Why you need to start flipping your air fryer upside down after cooking
As someone who hates cooking having an air fryer has been a game-changer for quick and easy meals, but it does require a thorough clean after each use.
While the basket is easily taken care of by removing it from the machine and soaking with hot soapy water, the top part of the interior is tricky to clean.
Just wiping over that area after use revealed a lot of grease and grime but only so much of that was removable because I couldn't see it or reach it.
Watch the video above.
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The inside of my air fryer needed a good clean. Rachael Gavin
It was imperative that I remove as much of that grease as possible because the smell and grease that filled the room while the air fryer was in use was slightly unpleasant and would only get worse the more that grease built up.
Like all of the best ideas that are so simple we can't believe we hadn't thought of them sooner, a handy hack from a TikTok video solved the problem for me.
The clip from @cleanwithvernon had this caption on it: "Have you flipped your air fryer?"
No, Vernon until that moment I had not indeed flipped my air fryer, which thankfully isn't as far gone as the one in the video in terms of filthiness.
When I did flip my air fryer I realised just how easy it is to clean the oil and food splatters that reach the heating element.
This is what I found when I turned my air fryer upside down. Rachael Gavin
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All I needed to do was wipe each greasy spot with a damp cloth and it was done.
Now I do this each time to keep the air fryer in good condition.
It's a tip backed up by Philips' instructions on how to clean the inside of an air fryer, which is a reminder to me to fully read the instruction manual because clearly I stopped at "how to clean the basket".
"Turn the appliance upside down to reach the heating element more easily," it instructs in the cleaning guide on the Philips website.
"Use a soft sponge with hot water to clean the inside of the appliance," reads the next step.
For any stuck on bits of food the brand recommends using "soft- to medium-bristle brush" but not a steel or hard bristle brush as that could damage the appliance.
The official instructions also introduced me to another handy tip that I can't wait to try.
"After cleaning your Philips Airfryer, turn the appliance back to the upright position, turn it on and let it run for a few minutes without any food in it. Loosened residues that could not be wiped off will now be caught in the pan," said Philips' air fryer cleaning guide.
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