The best air fryers have grown in popularity, and are now a staple in many kitchens — it's easy to see why. This handy, countertop convection oven can rapidly cook fried treats in no time, with the same crispy and delicious results you’ll often find with traditional frying.
Considered to be a healthier alternative, air fryers cook crispy foods using little or no oil, and they're even slightly cheaper to run than a standard oven, saving you money on energy bills.
After owning my air fryer for a number of years, I’ve certainly been impressed by its crunchy and tasty results — often using it for reheating cold leftovers to bring back that crisp. But besides knowing how to rustle up the best air fryer recipes to impress guests, knowing how to use an air fryer correctly is just as important to its overall performance.
This includes maintaining and cleaning it. And while it can be a tedious task, it turns out that I’d been cleaning my air fryer all wrong. In fact, this common cleaning mistake will not only damage your air fryer, but could cause serious health concerns. So what exactly is it?
If your basket is dishwasher-safe according to the manual, you can do this instead, but I’ve always found giving my basket a quick hand wash after use to be more convenient.
One of my biggest gripes though, is getting rid of the greasy residue that builds up around the sides of the basket. Despite my best efforts of soaking it in hot soapy water, and scrubbing thoroughly with a sponge, it still hadn’t lifted the stubborn grease.
So, the only thing I would find effective to remove it was when washing with a scouring pad. This quickly lifted all traces of baked-on grease, and kept it spotless.
However, experts have warned against cleaning with this as it is way too abrasive, and can scratch or damage your air fryer. Worse case, the harsh material could chip away the non-stick, surface coating on the basket over time, which could potentially go into your food. Non-stick coatings contain PFAS/PFOS which is highly carcinogenic — and if ingested could cause serious harm to your health.
Once this happens, your air fryer is no longer safe to cook with, and you’ll need to consider either buying a replacement basket if available for your model, or a brand new air fryer.
While my air fryer basket showed no signs of damage (yet), I’d found a clever solution in protecting the basket from stubborn, greasy residue. You can buy disposable, foodgrade, air fryer parchment liners to make clean-up a breeze. Simply line the basket before placing your food on it, and it will soak up excess grease — leaving the basket mess-free.
These disposable liners like these Disposable Air Fryer Paper Liners ($9, Amazon), come in either circular or square shapes to suit your air fryer basket. I found these to be a lifesaver, and seriously cut my cleaning time between uses.
The best way to clean an air fryer is to use a sponge or soft-bristled brush to scrub away any residue. If there’s any burnt-on residue, you can leave the basket or racks to soak in the soapy water prior to cleaning for 20 minutes, or more if needed. Then, rinse thoroughly, and leave the basket/racks out to fully dry.
So, if you don’t want to risk your health, or the expense of buying a replacement air fryer, be sure to use non-abrasive cleaners, and always follow the cleaning guidelines that come with your air fryer. This will end up being more cost-effective in the long run!
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