Reference · cleaning & care
How to clean an air fryer
A 4-step routine after every cook, a baking-soda fix for baked-on grease, the four things you must NEVER use, and dishwasher-safe parts by brand. The non-stick coating is durable but unforgiving — abrasives and harsh chemicals shorten the unit’s life faster than anything else you can do.
After every cook (5 minutes)
1. Let it cool 10 minutes
The basket and grate are hot enough to scorch your hands and warp under sudden cold water. Walk away while the chamber drops to warm.
2. Pull the basket, tray and grate
Three pieces on most basket-style units. Wash all three in warm soapy water with a SOFT sponge — not a scour pad, not a brush stiffer than a vegetable brush.
3. Wipe the chamber interior
Use a damp cloth, wrung nearly dry. Never spray water directly into the housing — the heating element is energised through the back of the chamber and water there shorts the unit.
4. Dry every part fully before re-assembly
Trapped moisture in the basket grate scorches on the next cook and adds a sour smell. Air-dry on the rack, or pat dry with a clean towel.
Deep clean schedule
The after-every-cook routine catches surface grease. Three layered steps catch what it misses — baked-on residue, joint grease in the basket grate, and the coil at the top of the chamber.
Weekly: baking-soda paste on stuck-on grease
Mix 3 parts baking soda to 1 part warm water into a paste. Smear onto the baked-on spot, leave 15-20 minutes, wipe off with a damp sponge. Repeat once for carbonised black spots — never escalate to abrasives.
Monthly: full disassembly + soak
If your unit has a removable inner grate (Cosori CP158-AF, Ninja AF101, Instant Vortex Plus), separate it from the outer basket and soak both in warm soapy water for 30 minutes. This lifts grease from the joint where the two pieces clip together — the failure point on a basket that smells acrid.
Quarterly: heating-element brush-down
Unplug the unit. With a soft pastry brush or a dry paint brush (NOT a wire brush), gently sweep crumbs and dried oil off the heating coil at the top of the chamber. Vacuum with a brush attachment on low if you have one. This is the single most-overlooked source of smoky cooks.
Dishwasher-safe parts by brand
Most modern baskets are dishwasher-safe. The exceptions are oven-style racks (the wire kind that sits inside the chamber) and a handful of Ninja Foodi inserts that warp under heat cycles. Tap a brand for the full per-brand profile.
| Brand | Basket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cosori | Yes | All current Cosori baskets (CP158-AF, Pro II, TurboBlaze, Dual Blaze) are dishwasher-safe. Top rack only; harsh detergent over hundreds of cycles still dulls the non-stick. |
| Ninja | Mostly | AF101 / Max XL baskets safe. Foodi DZ-series crisper plates safe but warp over time. SP101 Flip wire rack NOT dishwasher-safe — warps. |
| Instant Vortex | Yes | Plus / Slim / ClearCook baskets safe. Vortex Pro 9 Qt rack safe; rotisserie spit hand-wash only. |
| Philips Airfryer | Yes | 3000-series, XXL, Premium — all baskets safe. QuickClean inner grid separates from outer basket for easier loading. |
| PowerXL | Yes | Vortex 5/7 Qt and Pro Plus 10 Qt baskets safe. Broil tray safe; rotisserie attachment hand-wash only. |
| Breville | Mostly | Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro basket safe; rack guides and the wire mesh insert hand-wash only. Joule Turbo basket safe. |
| Cuisinart | Yes | TOA-60 / TOA-65 / TOA-70 racks and crumb tray safe. Glass door insert hand-wash. |
| Chefman | Yes | All TurboFry baskets safe. Toast-Air hybrid: air-fryer basket safe, toaster crumb tray safe, oven rack hand-wash. |
| GoWise | Yes | 7 Qt XL and 5 Qt Mojave baskets safe. 8-in-1 oven racks hand-wash recommended. |
Per-brand notes are visible on tablet / desktop — tap any brand for the full calibration profile.
Never use these
The non-stick coating tolerates baking soda, warm soapy water, vinegar and lemon juice. It does not tolerate any of the following — coating damage is permanent and accelerates from there.
