Nowadays, people are fans of air-fried food because it requires very less oil to get the job done which automatically saves time and energy.
Everybody talks about the benefits of an air fryer and how to use it correctly but have you seen people talking about how to clean an air fryer correctly? Me neither.
But, the truth is if you want your air fryer to work well and be durable, you must clean it in the right way, or else its cooking performance will be affected as leaving the air fryer dirty can lead to bad-tasting food.
Sadly, even the best air fryers do not come with a self-cleaning button. But, some air fryers do come with removable parts which are luckily dishwasher safe which makes cleaning a little less hectic.
So, here I am going to tell you everything that you need to know about cleaning your air fryer with simple guidelines to make your air fryer cleaning process as painless as possible and to keep it as good as new.
Let’s start.
Why You Should Take Proper Care of Your Air Fryer?
There are a few primary reasons why it’s critical to incorporate an after-use cleaning procedure for your air fryer. Whether you use your air fryer every day or once a month, taking care of it ensures that you can cook with ease and confidence.
Here are a few compelling reasons to thoroughly clean your air fryer after each use:
- Eliminating any food deposits allows the air fryer to continue to heat up fast.
- Clean air fryers require less energy to heat, allowing you to save money on electricity.
- Having less old oil circulate in your air fryer equals better meals.
- Less food residue equals fewer germs, and hence a lower risk of foodborne illness.
- Starting the cooking process with a clean air fryer basket guarantees that the flavor is consistent with each use.
Fortunately, you don’t need a bunch of sophisticated gear or expensive cleaning supplies to properly care for your air fryer.
Regular maintenance with simple components such as a microfiber cloth or non-abrasive sponge, baking soda, and elbow grease may maintain your favorite kitchen gadget in top condition for the duration of its lifespan.
When Should You Deep Clean Your Air Fryer?
While most air fryers come with dishwasher-safe frying baskets for easy after-use care, you should wipe off the heating coil of your air fryer once a month to eliminate any built-up oil.
Residue from the cooking process on the heating element can reduce the efficiency of your air fryer, resulting in unpredictable cooking at best and a safety issue at worst.
To clean the heating coil, unplug the air fryer entirely and wipe the heating element thoroughly with a moist cloth—microfiber is best.
Cleaning Air fryer
Step 1 – Tools you need
Before starting the cleaning procedure of the air fryer, gather all the tools you need to start cleaning which include:
- A sponge
- Paper towels
- Baking soda
- Dish soap
- A scrub brush (soft bristle)
- Microfiber cloth.
Step 2 – Cool down the air fryer
After cooking, unplug the air fryer and let it completely cool down for 30 minutes. Once it is completely cooled, take out all of its removable parts such as the basket, tray, and pan.
Step 3 – Cleaning removable parts
Put the removable parts of the air fryer in warm soapy water and leave them for a few minutes if they have charred food and oil residue on the parts then take it out and scrub them with a sponge.
If the removable part contains hard-to-wash grease and food residue then make a paste of water and baking soda and then paste it on the residue and leave it for a few minutes and then clean it.
Step 4 – Clean up the interior
Clean the interior of your air fryer with the help of a damp microfiber cloth or a sponge with some drops of soap on it and then clean the residue of soap with a clean damp cloth.
Step 5 – Clean the heating element
Use a damp cloth or sponge to clean the heating element by turning the air fryer upside down.
Step 6 – Clean up the exterior
The exterior is cleaner than the interior. Just wipe the exterior with the help of a sponge or damp cloth with the splatter of soapy water then clean the remains of food with the help of a clean damp cloth then polish the exterior of the air fryer with the help of a paper towel.
Step 7 – Reassemble the air fryer
Now assemble all the removable parts of the air fryer in its main unit by making sure that every nook is cleaned and thoroughly dry and voilà! Your air fryer is all clean and ready to cook again.
However, cleaning is one part of maintaining an air fryer and there are other things as well to protect the air fryer such as:
| Check the cords | Check the cords before and after using the air fryer, you should never use a broken cord as it would be dangerous. |
| Never use a dirty air fryer | Cooking food again in an air fryer while it has previous food particles and oil residues can lead to burnt and tasteless food. |
| Check each component | It’s important to check each component – basket, tray, pan of air fryer before using because if any of them is slightly damaged, it can damage the whole air fryer as well. |
| Don’t put every food | Not every food is good to be in the air fryer like wet batter as it can ooze into the basket. |
You can also check out the following video to understand how to clean the air fryer.
How does mess affect what and how you cook in the air fryer?
It’s simple to prepare food in an air fryer such as french fries, all you have to do is grease the basket, place the fries and then cook it but ensure that the oil you use is air fryer safe as some oils contain soy lecithin which effect on the structure of air fryer and removes its nonstick coating over time so must the ingredients of oil that you’re using.
Another thing to consider is what you’re cooking in the air fryer like foods that have a high amount of fats like bacon, duck, and chicken, these foods would create a mess in the basket and if you see a lot of smoke coming out of the unit, it means that grease is building up. You better turn off your air fryer and remove the build-up of grease before cooking again.
For easy clean-up, I would suggest you use silicone and parchment liners which are designed to help you minimize the mess of the air fryer.
Is it necessary to clean the interior of the air fryer?
Yes, it is necessary to clean the interior of the air fryer.
Most air fryer countertop contains three main divisions – the heating element, basket, and basket base which you must clean after every cooking session.
Cleaning these three divisions free of grease and food particles would ensure a better cooking experience and would allow the air fryer to give its optimal performance.
How long should we wait before cleaning an air fryer?
You should wait until it’s cooled down completely.
You should never try to clean the air fryer if it’s still hot. Remove the item when you’re done cooking and turn off/unplug the air fryer then wait until it’s all parts are cooled down to avoid burns. If they are cool to touch then separate the divisions and start cleaning.
Avoid leaving your air fryer for too long as baked on grease would be hard to remove if you leave it for too long. So, don’t think you can leave your air fryer until the morning before cleaning.
Can we put water in the air fryer to clean it?
Yes, you can put water in the air fryer to clean but in small amounts because if you add too much water, it would make steam and your air fryer can be damaged.
The correct way to use water in the air fryer is that put a little water in the bottom of the basket, then add a little bit of soap, turn on the air fryer and mix it until you see the bubbles as it will help to remove the dirt.
But again, you need to be very careful while doing this because if steam gets close to the heating element, your air fryer would get damaged.
Conclusion
It is important to clean your air fryer after every use to ensure its durability.
- Don’t clean the heated air fryer, let it cool down for 30 minutes.
- Use a damp cloth or non-abrasive sponge to clean the heating element of the air fryer.
- Avoid leaving the air fryer for too long after cooking as seated grease will be harder to remove later.
- Parchment papers and silicone liners can be used to minimize the cleaning process.