By Amy Sheehan, ABC
Cleaning helps remove food particles from cooking appliances, where harmful microorganisms can grow. Photo: Unsplash
If you're like me, there's one appliance in your kitchen that's become a staple - the air fryer.
I love how it lightens the load of hands-on cooking during busy weeks. Chuck on a roast or some lamb cutlets, a quiche or roast veg, but when it comes to cleaning it, it's not so simple.
We asked some experts to explain the easiest methods to clean your air fryer without scrubbing.
A quick note on food safety
University of Melbourne food scientist and associate professor Senaka Ranadheera says proper cleaning of kitchen appliances helps stop the spread of harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
"Cleaning helps remove food particles from cooking appliances," he says. "Otherwise, harmful pathogenic microorganisms and food spoilage microorganisms can grow."
The soaking method
Fiona Mair has cleaned many different types of air fryers in her role as kitchen expert for consumer group Choice.
"Like many bench-top appliances out there, cleaning air fryers can be a little bit of a pain, because of their parts," she says.
Although they use little to no added oil, the grease and fat still accumulate inside the cavity of the air fryer, which can become quite difficult to clean.
Kristen Menard's 'how-to' video on cleaning an air fryer notched up more than eight million views last year.
The content creator from the UK uses dishwashing liquid, bicarb soda and boiling water in the air fryer basket as soon as she's finished cooking.
She leaves it to soak for five minutes, then rinses with water and wipes it out.
"I then use a damp cloth for the elements [once they've cooled] and a multi surface spray for the outside," she says.
Choice's Fiona Mair also recommends this method, but says you can opt to use vinegar instead of bicarb soda to help remove oil and sticky residue.
Start by draining off any of the oil that's accumulated.
"If you've done marinated chicken or something like that, and it's quite sticky or baked on, just soak it in warm soapy water.
"I would probably use the bicarb or vinegar... with the water, then they're quite easy just to wipe out, after a little bit of soaking."
The heating-up method
Mair says you can use a similar method to not only clean the basket, but also inside the appliance.
Start by putting warm water, detergent, and some bicarb or vinegar in the draw, and return it to the air fryer.
"Just heat it on like 100 degrees for 5-10 minutes and let the steam clean the interior of the air fryer."
- ABC
