If you have a new air fryer and are wondering how to eliminate the plastic smell, you must read this post!
No one likes the plastic smell in the house when something is cooking inside the air fryer, and the worst part is even the food gets that distinct plastic taste which is so unpleasant.
If you think about it, everything new does have a distinct smell; in some cases, you like it, but in cases like this, you don’t!
Not all air fryers have a plastic smell, so I always recommend going through my carefully vetted air fryers(pick the Philips ones!) that are worth every penny and more.
But if you are at home with an air fryer that does not have a pleasant or neutral smell and are afraid to cook in it, then follow these steps to get rid of the smell.
I promise it will be quick and easy; stay with me on this!
Why do air fryers have a plastic smell?
Air fryers have a lot of components inside them, but it is mainly made up of plastic. You have different coatings on each part of the air fryer to make it heat resistant.
If you are getting a distinct plastic smell from your air fryer, it could be any internal component emitting it.
It is mostly the air fryer basket or the air fryer pan, as the air fryer pan is made up of plastic, but sometimes it can also be some component around the heating element.
If you have been using the air fryer for a long time and think that the smell is not a gift from the manufacturer but your creation(not talking about farts), then there are chances that some food is stuck in the heating element and is burning and giving out the smell
So make sure that you clean your air fryer after every use and do not use paper towels or wax paper inside the air fryer.
How to get rid of the Air Fryer Plastic Odor?
Once you use the air fryer a couple of times, the smell should be gone, but if you want to cook something in it immediately and the smell seeps into the food, that’s when it gets unpleasant.
My suggestion would be instead of trying to crack down on the exact location of the plastic smell, follow a few steps and run the air fryer a few times(without any food inside it) to get rid of any toxic fumes.
But how do you exactly do that?
1. Wash the Air Fryer thoroughly
When I say wash the air fryer, it doesn’t mean dunk the entire air fryer in the water; NO, do not do that.
Just take out the air fryer basket and the drip collecting pan/basket and clean these components with dish soap and a sponge.
Do not use the abrasive sponge(green-colored scotch bright types) but use the soft sponge to clean the basket.
The abrasive sponge can scrape off the air fryer basket’s non-stick coating, which is not a great idea.
You can fill the air fryer basket and the pan with hot water and dish soap and soak them overnight to eliminate the smell.
Once you have cleaned these two parts, check if the plastic smell is still there; if it’s not gone yet, follow the next steps.
2. Switch ON the air fryer
Once you are done cleaning these two components of the air fryer and still feel the plastic smell exists, it is time to run the air fryer several times to get rid of the smell.
Like you preheat your oven, you need to set the air fryer to its highest temperature and run it for 30 minutes a couple of times till you get rid of the smell.
Then wait for it to cool down and do it again. Do this 4-5 times and notice if the intensity of the plastic smell goes down every time you do this.
You can do this in an open area where you have access to a power outlet, but it is essential to do it in an open area to get rid of the smell. Otherwise, the entire house will smell like plastic.
This can prove effective, eventually, as the smell fades or dies down.
But not all air fryers are that kind to you; some will still have that nasty smell even after you preheat your air fryer for several sessions.
If your air fryer has been a B*t*h lately, do not give up and read the next steps.
3. Vinegar and Lime to the rescue!
This vinegar/lime tactic works very well to get the smell out of the air fryer. I got this from Uberappliance blog and it does wonders.
You need to take a small oven-safe dish and equal parts of lime juice and vinegar (1 tbsp each and not more than that) and place it inside the air fryer and let the air fryer run at 400 for 5 minutes.
After the 5 minutes, let the air fryer cool down and then you can go and wash the air fryer basket and the drip basket.
The lime and vinegar liquid helps absorb any toxic fumes on the inner surface of the air fryer, and it helps to eliminate any foul smell.
You can do this just once, and you will see a difference.
4. Season the Basket
Once you have cleaned and air dryer the air fryer after the step above, I recommend taking some cooking oil and coating the air fryer basket and the drip pan with it.
After you coat it, insert it inside the air fryer and let it run at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Now, let the air fryer cool down, and you can do this again and wash it with water and some dish soap.
This helps form a protective film on the air fryer basket. It will also help your air fryer coating to last longer.
What if you own the air fryer and a funky smell comes from it?
This means some food particle is stuck in the heating element, drip pan, or the corner of the air fryer.
It is time to check every nook and cranny of the air fryer and determine if a food particle is stuck somewhere, causing this smell.
In this case, you might have to opt for a deep investigation, and once you find the culprit, remove it gently.
Mostly this happens if there is improper placement of the food or the parchment paper.
How to avoid your food from getting any plastic taste?
If you are worried about the food getting some plastic taste, you can always line your air fryer basket with aluminum foil.
Just make sure you leave space for the air to circulate or poke holes in the foil so that the air can circulate in the air fryer basket and the food cooks evenly.
Also, always cook a little bit of food as a test run to see whether the air fryer still imparts the plastic taste.
If it still does, you must go back to the abovementioned steps to remove the plastic taste altogether.
Are you new to air fryers?
If you are new to using air fryers, I understand it can be tricky to break into a new air fryer.
If you do not know that air fryers need oil, you have to read the post where I explain how to use oil inside air fryers and when to use them.
If you are confused about whether or not you can use a metal utensil, please do not do anything that would cause a fire hazard, and read this informative post on what utensils to use inside an air fryer.
Lastly, we do have some fantastic recipes and more informative posts coming up, so do read up on them!
Great insights, thanks!!