Air fryers cook your favorite foods with minimal oil, but they still get greasy and need regular cleaning to stay fresh. Even the best air fryers require maintenance, but the good news is that it's a lot easier than cleaning an oven, and with the right equipment, it'll only take a few minutes.
Air fryers use powerful fans to circulate hot air around your food, cooking it quickly and evenly. That also means crumbs and grease tend to spread inside the machine. Thankfully, many of your air fryer's components are removable for easy cleaning, including the basket and any trays, and the basket has a non-stick coating that helps prevent food and oil from adhering to the surface.
Clean the exterior
Before you do any cleaning at all, you need to make sure your air fryer has completely cooled down. Cleaning it while it’s still warm will not only risk you burning yourself on any hot elements, but it can also damage the machine.
Unplug your fryer and soak a cloth in warm, soapy water. Ensure you squeeze excess water from your cloth before wiping the exterior of your machine. Don’t be tempted to use any harsh cleaning sprays or disinfectants, as these could cause the outer shell of the appliance to peel off, or the chemicals could end up inside the machine.
If you’re using an air fryer that has a glass window, it might seem intuitive to use a glass cleaner spray to rid the window of any smear marks. However, when you next use your machine, and it heats up, the residue from the cleaning solution will also heat up and may release fumes you'd rather avoid. Instead, finish cleaning the exterior by using a dry cloth to buff away any smears.
Clean the inside
Many air fryers have removable parts that are dishwasher safe. This makes life a lot easier if you’ve just made dinner and need to clean up quickly. If there are large pieces of food stuck to your air fryer basket, however, it’s best to remove them first to avoid clogging your dishwasher's filter.
Because air fryers are designed to work without much oil, the cooking baskets are normally covered with a non-stick coating. In order to maintain your machine properly, it’s important not to damage this coating, and the best way to do that is by only cleaning it gently.
If you need to remove dried-on food, then you can soak the basket in warm water and dish soap, and then gently ease the food away with a wooden spatula. Steer away from metal utensils as they will damage the coating.
For the remaining parts, repeat the process using warm, soapy water and a cloth, and give them a thorough wipe without leaving excess water. If you notice any food stuck in the fan or elements, a clean, unused toothbrush is an ideal cleaning tool.
Never immerse your fryer in water, or try to clean it by heating liquids in the basket.
What to do if your air fryer smells
If your air fryer is smelling strange, there are a few potential causes. First of all, if it's fairly new and it’s giving off a plastic-like smell, it’s likely that you just need to run it for a few minutes without any food inside to burn off any manufacturing residue.
If you’re getting a smoky smell or you can smell burnt food when what you’re making is showing no signs of burning, there may be crumbs or bits of food left in the machine or stuck in the fan. Follow our advice above for removing debris with a toothbrush.
Finally, the smell might be from a meal that you previously cooked, and despite your best cleaning efforts, the odor just won’t budge. In this case, wipe the inside with a sliced lemon, then rinse off the juice per our instructions.
One more thing...
Using silicone or paper liners in your air fryer can help keep it clean, but make sure they don't block airflow or touch the heating element. Paper liners can blow around inside the basket and will need to be weighed down with enough food.
Always make sure your air fryer is fully dry before storing it (especially interior components like the heating element) and keep it in a dry, well-ventilated place to avoid corrosion and bad smells. Closing the lid while the inside is still damp will result in bad odors, and if your machine has a plastic seal, this could become a home for bacteria.
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➡️ Read our full guide to the best air fryers
1. Best overall:
Ninja Double Stack XL
2. Best value:
Russell Hobbs Satisfry
3. Best compact:
Bosch Series 6
4. Best large:
Philips 1000 Series Dual Basket
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