This Super-Simple Hack Will Help You Clean Your Air Fryer in Minutes

I have to admit, I was very late getting onboard the air-fryer hype train. To me, it just seemed like a revamped version of my already beloved toaster oven. Now, however, I’ve finally bought into the hype and I’m going along for the ride. There’s just been one major downside to all of the air fryer excitement that I’ve been seeing over the years — the mess that’s left behind.

Cooking in the air fryer seems to be magical and easy, cleaning out the cooking compartment and internal grates, however, is another story. Some air fryer fans might rely on a cooking liner to keep things tidy, but if you don’t have a liner nearby and still need an easy way to keep your air fryer clean, @ChefMingTsai over at Mings Bings has a hack for you.

This cleaning hack is extremely simple and doesn’t really involve much “cleaning” at all. It’s a classic example of working harder not smarter, and the smarter part is essentially allowing the air fryer to do all of the cleaning for you. 

To achieve a clean air fryer in minutes, take the cooking basket of the air fryer, fill it about halfway with water and a bit of dish soap, and place it back in the fryer on high. The heat — mixed with the soap and water — sees the air fryer act as its own little countertop dishwasher, allowing the left-behind grease to be easily rinsed away. 

Although this cleaning hack doesn’t appear to work on really tough stains, I’ll definitely be giving this a try after my next run-in with the air fryer.