Air fryers have seen a total boom in popularity in recent years. These handy small appliances can be used to cook a variety of meals, without needing to even touch the oven. Perhaps best of all, air fryers can be used to fry up your food with only a small fraction of oil. This makes it a much healthier option for daily use. So you can enjoy guilt-free fried goods!
But in order to prepare all of these unique meals, you’ll need to make sure that your air fryer is well-maintained. A great way to keep your air fryer in top working order is to keep it clean and tidy. But how exactly do you clean an air fryer? And how often should you do it?
The Reliant tech experts are here to help! With this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about cleaning an air fryer. And we’ll also answer some of your biggest burning questions! Let’s get right into it!
What Do You Need To Clean An Air Fryer?
Luckily, cleaning an air fryer is incredibly easy. And you should only need a few things at hand to get the job done.
First, you’ll want to make sure you have access to some warm soapy water. We find that washing-up liquid works perfectly for cutting away at caked-on grease and other grime. Pair this with a soft cloth or sponge, which you can use to wipe away at the air fryer.
You don’t need many tools to clean an air fryer. In fact, some warm soapy water and a sponge can be more than enough in some cases! Baking soda is useful for cleaning those extra stubborn stains!
We would also recommend having some baking soda handy. Simply mix the baking soda with a little bit of water, to create a paste that can clean the most stubborn dirt.
How Do You Clean An Air Fryer?
So, now that you have the right equipment handy, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, and get stuck in!
Step 1 – Unplug The Air Fryer
Before you even attempt to clean your air fryer, you need to make sure it is fully unplugged. This ensures that there is no risk of electrical shock or damage to the unit. If you have recently used the air fryer, make sure it has cooled down sufficiently. This will keep you from accidentally burning yourself!
Step 2 – Clean The Removable Parts
Now that your air fryer is unplugged, it’s time to remove each of the removable parts. This allows you to carefully clean each of the important components with a little more care and precision.
Use the warm soapy water to carefully wipe away any surface dirt and grime. We recommend using a soft touch, as you want to be careful not to wipe away any of the non-stick coating from parts such as the basket. Be sure to take your time and thoroughly clean every inch of each part. Especially those small corners where dirt can hide!
Step 3 – Whip Out The Baking Soda
As you’re cleaning, you might come across a few particularly stubborn bits of dirt on the parts. These can be particularly annoying, as no matter how hard you scrub, they still stick around! Luckily, with a bit of baking soda and some patience, you can deal with even the most stubborn grime!
Baking soda is perfect for cleaning stubborn dirt and stains from your air fryer. Just mix it with a little bit of water, and then spread the resulting paste over the affected area.
Simply mix some of the baking soda with a little bit of water to create a paste. Then, all you need to do is coat stubborn pockets of dirt with the paste. Leave the baking soda to work its magic for around 20 minutes. At this point, much of the stubborn dirt should have been weakened. Allowing you to simply scrub it off with your sponge or cloth!
Step 4 – Rinse And Dry
Once you’ve finished scrubbing away at each of the parts, give them a quick rinse and leave them to dry. This helps to clear away the last bits of dirt, and ensures there’s no soap or baking soda left behind!
Step 5 – Clean The Main Unit
Of course, because the main air fryer unit itself houses all of the electrical components, you can’t simply dunk it into the soapy water. Instead, you’ll need to carefully wipe it by hand.
Again, cleaning the main unit is incredibly easy. All you need is a sponge or cloth, and some of that warm soapy water. Carefully scrub away any surface dirt on the exterior and interior of the unit. If you notice more pockets of stubborn dirt and grime, simply use the baking soda solution we mentioned earlier and allow it 20 minutes to do the job.
We recommend paying special attention to the heating element within your air fryer. This very often goes ignored when many people clean their air fryers. Simply wipe it down with the usual solution. Just make sure to give it a few extra wipes to ensure that all of the washing-up liquid is scrubbed away!
Once you’ve finished cleaning the unit, just leave it to dry!
Step 6 – Grab Your Tea Towel
Once your air fryer and its different components have air-dried, we recommend grabbing your tea towel and doing a quick once-over. This helps you to dry up those last pockets of water.
Once the air fryer is all dry, put all of the parts back together, and store it away!
How Do You Keep Your Air Fryer Clean?
While cleaning an air fryer is incredibly easy, it’s hardly a task you’ll find yourself looking forward to! Thus, it’s worth doing your best to keep the appliances clean between uses. Here are some top tips to do just that!
