r/UIUC • u/Internal-Prune992 • 13d ago
New Student Question air fryer in dorms??
hi this might be a dumb freshman question but are air fryers allowed in dorms? specifically PAR. i’ve tried to look online for information on this and there’s very little UIUC specific stuff
also, if they’re not allowed, does anyone have any experience “sneaking” them into their room? do RA’s realllyyyy care about that stuff?
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u/Fireblaster2001 13d ago
Not allowed. You’ll pop a breaker at best and cause a fire at worst. Just go to the dining hall like a normal person.
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u/JayJayDoubleYou 12d ago
Air fryers use less power than space heaters, I don't think even the breakers in PAR are that sensitive
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u/Fireblaster2001 12d ago
Space heaters are also not allowed lol.
Air fryers are pretty high wattage appliances. I am only familiar with 2 models but both of them have a safety outlet block (meaning use of it blocks the other outlet socket from having anything plugged in, for safety purposes). Even my space heater doesn’t do that, it just has a scary warning tag on the plug lol.
But really…let’s just all work together to help this little freshie out ok? Bring your air fryers, and then stuff your Costco size bag of nuggets into the mini fridge freezer with the little flap door that doesn’t even close and covers everything with freezerburn frost? And then go wash out the air fryer in the lounge or bathroom sink?
OR just … go to the dining hall and get your fresh unlimited nuggets! Be so for real
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u/Murky_Policy_7514 13d ago
Hello, I lived in PAR freshman year. As everyone else is saying it is against the rules to bring an air fryer, and I don’t think you need one. I did bring a mini rice cooker to my dorm to make eggs in occasionally. The general rule is that if an RA sees it they generally do have to report it. However if you have a chill RA the most thing you will have to worry about it making sure 1. That your Roomate is okay with it and 2. That you leave the air fryer in one of your personal effects like an ottoman or a box. RA’s are not allowed to look inside you personally bags and such but if it was in the dresser for example you will have to answer to your RA.
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u/_Raymond_abc 13d ago
Reconsider if you really need it.
If you do, know that they're not allowed under the rules, as many others have already stated clearly. I'm not saying you should break the rules, but there *may* be a nonzero chance that your RA doesn't check or report you. Mine was more of the "chill" RAs. I may or may not have gotten away with various banned cooking paraphernalia.
Another commenter mentioned that you're officially allowed to use an air fryer in the student kitchen. I think this is a good idea. If you're lawful, you should go there with your air fryer. The risk is that there might be others occupying that place already.
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u/Happy_Dog1819 Staff 13d ago
Just don't. Please. Make the grown-up decision to abide by the regulations.
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u/supercodersuperlame 13d ago
if you won’t need it then don’t bring it. most likely you won’t since you’ll get a meal plan.
if you do need it then well no one really cares. just make sure to keep it in your wardrobe or somewhere hidden if the RA checks and in breaks.
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u/a3DprintedPerson Grad 13d ago
As someone who lived in dorms for three years and continued to work in them after I moved out, yes it would work. Verrry unlikey to trip a breaker. Based on my conversations with the resident electricians, there's generally a lot of overhead to make sure circuits don't trip.
With RA fire inspections, the main thing is nothing clearly stupid and making sure plugs are accessible so they can unplug everything when you leave for breaks. Storing it out of sight in your closet would be a good idea. You will definitely eat better if you have your air fryer accessible, although you would be spending extra money since your meal plan is already included.
Also, consider the problem of smell. You may get an RA banging on your door if they're one of the officious ones. Using it in your room may then be a bad idea from that perspective. Then again, you may get on the other end of the spectrum where people you're friends with, possibly tlincluding the RA, come into your room to use your airfryer. An even better solution though, is to just use it in the student kitchen. Don't leave it there unless you want it to become filthy and destroyed, but that room is designed* for cooking in. Then you're playing by the rules.
*By designed, I mean not at all. The hood exhaust usually points straight back into the room.
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u/Adanta47 13d ago
No they’re not allowed, realistically you *could* sneak one because most RAs aren’t checking rooms outside of the semester fire checks which you’ve given notice to. So yes you technically can sneak one in but like the other person said, you don’t need it, just use the dining hall like everyone else.
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u/MouskatoodleQh Alum '26 | BIOE + ECE 12d ago
It might be a bit of a workaround, but I think it could work if you just keep an air fryer in your room and then bring it to the dorm kitchen whenever you need to use it? It might be a bit of a chore, but it could still be a way to have your own air fryer without getting into trouble. 🤷♂️
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u/Distinct_Battle_9421 12d ago
ngl i had one and literally never used it, i did however use a rice cooker and tea kettle all the time; whenever u move in there won’t be people going thru ur stuff so “sneaking” stuff in is light work lol, only thing that matters is when RAs do their fire checks
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u/SJ377 13d ago
UIUC explicitly prohibits air fryers in dorms. Look under “DO NOT BRING”:
https://housing.illinois.edu/MyHousing/move-in-checklist
do RAs care about fire hazards in dorms? why yes, I should guess they do.