I may have once sworn I'd never buy an air fryer – it's just a mini oven, after all, right? Yet, here I am, worshipping at the altar of my single-drawer, multi-function marvel on the weekly, as it churns out an unholy amount of golden chicken nuggets for my beige-food-loving offspring.
I even, occasionally, use it for other things.
What eventually converted me was the cooking speed. Golden chicken drumsticks in 25 minutes; crisp nugs and fish fingers in 10–12 minutes, you say?
Sold, says my four-year-old, who starts asking for (demanding) dinner the second he is through the door in the evening.
I need hot, satiating food on the table before I find him shoulders-deep in the snack drawer, and any chance of him eating anything vaguely nutritious becomes a distant pipe dream.
With the dinner prep already taken care of with such efficiency and convenience, obviously I want the cleaning up to be just as easy – so I've been popping my air fryer in the dishwasher each night.
And I'm not alone – many models proudly advertise their dishwasher-safe credentials. Because who needs extra washing up at the end of the day?
So imagine my horror when I discovered: putting your air fryer in the dishwasher is one of the worst things you can do.
Perhaps that's a slight exaggeration.
But after detailed chats with our CHOICE air fryer experts, Fiona Mair and Chantelle Dart, who have just wrapped up our latest round of air fryer testing putting 11 new models through their paces (results coming soon), I will never again put my air fryer basket in the dishwasher.
Why you shouldn't put your air fryer basket in the dishwasher
According to Fiona, dishwashers can damage your air fryer's non-stick coating, which could make it less non-stick over time, but may also release toxins or flakes of coating into your food when your air fryer is heated to very high temperatures.
The non-stick coatings found on many air fryers are often made with PFAS – a group of widely used chemicals that are exceptionally resistant to oil, water, heat and stains, and give many forms of cookware their non-stick properties. You may recognise the name of the specific PFAS used in cookware: PTFE (also known as Teflon).
These chemicals can become less stable when heated to very high temperatures, or if the cooking surface is scratched or damaged, meaning they can leach into your food during cooking.
Dishwashers can damage your air fryer's non-stick coating ... which may release toxins or flakes of coating into your food when your air fryer is heated to very high temperatures
Many scientific studies have investigated potential health effects resulting from PFAS exposure, but the results have been mixed, and scientific understanding is still developing as more research is undertaken.
At the current time it is unclear if migration of PFAS chemicals in non stick cookware into food causes harm to human health.
However, if you'd like to err on the side of caution, you may like to opt for an air fryer that is PFAS/PTFE-free. These will have a ceramic- or silicone-coated basket, or a glass basket like the Healthy Choice Digital Air Fryer.
Some air fryers, such as this Healthy Choice model, now have glass baskets as an alternative to plastic. Image credit: Healthy Choice.
PFAS/PTFE-free models
Many air fryer manufacturers are now spruiking 'healthier' and 'less toxic' models made from PFA-free materials, including glass and ceramic, rather than plastic.
The new Crumble air fryer that CHOICE experts recently put to the test (results coming soon) has a carbon-steel exterior with a basket made with a food-grade silicone non-stick coating that claims to be free of harmful additives. We've tested several other air fryer models that have glass or ceramic-coated baskets.
The results of CHOICE's latest review of air fryers will be released in April, and you'll be able to search according to the material the basket is made from. Our current air fryer review includes 30 models.
How to clean your air fryer (safely)
If you do have an air fryer with a PTFE non-stick coating, you should avoid putting it in the dishwasher or scrubbing it with an abrasive cleaner such as steel wool.
Instead, Fiona says, you should clean around the fan and wipe inside the unit with a microfibre cloth. You can use a mixture of bicarb, vinegar and water if you need a bit of extra oomph. For food that's a bit sticky or baked on, you can soak the basket in warm, soapy water first.
For more stubborn residue, add a 1/4 cup of water and a squirt of dishwashing liquid to the basket and run the air fryer through a 10-minute cycle at 150C to allow the steam to soften any stuck-on food around the fan or interior walls before wiping clean.
Cooking oil sprays can also impact the effectiveness of your non-stick coating, so be wary of using these in your air-fryer basket
Cooking oil sprays can also impact the effectiveness of your non-stick coating, so be wary of using these in your air-fryer basket. They can contain emulsifying ingredients such as lecithin that builds up on the cooking surface over time and makes the non-stick coating less effective.
And, most importantly, if you notice the coating of your air fryer basket is scratched or flaking off, you should stop using it. The kids could probably do with a break from the nuggets anyway.
We're on your side
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
And you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
