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How to Clean An Air Fryer in These 3 Easy Steps

How to Clean An Air Fryer in These 3 Easy Steps
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Cleaning your air fryer frequently will ensure that it is operating at its full capacity.

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Headshot of Tyler Graham

Tyler Graham Associate Writer

Tyler is an associate writer under CNET’s home energy and utilities category. Tyler came to CNET straight out of college where he graduated from Seton Hall with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. For the past seven months, Tyler has attended a White House press conference, participated in energy product testing at CNET’s Testing Labs in Louisville, Kentucky, and wrote one of CNET Energy’s top performing news articles on federal solar policy. Not bad for a newbie. When Tylers not asking questions or doing research for his next assignment, you can find him in his home state of New Jersey, kicking back with a bagel and watching an action flick or playing a new video game. You can reach Tyler at tgraham@cnet.com

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Dan was a writer on CNET’s How-To and Thought Leadership teams. His byline has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, NBC News, Architectural Digest and elsewhere. He is a crossword junkie and is interested in the intersection of tech and marginalized communities.

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Air fryers are one of the most popular kitchen appliances, because they’re quick and versatile no matter what you’re cooking in them. From vegetables and meat to frozen foods and almost anything else, the exceptional countertop appliance can cook it all. But in order to get the best results when cooking with one, you want to ensure you keep your air fryer fresh and clean.

Although oil is not necessary when cooking with air fryers, that doesn’t mean that it’s a completely mess-free process. Spills and drips can still leave stickiness or caked-on dirt, especially with heavy use. There are also a lot of nooks and crannies inside the appliance, especially if you have an air fryer with a detachable basket. Cleaning an air fryer is more involved than scrubbing a pot or pan, but it’s imperative that you don’t neglect this chore — letting too much grease and food residue build-up could pose a serious safety risk.

This is how you can clean your air fryer without damaging the hardware. For more, find out which air fryer is the best for you and air fryer is the best for you.

What you need to clean an air fryer

  1. Soap
  2. Paper towels
  3. Sponge or dishcloth
  4. Disinfectant wipe or a Magic Eraser

How to clean your air fryer

1. Give it a rubdown

Before you begin, make sure your appliance is unplugged, then it’s time to remove any food scraps that may be congealing in or on your air fryer. Grab some newspapers or paper towels and wad them into a ball, and give the air fryer a good wipe down — inside and out — to remove the bulk of the built-up residue from your cookware. 

Next, go over the outside of the appliance, including where the buttons are, with a disinfectant wipe or a Magic Eraser. This wipe down will remove any residual oil and dust.

a person using tongs to lift food out of an air fryer
Thai Liang Lim/Getty Images

2. Wash the removable pan and fryer basket

Now, remove the pan and basket (some models also have a tray you can clean, so just take out whatever physically place your foods in) and give them a good washing with warm soapy water. You usually can put these two items in the dishwasher, but check your manual to be certain. If they’re dishwasher-safe, always put them on the top rack during a normal cycle.

washing air fryer
Adisak Mitrprayoon/Getty Images

If you’re hand-washing the pieces, let them soak in warm, soapy water before wiping them down with a sponge or dishcloth and rinse each piece with warm water. Set the pan and basket aside to dry.

3. Wipe down the inside

While those pieces are drying, use a Magic Eraser, cleaning cloth or disinfectant wipe to clean the heating element inside of your air fryer and the areas around where the basket sits.

Remember to never put your air fryer under running water and make sure you don’t use a cleanser that needs to be rinsed off on the appliance during your deep clean. (Even if you wiped the appliance down with a moist cloth after doing so, it doesn’t remove all of the cleanser residue, so it’s best to avoid using those type of products all together.)

If there is stuck-on gunk on the fryer’s heating element, scrub it with an old toothbrush or a soft-bristled cleaning brush. Don’t use anything more abrasive or you may leave scratches. You don’t want to damage the most important part of the air fryer, but it’s also incredibly important to make sure there’s no residue that can catch on fire on the cookware’s coils.

Once everything is clean and dry, place the pan and basket back inside the air fryer and it’s ready to be used again.

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