After a long time of continuous use, your air fryer will have stuck-on foods and grease on the surface of the basket. And if you do not care for your air fryer very well, it will create serious greasy problems for you.
You might be wondering where the grease comes from since an air fryer does not need oil for its cooking process.
However, even though your fryer does not use oil, the grease comes from the food you cook. And this grease will spoil the basket and the pan over time.
Table of Contents
How to Clean Your Air Fryer Basket
The damage will be faster if you do not diligently clean the fryer. At the point where the basket is covered with heavy grease, cleaning can spoil the air fryer.
This is because you will have to clean it aggressively to get it back to an almost natural condition.
These methods can remove the non-stick coating on the basket.
Sometimes, after a hard wash, you might end up throwing away the basket.
This article will consider the best method of removing caked-on grease from your basket without compromising its integrity. It will also highlight the methods you need to use to keep your air fryer clean and in good condition.
How Do You Remove This Baked-on Grease From the Air Fryer Basket Safely?
It is very important that you use methods that are not harsh on your fryer basket to clean it.
When you clean it right, you will not ruin the non-stick coating of your fryer.
You will not also be tempted to replace your air fryer altogether due to irredeemable damage.
To clean your basket, you will need the following:
- A standard dish soap detergent
- Baking soda
- Soft bristle brush
- Vinegar
- A cut piece of lemon
- Tea kettle
- Dish sponge
Firstly, take your dish soap detergent and squeeze it on the sides of the basket.
Make sure you do this for both the outside and the inside parts of the basket. You can use your hands to spread the soap on the basket’s surface. But make sure that you cover the entire basket evenly.
When you have covered the basket with dish soap, you should dust it with baking soda.
Use the baking soda to coat the entire basket, dish soap, and all. To spread the baking soda more evenly, you can use the soft bristle brush to spread it.
Let it go into any crevice or on those huge globs of caked grease.
The soap should help to break the grease down, while the baking soda will remove it from the basket.
You should lock the basket back into the fryer pan and add more baking soda to the pan. Vinegar is a welcome addition at this stage. Pour ¾ cup of vinegar onto the pan. The soda should bubble up when you do this.
Now, put the lemon piece in water and boil. After it has boiled, add it to the soap/baking soda/vinegar mixture in the pan.
Stir and let it settle there for about 12 hours. The heat from the water will melt the grease on the sides of the basket.
Vinegar, like dish soap, will break down the greased cake, and baking soda will lift it off the basket. After 12 hours, remove the basket from the air fryer pan and pour the liquid concoction into another pan.
Use a soft sponge to begin to wash off the basket. Make sure to dip the sponge into the concoction frequently and use it to remove the grease.
At most, you will only have to do this procedure twice and still safeguard the non-stick coating of the fryer.
Some people use cleaning degreasers for this job. While it works, it is not a safe measure for the food safety and hygiene of the basket.
With this procedure, your air fryer basket should become very neat.
How do you keep your air fryer from undergoing this procedure again?
The process of deep cleaning your air fryer basket is tedious and stressful.
It is a process that you do not want to go over again, or even if you will, it will be after a long time has passed.
So, what are the tips that you can utilize to keep your air fryer grease-free for a long while to come?
1. Wash your air fryer basket after every use. The best time to do this is when it is warm from cooling down.
The heat will keep the grease from becoming hard. Therefore, it is very easy to clean. You should also use a clean microfiber cloth to clean the basket. Using such materials will not harm the non-stick coating of the basket.
So, if you want to wash the basket, take the cloth and run it under some warm water.
Add a little dish soap to the cloth and wipe down the basket. The grease should come off easily.
After you have done this, you should rinse it well with warm water and then dry it completely with another microfiber cloth.
2. Another method of keeping your basket clean is by using aluminum foil every time you prepare a meal.
Use the foil to cover the interior part of the basket. Cooking foods will drop the grease onto the foil, which you can later remove and throw away.
You should still fill the basket with a damp cloth and dry it completely after each use.
3. You should also make sure to completely degrease your air fryer at least twice in two months.
Doing this will keep it in a glowing condition. Make sure to wash the basket even after this procedure well.
Why Do You Have Caked-on Grease on The Surface of The Basket?
The non-stick coating of your air fryer should remove any possibility of food sticking to the basket.
However, after a few months, you begin to find grease and charred foods sticking to it. Are you wondering why? Well, the answer is simple.
You do not clean your air fryer well, or you clean it too well with hard chemicals. If you wipe down your air fryer basket with a dry cloth after you use it, you will believe that it is clean.
However, the cloth does not remove the thin layer of grease that remains. It only gives the appearance of cleanliness.
With subsequent use of the air fryer, this thin layer will harden until it becomes very hard. It will also attach itself very firmly to the non-stick coating of the fryer.
So, if you use very aggressive methods to try to clean it, you will end up cleaning off the non-stick coating. Hard chemicals can also attack the non-stick coating of your fryer.
If you are not careful, it could contaminate the air fryer, which can be harmful to the health.
Another problem with caked-on grease is the bacteria possibility. Bacteria can begin to nest on this layer of grease, thereby affecting the subsequent meals that you prepare.
It can cause you to fall sick. You should always wash your air fryer after each use, and make sure to wash it very well.
Frequently Asked Questions
An air fryer is one of the most coveted appliances for today’s kitchen.
Everyone wants to own one. It is fast, efficient, and effective. It is also a healthy cooking appliance choice.
However, some of the working processes of the appliance confuse people. Check out the answers to some of the frequently asked questions people ask.
What is the difference between an air fryer and a deep fryer?
The basic difference between the both of them is the method of preparing food.
An air fryer needs little to no oil to cook your food, while a deep fryer depends on oil for its cooking process.
Also, you do not need to preheat the air fryer before you use it for cooking. This is in contrast to the deep fryer that must be preheated before you use it.
Is air frying healthier than deep-frying?
Yes, air frying is healthier than deep-frying your food.
Instead of soaking your food in massive amounts of oil and letting it cook, an air fryer will not use one pint of oil. It makes air-fried food leaner and less fatty than deep-fried food.
Do I need to preheat the air fryer?
An air fryer is faster than an oven and cooks better. You also do not need to waste time preheating your fryer before you use it.
Put on your fryer and cook your food to your heart’s content.
How much food can you put into your air fryer?
A standard air dryer can fit food enough for 2-4 servings, though it depends on the food.
However, you must ensure that you do not crowd the basket too much. Also, if you will cook for subsequent sessions, you should check the food earlier in subsequent sessions.
It is because the fryer will be too hot by the second and third and other subsequent cooking sessions so that it will cook faster.
Conclusion
When you refuse to take care of your fryer, it begins to smell bad. Sometimes, the problem is that you do not dry it completely after cleaning it.
Allow your fryer to undergo a deep cleansing, and make sure to dry it very well. You should also clean the heating element area and dry it before you use it again.