How To Clean An Air Fryer

An air fryer is a revolutionary method of cooking and a blessing in disguise for all those French fries addicts who can’t stay with or without it. Although greasy foods is a real treat to the taste buds, it isn’t always good news for other parts of the body. The result: you end up avoiding it altogether?

An Air Fryer is a compact and highly useful appliance that’s a must-have in every kitchen, it lets you enjoy food that would normally by fried such as onion rings to be made with very little oil.

However, for this appliance to keep serving its purpose for long, it’s essential to keep it in good health just like it takes care of ours. Here we learn about the simple ways to clean an air fryer at home so that it can last efficient longer. You can learn about air fryer in more detail by reading our articles on the advantages and disadvantages of an air fryer.

Best Ways To Clean An Air Fryer

Here’s how you should go about cleaning an air fryer:-

Unplug the air fryer from the wall socket. Allow it cool down for a while if it were on earlier before beginning to clean it.
Start with the exterior body by wiping it clean with a soft damp cloth.
Now move to the inside of the air fryer. Remove the pan, tray and, food basket carefully and wash them with hot water and soap solution. Hot water helps get rid of hard stains, food spills, and oil splutter, if any, quite easily. You may also choose to wash these parts in a dishwasher since all the removable parts of the air fryer are entirely dishwasher-safe.
After cleaning all the parts, now wipe the inside body of the fryer using a soft cloth or sponge dipped in hot water.
In case you find any food particles stuck to the heating element above the basket, use a brush to clean up the area.
Once the pan, tray, and basket are fully dry, replace them into the air fryer. It’s now spotless, clean and ready to use.

When Should You Clean An Air Fryer?

The very fact that an air fryer is so small and compact and that it can be easily cleaned up in a jiffy gives all the more reason to always keep it clean and tidy for subsequent use. Here, we point out which parts of the air fryer should be cleaned up when so that things become super easy and convenient for you. Read on.

1. After Every Single Use – If you’re wondering how to clean air fryer basket, it’s very similar to washing any other dish in your kitchen after using it for cooking, serving, or eating. Just use soap and warm water solution and treat all detachable components of the air fryer just the same and keep them clean after each use.

Besides, in case you get a bit lazy at times and don’t wish to wash all these parts with hand, you can always chuck them in the dishwasher. They’re all completely dishwasher-safe; however, you’d be safe checking up the instruction manual first to cross-check this. Also, remember to dry up all the parts completely before placing them back into the air fryer.

2. Occasional Cleaning – The outside body of the air fryer is good to go without regular cleaning since there is minimal greasy residue build-up on the body. The air fryer uses little to no oil cooking method; as such, you may not always need to clean the outer body as often as the interior.

And when you do, just a wipe clean with a soft damp cloth is sufficient but make sure that the unit is disconnected. The same holds true for cleaning the heating coil for any oily residue on it. Clean it with a damp cloth after unplugging and cooling the fryer.

3. Random Thorough Cleaning – Your air fryer may sometimes require deep cleaning as well if you notice any air fryer smell issue. This is usually when certain food particles remain stuck somewhere inside the fryer or on the exterior body. You can easily clean up the appliance and get rid of the stench too.

Put some baking soda and water in a bowl and mix them well to form a paste. With a scrub brush or old toothbrush, scrub well the inside of the air fryer, especially the parts where food is trapped.

Always remember to use only a soft toothbrush or scrub brush for cleaning and avoid using metal spoons to remove crumbs or grease on the fryer. Metal can cause air fryer coating peeling and also result in improper functioning of the unit.

Quick Tips On Cleaning Air Fryers

Never try to forcefully remove or clean food that has hardened up in the pan or basket. Soak the parts in hot water and soap solution for about half an hour. The food residue will soften up and come off easily on its own.
Use aluminium foil or parchment paper for food items that can cause a huge mess, making the clean-up difficult later. These include marinated meats or saucy and juicy food items.
To prevent foods from sticking up in the first place, you may want to mildly grease the tray or basket with just a drop of oil.
Avoid using aerosol cooking sprays instead because they may cause damage to the non-stick coating of the fryer. If possible, try and go for an air fryer without Teflon coating to avoid any potential harm from the coating peel-off.
Never use hard abrasive scrubs or metal spoons to clean the air fryer. Be gentle with your appliance to make it last longer trouble-free.

Some Other Tips On Dealing With Air Fryer Problems

Take good care of the electrical parts of the fryer. They are the most delicate and any accidental wetting or dampening may cause damage (even permanent) to the appliance.
Keep the air fryer unplugged from the wall socket when not in use.
After each use, make sure that no food residues are left behind if you aren’t able to wash the parts of the fryer immediately after use, at least dry clean the interior and exterior parts of the device with a dry cloth.
Never let bad odour linger on in the fryer. It’s always a sign of trouble. Identify the source of the smell and take the necessary steps to get rid of it.

Summing It Up

An air fryer is an excellent device that offers great taste with good health. Taking good care of the appliance would ensure that it continues to serve its purpose for a long time to come. Because the device involves more of baking and frying, with little or no oil, there’s bound to be some residue left behind, either of grease or the food particles.

If some of the main parts of the air fryer have gotten spoilt, you are going mostly going to have to buy a new air fryer. You can read some of our air fryer reviews that will work for a long duration.