there are a few things for you to check. 

First of all, it’s very likely that your temperature setting is Celsius, and if you’re looking at a recipe that recommends 400° it will be Fahrenheit. If that’s the case, check to see if your air fryer has the functionality to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit. If not, you can use one of the simple conversions above.

To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, take the Fahrenheit temperature then subtract 32, multiply that by 5, and then divide by 9.

And if you’d like to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply your degrees in Celsius by 9, divide by 5, and then add 32.

And if you have one of the more popular air fryers such as ninja, Phillips, Cosori, or Instant Pot, they’ll likely have functionality to switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius or vice versa.

Hopefully, this information has helped you. While you are here, why not check out our related posts below? Perhaps we can help you with something else.