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Healthier “fried” foods with less oil and a much faster cooking time — that’s the promise of air fryers. It’s not that much of a surprise that it has become the favorite kitchen appliance of chefs across America and has been used to turn up amazing dishes, from simple but tasty air-fried mushrooms with spicy aioli to chicken fajitas. But, as the owner of an air fryer, there’s one other thing you need to know, other than the correct recipe: The proper cleaning ritual.
You probably already know how to clean the frying basket. After all, this is the most visibly dirty part of the air fryer. However, the heating coils — the part that generates the heat for your air fryer — must be cleaned, too.
While you’re cooking, all of the oil and food debris picked up by the circulating fans could stick to the coils and surrounding areas and accumulate into food gunk. If these cruds aren’t cleaned, they could begin to smoke and let off smells that could “leak” into your foods. In the worst-case scenario, the greasy buildups could ignite and turn into a grease fire. So cleaning the coils isn’t just for sanitary purposes, it’s also for your safety!
How to clean up your air fryer’s heating coils
The heating coils are actually very easy to find — most of us just never bother to look. In a typical pull-out-basket-style air fryer similar to this COSORI Air Fryer 9-in-1, the heating coils can be found directly above the frying basket. Simply upturn the fryer for easier access to the coils (which should be pretty grimy at this point if you haven’t cleaned in a while) and get to scrubbing, also taking note of any soiled areas around the coils.
Safety first: Unplug the air fryer, then use a soft, damp sponge (not too wet, or you could short the electrical components inside) or a soft-bristled cleaning brush to clear away the buildup. Avoid using any kind of detergent if you don’t want your air-fried foods to taste like soap. If the gunk is way too stubborn, which is common if you haven’t cleaned up the air fryer for a few months, mix equal parts baking soda and water and apply it to the end of your brush. This DIY cleaning paste will make it much easier for you to deal with these stains.
For oven-style air fryers, like the Chefman 12-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer Oven, the heating elements can be found directly above the cooking chamber, but they’re likely shielded by a grease-catching grate. Clean this grate as best as you can with a soft, damp sponge. The baking soda paste works wonders here, too, if there’s a lot of stubborn grease. Tada! Your air fryer’s now spanking clean and safe from both horrible flavors and grease fires.
