Do you clean your air fryer after every use

Look at your air fryer basket like a regular baking sheet in which all non-stick cookware must be cleaned after every use.

Air fryer baskets, which is the only component to worry about most; if not clean after every use will slowly see an unseen build up of baked on grease, fat and food residue. What that means for you is, a basket falling beyond repair with the consequence being a non-stick basket becoming a sticky mess.

I can tell you now, one thing you wish you knew before committing to an air fryer, is not cleaning it after every use will come back to haunt you.

Consequence being an unkempt air fryer slowly deteriorating to a basket with impossible to remove baked on grease and food grime.

What I can tell you now is failing to clean an air fryer after every use - despite it being too easy to avoid cleaning it so soon after - the basket in particular will deteriorate beyond repair, which is caused by an unseen mess developing inside your basket.

So you see, all foods cook in an air fryer will leak oil and fats, leaving behind crumbs to baked on burned bits; all of which can be hard to spot early on, so its only later you realise you've made a terrible mistake.

Mistake being you didn't bother cleaning your air fryer after every use, thus instead choose to allow food to fester within the air fryer basket.

Under natural lighting an air fryer basket can become incredibly noticeable with all grime left behind, and its only when you see this you will you begin to care about it a little more.

Knowing all this, I advice you right now to absolutely clean your air fryer after every, and as often as you can to be sure to clean up unseen grease and fat which is bound to spit high up the basket - which is where people don't bother to look at all.

Good news is you don't have to go through the trouble of cleaning your air fryer after every use, when you can simply line the basket in parchment paper or use more versatile foil, both of which work extremely well in an air fryer.

Clean after every use to prolong air fryer

One rule of an air fryer that isn't stated enough in my opinion is that it must be cleaned as often as you can, to avoid the air fryer basket going in to disrepair.

How an air fryer basket which is essentially a made in steel basket coated in a non-stick coating can damage beyond repair; would be how the basket loses its non-stick teflon coating - due to food residue, grease and food bits are allowed to fester.

Regularly cleaning your air fryer basket which must be done so after every use is how you stop your basket becoming a useless component.

I will add if you've only learnt your lesson now, remember you can buy a brand new replacement air fryer basket - available for most modern air fryers - in which I've learnt the lesson the hard way, and now take care of the basket daily.

Clean your air fryer basket quickly in the sink while its still warm where the food residue can be easily lifted up off the non-stick coating; all while the fat and grease can be better dissolved as it soaks in warm/hot soapy water.

Can be avoided all together

What I would suggest you do thus far is to of course clean your air fryer after every use, as soon as you possibly can, which would be on the same day.

In addition, I would make sure the entire air fryer basket is submerged under soapy water for up to 10 minutes to help you clean up food residue, grease and fat that has sure to made its way up to the very top of the basket, both internally and externally.

What I haven't touched on enough would be to extend the lifespan of your air fryer basket by lining it with foil or parchment paper whenever you get the chance.

Sitting food on parchment or foil won't stop food spitting over and on to the bottom and sides of the air fryer basket - which you won't see until its too late - but lining the basket will sure as hell help in the long run.

Do use parchment paper for all meats, pastries and additional food items which run with grease, while cooking other food items like fries in a naked basket; with the idea to clean it soon after you've eaten.

Alternative to parchment paper or foil would be to use a washable silicone basket in your basket, which can be wide enough to cook all kinds of food items in.

Easy to ignore unseen grime

What the consequence are of not cleaning your air fryer after every use is, would be operating an air fryer that is now practically impossible to clean.

Air fryers naturally age while the basket will rapidly deteriorate when it isn't looked after.

Unfortunately, this will lead to an air fryer basket which has now lost its protective coating to stop food sticking, all while rusty spots will begin to appear in and around your basket.

I know its easy to avoid cleaning an air fryer but its vitally important you do whether you line it with parchment paper/foil or not.

Food does spit which will give you a false sense of security, leading you to not clean the air fryer at all as you think its staying clean. Believe me when I say within five or so years of experience, this isn't the case at all.

Avoid cleaning your air fryer after every use by taking care of most grime by lining the basket in foil/parchment; while making sure to still clean the basket at some point to remove unseen grime, which slowly fuses on to the basket.

Conclusion

Absolutely does your air fryer need to be cleaned after every use, because an unkempt air fryer basket will quickly see it go in to disrepair.

Grease, fat and unseen food residue will bake onto the inner/outer basket which is often only seen in natural, outdoor lighting. If you don't notice the build up of grime early enough, it will be near impossible to clean later.

Clean your air fryer basket especially after every use which will ensure the basket will last for years to come.

Of course cleaning your air fryer basket after every use is going to be a pain, thus to line the bottom of the basket in foil or parchment paper - along with use of washable silicone baskets - will help you avoid cleaning the air fryer after every use.

None of us want to keep washing a kitchen appliance every time we use it, thus its vitally important to utilize foil trays and paper, parchment paper and silicone baskets to prevent cleaning the air fryer all together.

Bear in mind, food does spit which is why you should still lightly clean your air fryer two or three times a week to ensure unseen grease/fat and residue isn't slowly building up.

Share this article: