Find out How detrimental is never cleaning your air fryer? How bad really is it? gives the truth about all the habits and actions you’ve heard are bad for you.
Air fryers rank up there with toaster ovens and microwaves as the most practical kitchen gadgets. Cooking with these amazing fryers saves a ton of time and reduces the number of calories in your dish (they crisp up just about anything in a matter of minutes).
The fact that these handy tools reduce mess while requiring less effort may be their best feature. Since there is little grease left in the basket after each usage, it is likely that you don’t clean them as frequently as you should.
A dirty fryer, however, is not your friend. Here, Dr. Ellen Shumaker, director of outreach for NC State University’s Safe Plates Program, explains why using a dirty air fryer can be harmful to your health and offers advice on how to keep yours clean.
How detrimental is never cleaning your air fryer?
1. It Can Raise Your Risk for Foodborne Illness
“There is a possibility that potentially harmful bacteria could survive on the surface and continue to develop if an appliance is not cleaned and sterilized following usage,” explains Shumaker.
And you might become unwell with a foodborne illness as a result of these intrusive bacteria. According to the USDA, tainted food does cause illness in about 48 million Americans each year.
According to Shumaker, undercooked meat and poultry products are frequently to blame for pathogen contamination. As an illustration, the USDA states that the bacteria campylobacter and salmonella, which can contaminate raw poultry, can survive on a surface for up to 4 and 32 hours, respectively. The next time you put those juicy chicken tenders in your air fryer, think about that.
The good news is that foodborne disease can absolutely be avoided: Maintain the freshness of your air fryer by cleaning and sanitizing it frequently (more on this later). According to Shumaker, cleaning removes trash from a surface while sanitizing eliminates potentially dangerous microorganisms that might make you unwell.
She also points out that safe cooking techniques can also get rid of any potentially harmful germs, such as using a food thermometer to check a dish’s interior temperature to determine its doneness.
Warning
Foodborne illness symptoms can show up immediately after a meal or weeks later. According to the USDA, they include flu-like symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.
Seek emergency medical assistance if symptoms continue or if you’re more likely to suffer from a more serious illness (such as newborns, young children, pregnant women, older adults, or people with compromised immune systems).
2. It Can Cause Cross-Contact Between Foods
It is even more important to keep your air fryer clean if you or someone in your family has a food allergy. This is due to the possibility of cross-contact between meals and filthy equipment.
According to Food Allergy Research & Education, cross-contact occurs when an allergen is accidentally transferred from one food to another (FARE).
The issue is that an unclean air fryer may have remnants of a food allergy, which might put someone at risk for a potentially dangerous allergic reaction, according to Shumaker.
Take the case of air-frying some meat that has been marinated in peanut sauce without cleaning the air fryer afterward. The peanut sauce may still be present inside. Additionally, eating food prepared in the contaminated machine can cause an allergic reaction in someone who has a peanut allergy.
According to FARE, even the tiniest amount of food can cause an allergic reaction, even if it is invisible to human sight.
According to FARE, heating doesn’t get rid of a food allergy or stop the potential that a person’s immune system may overreact to it, even if doing so can kill bacteria and prevent foodborne illness.
The consequences of a dirty air fryer might also be felt by people who have food intolerances. Consider people who are intolerant to gluten. In your dirty fryer, gluten-free foods might become contaminated by gluten-containing foods. For this reason, the Gluten Intolerance Group advises using different air fryers to prepare food that contains and does not include gluten.
Warning
Mild to severe food allergies are possible. As stated by the FDA, symptoms of food allergies may include:
- Hives
- Flushed skin or rash
- Tingling or itchy sensation in the mouth
- Face, tongue or lip swelling
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps
- Coughing or wheezing
- Dizziness and/or lightheadedness
- Swelling of the throat and vocal cords
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of consciousness
If you see any of the aforementioned symptoms, stop eating the food right once and dial 911 since anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction, might become fatal.
3. It Can Affect How Well Your Food Gets Cooked
The best operation of your appliance may be hampered if grease and food scraps build up inside the heating element. In fact, Shumaker claims that all of that gunk “may prohibit the air fryer from performing as well as it should.”
However, if your fryer isn’t working properly, it may leave your food undercooked, posing a serious threat to food safety. Once more, consuming raw or undercooked food can raise your risk of contracting a foodborne illness, particularly if the meal is meat or poultry.
Not to mention that your filthy device can alter the flavor of your meal and release offensive scents.
4. It Can Potentially Start a Fire
When you neglect cleaning your air fryer, extra fat may amass in the crevices and food scraps may become lodged under the basket. Additionally, both can burn, which could result in your fryer burning or even catching fire.
Shumaker advises cleaning the heating element and basket if you smell something unpleasant or see smoke when using the air fryer.
How Often Should You Clean Your Air Fryer?
Cleaning greasy pans is a hassle. One of the benefits of air fryers is that they reduce the quantity of grease used in cooking and the amount of cleanup required after meals.
However, even if there is less debris to clean up, you still need to routinely clean your appliance.
Actually, according to Shumaker, “the optimum approach is to wash after each use.” Regular cleaning will extend the life of your machine while lowering your risk of foodborne illness and cross-contact between meals.
How to Clean Your Air Fryer
Shumaker offers some straightforward guidelines for keeping your typical air fryer hygienic even though necessary maintenance will differ depending on the equipment always pay attention to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- First, let your appliance cool down.
- Soak removable parts in warm, soapy water to help loosen any stuck-on food particles, and then gently scrub to get rid of debris.
- After soaking, sanitize the removable parts. If they are dishwasher-safe, place them in the dishwasher on the hottest setting.
- If dishwashing is not an option, mix 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach with 1 gallon of water and soak the parts in this mixture.
- Wipe down the inside of the fryer with a damp rag. Avoid using anything harsh like steel wool, as this can harm the heating element.
How detrimental is never cleaning your air fryer? So Is It Bad
A dirty air fryer can seriously harm your health because it can raise your risk for foodborne infections and lead to cross-contact with food allergens.
A dirty device won’t operate as well or last as long, at the very least (think: you’ll need to replace it more frequently, which can cost a big coin), even if you’re as healthy as a horse.
The bottom line is that it’s in your best advantage to take the necessary precautions and maintain a clean, dust-free air fryer.
