If you have started using an air fryer and the first few runs are producing some plastic smell, I would suggest you not worry about this. This is very common for air fryers that are made with plastic mold-injected parts.
The plastic coating inside the air fryer that provides additional resistance against scratches, wear, corrosion, and external elements usually emit plastic fumes when the appliance is used for the first few times, which results in plastic-smelling foods.The anti-stick coating also releases fumes over time and produces plastic smells from air fryers. While metal-air fryers are free from this issue, air fryers containing plastic particles are not a bad investment at all.
The good news is that the unpleasant smell of plastic will disappear after using it a few times. Some manufacturers advise to heat and cool the air fryer several times until the bad smell is gone before doing any cooking.
I also have some proven tricks up my sleep that can help you get rid of this bad odor.
What is an Air Fryer and how does it work?
Air fryer which is an awesome kitchen appliance became the king for deep frying foods as it cooks food by circulating hot air around the foods and use less oil and time than any other deep fryer. Air frying is done by circulating hot air rapidly, produced by a fan. It cooks foods very fast and without submerging the food into deep oil, makes foods crispy, delicious. Less use of regular cooking oil makes air fryer a healthy alternative to regular fryers too. That’s the reason why it’s becoming popular day by day.
What is an Air Fryer made of?
Mainly made of a metal body having plastic inner walls and a venting fan which is nothing but a plastic mold. Then there is a basket where we have to place our food to be fried by the hot air and has a heat-resistant plastic component and it also comes with a plastic protective coating out of the box. The majority of air fryers are made of plastic with a metal body and stainless basket.
The reason why Air Fryers give off a Plastic smell
As discussed in the very beginning the primary reason is the heating element reaching high temperature causing the coating to burn and create smell of plastic in the food.
Thus It’s normal to smell plastic for some first uses but if it continued after many uses then it could be considered as a manufacturing problem. It is because after a couple of cooking cycles the plastic coating or non-stick coating usually burns off completely and doesn’t give off any smell.
If you have gone for a cheap air fryer the plastic smell might take longer than usual to wear off.
Other reasons why Air Fryers smell like Plastic
Apart from the primary reasons here we find some other reasons which cause plastic odors in the food such as improper use and cleaning, wrong maintenance and of course manufacturing problems.
It is an important matter to remember that giving off a plastic smell every time while using it is not a regular but uncommon matter as we say almost every electronic appliance would give off plastic smell for the first few uses. But many users are complaining that even after using it many times the air fryers still give off a plastic smell. Then what could be another reason for it? It is that If you don’t clean your air fryer regularly and properly then it would also create a space for the air fryers to add plastic smell into the food.
How to get rid of Plastic smell?
If you an air fryer owner, you are lucky because that is an advanced kitchen appliance that would help you save money and time and give you healthier and delicious food than those conventional oil fryer. But what is the use of it if it would offer you a bunch of food with a bad plastic smell rather than a pleasant smell?
Preparing the Air Fryer before using first time
No doubt you have to unbox your brand-new air fryer first and try to spend a little time reading through the instruction manual which is not always a fun thing to do.
Wash it out nicely
Air fryers usually comes with a basket. Bring it out and wash it with some nice hot soapy water with soft dish cloth or a non-abrasive soft sponge. You can even run that basket through the dishwasher to make sure it’s nice and clean. Then give it a quick dry but don’t stress out about getting every nook and cranny dry. Because the air fryer can dry itself as it has the powerful heating element inside it. Check multiple times and get sure that there is no other packaging element inside or anywhere so that you don’t start anything on fire.
Run your air fryer empty
First thing you have to do is putting your air fryer in a well-ventilated location at your kitchen. Without placing any food inside it set the temperature level 350-400 degree. Let it run for 10-15 minutes. Doing this couple of times at high temperatures like 350-400 degrees may help you to burn the plastic coating or factory elements. Because anything you buy brand new you’ve got plastic, you’ve got metal, probably types of paint etc. Any of those can be referred as factory smells and factory taste added through the manufacturing process that you want to get rid of.
After doing all these when you will start trying different air fryer recipes with your brand new air fryer hopefully you won’t get any plastic smell. If there is any it will leave after multiple uses.
The above mentioned method worked for many but still there are users who are complaining that they did all these and using the air fryer daily but still the plastic smell exists. Here we have some other solutions which you can try if you are among those few.
Try Vinegar and Lime Juice Mixture
Mixture of lemon juice and vinegar can be used to get rid of bad odors like plastic. Take an oven safe bowl and make a mixture with one tablespoon of lime juice and one tablespoon of vinegar. Put the mixture inside the air fryer and turn it on. Fry the mixture at 350-400 degree temperature for 3-5 minutes then turn off the air fryer and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. Thus inside of the air fryer will get coated by the lime vinegar mixture and the mixture will also absorb all the fumes.
Coat the basket and grease separator tray with cooking oil
If the above mixture doesn’t work you can also try with cooking oil.
Take your regular cooking oil and a paper towel. Soak the towel with oil
and then coat the inside of your air fryer with cooking oil. The again
run the fryer at 350-400 degree temperature for 10 minutes then cool it
down for another 10 minutes. Hope this oil coating may help you to get
rid of the plastic like smell.
What if all the Solutions Failed?
Maintaining these above techniques will surely give you a tremendous result. But what if still any of the above processes doesn’t work? Then you must have to contact the manufacturer as your appliance may have manufacturing defect. Because for a long time giving plastic smell is not something usual. You can ask them for a replacement. Moreover, nowadays there are better-trusted brands which are giving the customer air fryers which don’t even smell in the first use. So you can always upgrade to another model.
Final Thoughts
Anything new comes with some smell and an air fryer is no different. The plastic smell that you are struggling with hope our above methods will help you to overcome.
So, Follow the rules, use the solution, and don’t make your food waste with plastic smells. Have a great time cooking with your air fryer!