Say Goodbye To Grease And Gunk In Your Air Fryer With This Kitchen Staple

Air fryers are the peak of convenience. In a matter of minutes, you can prepare a delicious, crunchy, and nutritious meal, all without the hassle of pulling out a pan, preheating an oven, or relying on the massive amounts of oil needed to actually deep fry food. It's like a microwave, but instead of soggy results, you're left with delightfully crisp ones. Yes, air fryers really are that life-changing — until it's time to clean them, that is.

While there are plenty of different designs on the market, most air fryers have a few components in common. There's an outer shell, a heating element, a control panel, a fan, and a cooking basket. Most of these parts are relatively easy to clean or are protected by the fryer's shell, so they don't require regular attention, but the cooking basket, which frequently comes into contact with food, grease, and heat, is a different story. These baskets have holes or are made of mesh to allow hot air to fully circulate around what you're cooking, but these same slits are also incredibly frustrating to try and work caked-on grease and crumbs out of. At a certain point, you might just give up and try to come to terms with the fact that your future meals will be cooked on a less-than-pristine surface, but with one kitchen essential, you can get your air fryer sparkling again.

Vinegar is a fan favorite amongst natural cleaning enthusiasts for a reason, and when it comes to tough, greasy jobs like this, it might just be your hero. It's highly acidic and hard on baked-on oil, but unlike store-bought cleaners, it doesn't carry the same risk of ingesting dangerous chemicals. After a simple spray or soak, your air fryer basket will look brand-new.

Thankfully, cleaning an air fryer with vinegar isn't a very difficult process. To begin, you'll want to make a simple homemade vinegar cleaning solution. Mix one part vinegar with one part warm water, then use this diluted solution to wipe down the air fryer. This can be used to clean almost the entire appliance, but make sure you don't get the heating element wet if it's accessible. To make things easier and keep some of this cleaner on hand for mid-week touchups, you can also put this solution in a spray bottle. After its sat for a few minutes, wipe down the air fryer to reveal a clean surface. If the grate is still looking a little nasty, however, it's time to move on to more aggressive methods.

For stuck-on grease, fill your sink or a small tub with your vinegar and water solution, then full submerge the dirty components. This should only be done with pieces that can be safely dunked, so limit your cleaning to the fryer basket. If desired, you can also add in a bit of dish soap to further increase the grease-fighting power. Let it soak for longer than you would with a quick clean — 30 minutes to an hour or so — then give it a good scrub with some dish soap to clear away any residue. After you catch a glimpse of your air fryer looking like new, you'll finally start to understand why vinegar cleaning hacks are everywhere now.