Life Hack: How to clean an air fryer, and can I put it in the dishwasher?
Whether you're popping it in the dishwasher or washing it in the sink, here are some tips on how to clean your air fryer.
Two readers contacted me recently asking for advice on the best way to clean an air fryer, a small kitchen appliance that we are seeing more of in Irish homes. Air fryers are growing in popularity and many people are using them to cut down on oven use, saving money overall on energy bills.
An air fryer can bake and roast food (some of the more high-end offerings offer some more cooking techniques) in less time that an average oven would take, using less oil or fat and with a lot less energy. Of course, like all appliances, they can get quite dirty. Fat and residue from food will gather at the end of its basket and it should be cleaned after each use.
First, you should check your user manual to see if your air fryer is dishwasher safe. My first air fryer was a small one from a discount supermarket — a trooper of a machine but it was handwash only. I upgraded to a bigger two-drawer machine in recent months and was pleasantly surprised to see it was okay to wash this one’s baskets in the dishwasher.
It is not recommended to be done every time as it can eventually strip the non-stick coating on the basket but it is a very handy option when short for time or when faced with a tricky clean up. I place mine on the upper rack of the dishwasher and run it on my usual cycle. Every time it comes out perfectly clean.
If you would rather hand wash your air fryer’s basket, it is also easily done. Over the years I found simple hot water and washing up liquid work best on these. The warm water will cut through grease and fat and the washing-up liquid leaves it sparkly and smelling fresh. I generally wash them as I would a frying pan as they often have a non-stick coating.
Sometimes stubborn residue will take more coaxing. This can be removed with a paste of baking soda and water. Mix them together and apply to the problem areas, leaving the paste for 20 minutes before wiping off or scrubbing gently.
If your air fryer has a removable rack at the end of the basket, you can soak this in the sink in hot water and washing-up liquid too, using a small brush to get into the gaps. For very baked-in marks, put a dishwasher tablet inside the basket and fill with hot water. Leave it for an hour and rinse to see an improvement.
To make your clean up a bit easier, I suggest lining the air fryer’s basket so you don’t have as much to scrub away from the appliance itself. Tin foil is one option, or for a reusable option you can buy a silicone baking mould (generally more dishwasher-safe than the air fryer basket) and place the food to be cooked into this inside the basket. This means fewer crumbs gathering inside your machine and less cleaning overall.
