Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photo
Topics: Food and Drink, Technology
Lucy Devine
Have you ever wondered how often you should be cleaning your air fryer?
Many of us use our air fryers every day - after all, they cook most foods perfectly and they're more efficient than using the oven.
And if you've got an air fryer, there's no doubt that you probably use it a lot.
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They work by rapidly circulating heat to cook our foods, so while our roast potatoes might come out nice and crispy, they've not actually been fried at all.
For this reason, many of us use them pretty regularly - although there are some foods that absolutely shouldn't be cooked in there, FYI.
But despite us using them so much, turns out we're not cleaning them enough.
In fact, in a study of British air fryer users, 32 percent were found to not be cleaning theirs adequately.
The new survey from Expert Reviews has found that although we should be cleaning our airfryers after every use, a large chunk of us are not.
Those over the age of 55 are more likely to clean theirs more often, and women are 10 percent more likely to clean theirs after every use.
If you find it too laborious, there are a few tricks you can use to help keep it in good condition.
First off, you can use a liner to protect your basket - it's also worth avoiding overfilling your fryer (this can lead to crumbs and grease) and only add salt once the food is out of the fryer.
Expert Reviews' air fryer expert, Danielle Amato, explained: "We recommend giving your air fryer and any associated peripherals a clean after every use.
"Small crumbs, grease and general grime build up in your basket after every use and can sometimes be hard to spot on the darkly coloured interiors of your air fryer.
"Though your basket or plate may look clean after a simple cook, multiple uses without cleaning can cause dirt to bake on or burn, making future cleans more difficult, negatively impacting the flavour of your food and even potentially damaging your fryer's non-stick coating."
One doctor has recently spoken about the dangers of damaging the non-stick coating on your air fryer.
Dr Karan Rajan explained to TikTok followers that the ovens are coated in something called polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS are a group of chemicals, used in food packaging, toiletries, non-stick cookware and carpets.
According to the American Cancer Society, PFAS have the potential to be a health concern.
This is 'because they don’t break down easily and can stay in the environment and in the human body for a long time'.
"There are many PFAS, but the ones that have been made and used the most in the United States are PFOA and PFOS," they explain.
"While these 2 chemicals are no longer made in the US, people can still be exposed to them."
Dr Karan explained that there's only a potential issue if the air fryer is damaged.
"As long as you don't plan on eating the lining of your air fryer you will be fine," he said.
"And if you're really worried about the non-stick coating you can use a ceramic or stainless steel air fryer."