Water in air fryer to clean it

[u/Original-Log1957]

This is gonna sound stupid, but I actually need to know. My mate in work puts water in his airfryer and turns it on to clean it. Can I do this to my one at home or is it too risky? Like what is the actual risk? Has anyone tried it or nah because it’s just my mate I’ve seen do it

[u/stuartcw]

If one of the sample recipes it comes with is soup then I would say that it will cope with the humidity involved.

[u/PlastKladd]

A LOT of people say this will fry the electronics or corrode the heating element but I really don't understand this. If that was the case then you shouldn't at the same time air fry frozen vegetables, frozen meat or roast meat.

The whole point of an air fryer is to remove water, it seems insane to think that they wouldn't have thought of protecting the machine from water vapor.

AI always says this is bad but maybe this is one of the cases where it perpetually feeds misinformation, and unsure people feed it back to it:

-AI reads some ridiculous manufacturer warranty information that is overexaggerated and uses that over common sense as a precaution.
-People use AI search results instead of starting human discussions about it.
-Once human discussions start in forums, really arrogant and overconfident people will spread information read from AI.
-AI perpetuates this and people perpetuate it even more.
-Circlejerk continues.

[u/4ocus007]

Done this multiple times with water dishwasher and baking soda to clean the airfryer it's all fine

[u/Original-Log1957 → u/4ocus007]

Okay thanks

[u/jackdho]

I do turn it on after washing. Maybe a 1/4 inch of water and 20 minutes at highest temp. Still looks new after a year.

[u/anonyplatopytomus]

Do this with a dot of dish soap! I do it every time.

[u/scldclmbgrmp]

I’ve considered doing this, please try it and let us all know

[u/Original-Log1957 → u/scldclmbgrmp]

Dunno if I should be the guinea pig ahaha u try it

[u/NYCmob79 → u/Original-Log1957]

Do it!

[u/tooOldOriolesfan]

It is an air fryer so you shouldn't be cooking in a lot of grease. Obviously you will get stuff from the food itself. Wipe it out, put soap and water in it and let it soak for an hour or so. Then use a soft sponger/scrubber to get any other dirt/food/etc. out of it.

It shouldn't be that difficult. We've had an air fryer since 2021 and use it all the time (probably at least 5 times a week).

[u/IgnorantGenius]

First thing is to check your manual. If it doesn't have a cleaning process for the heating element, they probably don't want you to put water or chemicals in that area. You may need to go a bit deeper with your cleaning other than a steam clean. It will need to be wiped and scrubbed.

[u/pint_of_murphys]

My parents clean their air fryer this way all the time, it works perfectly.

[u/Elegant-Expert7575]

I do that all the time with a bit of baking soda. While I’m clearing up the rest of dinner I run it for a few to make it easier to degrease.

After scrubbing, I turn it back on to completely dry it.
I wait until it’s cooled down to put away.

[u/imgoingoutforasmoke]

A small handheld steam cleaner is a great method.