Clean It Right Away
Make sure to clean your air fryer between every use. Air fryers are so effortless to use that you might find yourself tempted to hold off on cleaning it until you’ve used it a few more times. The trouble with leaving crumbs, grease and other dirt in the air fryer overnight is that they can dry and harden. This then makes it much harder to clean the unit later on.
Make sure to quickly clean your air fryer between each use. This keeps dirt and grime from building up. A few seconds of work between each use saves you the hassle of a much lengthier deep clean!
Cleaning your air fryer between each use actually helps you to save time and effort. A quick wipe-down between each use prevents the need for a lengthy deep clean!
Line The Unit
Depending on what you are cooking, you can actually line the inside of your air fryer’s basket with tin foil or parchment paper. This means that, once you have finished cooking, you can simply remove the foil or paper, which will have held onto crumbs and grease. So you don’t even need to clean the basket!
Why Is It Important To Keep An Air Fryer Clean?
Considering just how often we recommend cleaning your air fryer, you might wonder why it’s so important. There are a few distinct reasons why keeping your air fryer clean is so important. Let’s take a look at them.
It Keeps Your Food Tasty
When we use an air fryer, we count on it to cook our food to perfection. So that it tastes just right. The problem is, if your air fryer is messy, then it can affect the taste and smell of your food!
For instance, small crumbs of leftover food can impart their flavour onto any other food that you cook. In extreme cases, leftover food and grime can actually result in a “Burnt” taste being added to your food. Even if your food is cooked to perfection, burnt crumbs can leave it tasting more than a little overdone!
It Keeps Your Air Fryer Working
If you’re not careful, dirt, grime, and food crumbs can easily build up on important components within your air fryer. Over time, unchecked dirt can easily impact the function of the unit. For instance, if you were to leave dirt to build up on the fan of your air fryer, it would be harder for hot air to move around the basket. This would then result in undercooked food that leaves you unsatisfied.
Keeping your air fryer clean ensures that every component is in full working order.
It Keeps You Healthy
Crumbs, grease, and other pieces of leftover food are incredibly vulnerable to bacteria and mould. If left to fester, this mould and bacteria could easily find their way into any food you cook further down the line. Mould exposure can be detrimental to health. So you should make sure to keep it at bay within your air fryer.
How Often Should You Clean Your Air Fryer?
As we mentioned above, it’s best to clean your air fryer between every use. Doing this not only helps to keep the unit healthy but also minimises the need to perform a deep clean.
Make sure to clean out your air fryer between every use. This should only take a few minutes. We recommend performing a more thorough deep clean between every few uses.
We would still recommend performing a quick deep clean between every few uses. Just to make sure there’s no dirt and grime that’s escaped your notice!
Luckily, cleaning an air fryer is incredibly easy. So it’s not a task that you should have to dread!
Can You Clean An Air Fryer In The Dishwasher?
Many air fryers come with components that are dishwasher safe. This means you can simply insert the central basket right into the dishwasher to give it a clean. However, we would recommend that you are still careful when doing this.
For one, you should make sure that any component you put in the dishwasher is actually dishwasher safe. Second, you should also make sure to put the components in the right spot in the dishwasher.
Some dishwasher components can be cleaned in the dishwasher! To ensure they remain safe, be sure to put them in the top rack. There, they won’t be subjected to strong or overly hot water.
We recommend putting air fryer components in the top rack of the dishwasher. In the top rack, the water tends to be much cooler. In turn, this helps to protect any non-stick coatings from being melted away. The distance from the water jets also means that the water is a little softer on items in the top rack!
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Clean An Air Fryer?
To clean an air fryer, you’ll need to make sure you have some warm soapy water, and a cloth or sponge. You can then use this water to wipe away any dirt or grime left on the surface of your air fryer. For tougher stains or stubborn dirt, make sure to use baking soda. Simply mix baking soda with some water, and spread the resulting paste on the affected area.
Can You Use Fairy Liquid To Wash An Air Fryer?
Yes. In fact, Fairy liquid is perfect for cleaning your air fryer. Simply mix a little bit of Fairy liquid with some warm water, and you’ll have a nice soapy solution to get the job done. Just dip a cloth or sponge into the water, and use it to scrub away at any dirty areas of the unit. You can even use fairy liquid to clean the internal components of the air fryer!
