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How to Clean Heating Element of Air Fryer?

How to Clean Heating Element of Air Fryer?

The air frying method is a fantastic way to cook. It gives you delicious and crispy food, which tastes even better than deep-fried food. As good as an air fryer is, things could get messy while cooking if you don’t clean it regularly. It is beneficial when you keep your air fryer clean as it will help avoid grease pilling up in your air fryer, thereby causing the food to have a bad smell, reduce the appliance’s durability and performance.

What is an Air Fryer?

An air fryer cooks by circulating hot air from the heating element on the food. It makes food prepared properly, brownish on the outside, flavorful, and crispy.

The air frying method is as a convection oven in small size but better. It cooks its food due to the Maillard reaction, which occurs when food is browned due to breaking down the proteins, fibers, and starch in the food after being exposed to intense heat.

What is a Heating Element in an Air Fryer?

A heating element in an air fryer works as a converter of electrical energy to heat through Joule heating. And Joule heating is the process where an electrical current passing through an element is obstructed; this results in the element heating up. There are different types of heating elements, and they can be categorized based on the content used in making them. For example, we have an essential heating element made with ceramics, metals, thick films, etc. Also, there are heating elements for higher temperatures, which are often made with platinum, molybdenum, silicon carbide, etc.

The material used in making the heating element of an air fryer is often metals and ceramics.

The usefulness of the Heating Element in an Air Fryer:

  • The heating element is the essential part of an air fryer because that is what heats the food. Hence they form the heart of an air fryer. All air fryer has a heating element; they can be a bit fragile.
  • You must have the heating element clean because your air fryer might start smoking, giving a bad odor, and showing less performance owing to stuck food or grease on them.
  • To clean it, make sure you have unplugged the air fryer, and it has cooled off. Then mix a tiny amount of dish soap with warm water, also get a moist cloth ready.
  • After that, remove all the air fryer’s inner parts, including the basket, tray, and others. Then turn the air fryer upside down and open the drawer; you will find the heating element there. Clean it carefully with a moist cloth. Avoid damaging it and focus on the dirty sides.
  • Some areas on the heating element can be out of reach; you can use a soft brush to clean those areas.

How to go about Cleaning the Air Fryer?

  1. First of all, unplug the appliance. You have to be sure it’s completely cooled off before attempting cleaning to avoid hurting yourself.
  2. Remove all the removable parts like pans, trays, baskets, and so on, and clean with a damp cloth. For most air fryer products, all the removable parts are dishwasher safe; this means you can put them in a dishwasher to clean. And if it is not dishwasher safe, you can soak them in warm soapy water for 14 minutes. Then wash with your hand using a damp cloth or sponge. After washing them, rinse them in clean, warm water and dry them off.
  3. After cleaning the removable parts, go on to the heating element. Turn the air fryer upside down and clean the heating element with a moist cloth.
  4. The next thing to do is cleaning the inside of the air fryer. First, use a paper towel to clean any visible remnant of grease or food in the air fryer. Then use a soft sponge or brush to scrub gently.

Effect of a Dirty Heating Element on an Air Fryer:

When the air fryer is not cleaned after previous usage(s), it might leave smoke in your kitchen. Most of the stains in an air fryer are grease, which causes whitish smoke when it starts heating up again with grease stains. The smoke it produces will go on, affecting the odor and flavor of the food.

How to make the Heating Element of an Air Fryer Hot again if not Working Properly?

  • If the heating element of an air fryer stops working, that also means the air fryer isn’t working too because it’s the heart of the appliance; you can repair if it develops fault by contacting customer care before taking it to the manufacturer. However, there might be some little things you didn’t check well.
  • If your air fryer is not heating up well, then you might want to check the cooking temperature. Some food needs a higher temperature to cook, so if that is why it’s not heating up, turn it off and on, and then set a higher temperature to cook.
  • Your air fryer might end up not heating up if you stuff food in them. Air circulation is needed for the food to cook crispy. Try cooking in batches to allow an excellent flow of air.
  • Some air fryers will automatically start heating up once the basket is clipped in. It’s possible that you even have to click the basket in before it starts booking, so you might want to check your user guide.

How to Maintain the Appliance?

To maintain the air fryer, you have to clean the appliance each time after use properly. Although there are times you won’t need your air fryer for months, make sure you store them well and clean them whenever you want to use them again because there might be dust all over them already.

Bottom Line

An air fryer can be whatever you want it to be if you clean regularly. However, with frequent maintenance, the air fryer tends to last longer than expected. If you wait longer than expected before washing them, the stains, food debris, or grease might need a chemical to get them off them. So to avoid that, make sure you follow this guideline.


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