TikTok Told Me to Clean My Air Fryer with a Dishwasher Tablet — Here’s How It Went
Like most home cooks, I love my air fryer and use it for just about anything. Whether I’m heating up a leftover slice of pizza, or making deliciously crispy carrots, my air fryer is one of my most used kitchen appliances.
Cleaning my air fryer, on the other hand, can be a pain when baked-on and burnt food gets so stuck that even my mightiest scrubbing brush can’t handle the task. That’s when I decided to explore TikTok for tips and tricks on how to clean my air fryer basket and came across this hack that only required a dishwasher tablet. I decided to give it a try because of the minimal effort needed for a seemingly clean and successful result. Here’s how it all turned out.
First, I grabbed a Finish Powerball Quantum dishwasher tablet, which I do admit gave me pause when trying this cleaning hack because a dishwasher tablet has the ability to clean several dishes in a dishwasher all at once.
Nevertheless, I continued and added boiling water as the video suggested to fill the air fryer basket just above halfway. I waited 15 minutes (five more than the recommended 10 minutes), and let the dishwasher tablet work its magic.
I poured out the hot water and, to my disappointment and surprise, my air fryer basket was somehow dirtier than before! The powdered residue of the dishwasher pod had turned into a paste that stuck all over the walls of the air fryer basket!
Without the high-pressure water jets of a dishwasher or the elbow grease and strength of hand-washing, my air fryer basket wasn’t going to stand a chance against a dishwasher pod sitting in boiling water. After rinsing out my air fryer, I decided to try another more traditional hack I came across on YouTube from Mandi Sarro that relied on the cleaning power of baking soda, dish soap, and vinegar.
Here’s what I did: I sprinkled two tablespoons of baking soda in the air fryer basket, covered it with a couple squirts of my favorite dish soap, added hot water, and let it sit for about a minute.
I then added one tablespoon of vinegar to create a bubbling reaction, and filled the basket to the brim with hot water. As I let it sit for about 10 minutes, I followed the video and sprayed the exterior of my air fryer using a mixture of water and vinegar to bust any grease and dust. For tougher spots, I relied on a natural surface cleaner to get it super clean.
After thoroughly rinsing out my air fryer basket, I was surprised once again — I had never seen it so clean! I gave the air basket one last quick scrub with dish soap and a scrubbing brush to get rid of any loose residue, and it was all ready for frying again!
Cleaning hacks are always worth the effort if they can make a cleaning routine much more convenient. After going from a dishwasher pod to using all-natural ingredients, it’s clear which method I’ll be using from now on. With these simple, effective steps, my air fryer can not only be my most reliable kitchen appliance, but also the cleanest.
How do you get your hardworking air fryer clean? Tell us your tricks and tips in the comments below.