Aerosol oven-cleaner
Strips non-stick coating in a single application. Visible bubbling under the spray is the coating delaminating.
Steel wool or abrasive scour pads
Permanent scratches that flake non-stick into food and accelerate coating wear. Even a few passes cause measurable damage.
Submerging the housing
The heating element and wiring sit behind the chamber. Water there shorts the unit — failure is often silent until the next power-on.
Bleach or strong-fragrance cleaners
Leave residue that flavours the next cook. Lemon-water steam is the right way to neutralise smells.
Removing fish, garlic or fried-food smell
The smell sticks to the non-stick coating and to the heating coil — soap alone does not lift it. The fix is a 3-minute lemon-water steam.
- Half-fill a small heat-safe ramekin with water and a tablespoon of lemon juice (or drop in a quartered lemon).
- Set the ramekin in the empty basket. Run at 350 °F for 3 minutes.
- Wipe the chamber down with a damp cloth while still warm.
- For deep smells (salmon overnight, anchovy reheat), repeat once.
FAQ about cleaning an air fryer
- How do I clean my air fryer after every cook?
- Let the chamber cool for about 10 minutes, then pull the basket, tray and grate. Wash all three in warm soapy water with a soft sponge — the non-stick coating scratches under any abrasive, and scratches mean coating flakes ending up in the next cook. While the parts dry, wipe the heating element and chamber interior with a damp cloth wrung nearly dry — never spray water directly into the housing, the element is energised through the back of the chamber. Dry every part fully before putting it back; trapped moisture in the basket grate scorches on the next cook and adds a sour smell.
- Is my air fryer basket dishwasher-safe?
- Most modern baskets are — Cosori (CP158-AF, Pro II, TurboBlaze, Dual Blaze), Philips (3000-series, XXL, Premium), Instant Vortex Plus and the basic Chefman TurboFry all ship dishwasher-safe baskets. Read the unit's manual to confirm: a handful of Ninja Foodi inserts (the rack on the SP101 Flip, some DZ090 crisper plates) are NOT dishwasher-safe and warp under repeated cycles. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro air-fryer basket is dishwasher-safe but the rack guides aren't. Even when safe, hand-washing every few cycles extends the non-stick coating's life because dishwasher detergent is mildly abrasive over hundreds of runs.
- How do I remove baked-on grease from the basket?
- Make a paste from 3 parts baking soda to 1 part warm water, smear it onto the baked-on spot with a soft cloth or silicone spatula (no abrasive scrub pad), let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then wipe off with a damp sponge. For grease that has carbonised black, repeat the cycle once — never escalate to steel wool, scour pads or aerosol oven-cleaner. The non-stick coating tolerates baking soda but fails fast against anything harder. If a stain has truly carbonised and refuses to lift, leave it — a stained basket still cooks correctly, but a scratched basket sheds non-stick into food.
- What's the worst thing I can use to clean an air fryer?
- Three culprits, in order of damage. (1) Aerosol oven-cleaner — the alkaline solvent strips non-stick coating in a single application; visible bubbling under the spray is the coating delaminating. (2) Steel wool / abrasive scour pads — leave permanent scratches that flake into food and accelerate the coating's wear; even a few passes cause measurable damage. (3) Submerging the housing — the heating element and its wiring sit behind the back of the chamber; water in there shorts the unit, and the failure is often silent until the next power-on. Soft sponge + warm soapy water + baking soda paste for stubborn spots covers every actual cleaning need.
- How do I remove fish, garlic or fried-food smell from the chamber?
- Put a small heat-safe ramekin half-full of water with a tablespoon of lemon juice (or a quartered lemon) into the empty basket, run at 350 °F for 3 minutes, then wipe the chamber down with a damp cloth while it is still warm. The lemon steam neutralises the volatile compounds that stick to the non-stick coating and the heating element. For deep smells (a salmon cook the night before, anchovy pizza reheat), repeat the cycle once. Avoid bleach or strong-fragrance cleaners — they leave residue that flavours the next cook.