Cleaning and Maintaining an Air Fryer

• Unplug it and let it cool for ten minutes. Not longer: residue comes off far more easily while the basket is still warm.
• Wash the basket and the drawer in warm water with dish soap and a soft sponge. If the maker states dishwasher safe, the dishwasher is fine.
• Wipe the inside of the cavity with a damp cloth.
• Dry everything before reassembling. Trapped moisture is what makes the next cook smell stale.

Turn the unit upside down or tilt it so you can see the heating element above the basket cavity. Fat spatters upward during cooking and bakes onto it, and that baked-on fat is the source of the burnt smell and most of the smoke people report as a defect.

With the appliance unplugged and cool, wipe the element with a damp cloth and a little dish soap on a soft brush. Do not soak it, do not use anything abrasive, and let it dry completely before use.

• Smoking during cooking — fat in the bottom of the drawer reaching its smoke point. Pour a tablespoon of water into the drawer under the basket when cooking fatty food such as chicken or sausages; it stops the fat smoking without affecting the crisping.
• Burnt smell on every use — baked-on residue on the element. Clean it as above. If it persists, it is usually residue at the back of the cavity where the airflow is strongest.
• Sticky or gummy basket — polymerised oil, most often from cooking sprays. Soak in hot soapy water for fifteen minutes, then a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water with a soft brush. Do not scour: once the non-stick is scratched, food will stick permanently. Use a brush and oil rather than an aerosol spray in future.