Food safety expert warns of air fryer rule that can cause serious danger if not followed

Up and down the country, air fryers take pride of place on kitchen countertops.

Brits are pretty besotted with the appliances and for good reason, seen as though they are generally more economical than firing up an oven, easy to use and the fact that they are a ‘healthier’ alternative to deep frying.

Honestly, what's not to love?

Then again, now I've mentioned it - the cleaning process can be quite a pain, to say the least.

Although it's not got a patch on scrubbing an oven, getting an air fryer to look spick and span again is no easy feat - but it's a necessary evil to ensure your health doesn't suffer, and it needs cleaning more often than you might think.

But it turns out that a host of households are under the illusion that it doesn't need regular cleaning... which is not the case.

Experts on food safety have warned that your reluctance to make your washing up pile even larger could lead you to contract food poisoning if you don't clean up your act.

Air fryers need to be thoroughly cleaned after each use (Getty stock photo)

What are the health risks of not cleaning your air fryer after every use?

Candess Zona-Mendola warned that if you don't clean your air fryer 'between uses', you are 'putting yourself at much higher risk of food contamination'...and none of us want that, do we?

Candess, the editor of a food safety blog and a paralegal for a food safety law firm explained that although it may seem like innocent laziness, avoiding cleaning your air fryer could actually make you seriously unwell.

For example, if you undercooked some chicken which is infected with salmonella in the handy bit of kitchen kit, this could then contaminate the next bit of grub you plan on cooking up.

The bacteria still remains in the drawer and can still infect another food item, as salmonella can pose a risk for up to 32 hours on a dry surface.

The food safety experts urged people to keep on top of cleaning the appliance to avoid food poisoning (Getty stock photo)

What's the best way of cleaning an air fryer?

Janilyn Hutchings, a certified professional in food safety and food scientist for StateFoodSafety, echoed Candess' sentiment around keeping your air fryer clean, saying that giving it a quick scrub is a lot better than getting salmonella.

She warned that if it is still filthy from the last time you used it, 'old food particles and germs will build up in the basket and contaminate the food you put in it'.

Janilyn added: "Aim to clean your air fryer after every meal that's cooked in it. It might seem like a big mess, but it's quite easy."

Easy might be a stretch, but luckily, Candess shared her simple hack for sprucing up your air fryer and advised amateur chefs to just use 'hot water with a bit of dishwashing liquid.

She said: "Let the basket soak as long as it needs so you don't have to scrub off baked-on food. Three minutes of your time will keep your air fryer fresh [and] your tummy safe, and your kitchen won't stink."

Sounds like a win win to me.