How A Single Piece Of Bread Can Keep Your Air Fryer Clean

The air fryer is one of the most popular kitchen inventions of the 21st century. Though this small appliance could hardly be found in households 10 years ago (it was technically invented in 2005, but didn't become popular in the United States until around 2017), it's made such a name for itself that it's hard for many home cooks to imagine how they ever lived without it. Though an air fryer is convenient and easy to use, it still needs to be cleaned just like any other appliance. Fortunately, you can easily learn how to keep an air fryer from getting dirty. And an easy way to prevent your air fryer from ending up full of oil and gunk is to stick a piece of bread in its base.

Air fryers are essentially tiny convection ovens that cook by circulating hot air around food. All air fryers come with an air fryer basket, which is a separate, perforated piece that sits an inch or two above the actual base. The food cooks in the basket, so the free space below the base is how the air circulates on all sides. But, unfortunately, you might make the common air fryer mistake of letting oils and other substances leak through the basket's holes, creating a mess underneath. That's where the bread comes in.

Rather than letting those oils and liquids leak onto the floor of the air fryer, place bread underneath the basket, which will absorb some of those spills and keep the base much cleaner. The trick is to make sure the bread is thin, so that there is still enough room between it and the air fryer basket for the air to circulate; don't let the bread block the holes in the air fryer basket. Then, once your meal is cooked, you can just remove the bread from the bottom of the basket and throw it away. Whatever residue is left in the basket's base, if any, will be much less than it could have been and will make cleaning that air fryer basket easier.

Instead of wasting good-quality bread, use bread that's near the end of its shelf life or grab the end slice of the loaf, which often gets thrown out anyway. If you don't have bread or don't want to use it for this purpose, you can also place a sheet of parchment paper at the air fryer base, which will also serve as a barrier between the base and any spills.

Using bread is an easy trick for keeping your trusty appliance clean, and it also prevents smoke from building in an air fryer by absorbing the grease. But it might not be completely foolproof, as excess grease and other buildup could still make its way onto the base of your air fryer. Always check for leftover grease and other liquids after using the appliance, and if you spot anything, clean it promptly.

When you leave grease in an air fryer, it continues to heat every time you cook something. This can lead to unpleasant smells and smoke coming from your air fryer as the grease burns; it could even become a potential fire hazard because the hotter that grease gets, the higher the chance it could ignite. Wipe down your air fryer after every use with a damp paper towel, and clean it thoroughly at least once per month if you tend to cook greasy foods that could lead to buildup. Avoid using harsh chemicals on the appliance's surface to keep its coating intact and prevent potentially dangerous chemical residue. With a little extra care and simple hacks, you can keep your air fryer working efficiently and save yourself the time and hassle of having to frequently deep clean it.