When you launch a new air fryer, it is common to get excited about this new healthy cooking product. However, when you make a meal and it tastes or smells like plastic, it could dampen your spirits. Unfortunately, this is common with all air fryers because, like all newly bought items, they have a distinct smell.

If you’d like to get rid of this smell, you may need to take out its removable parts and wash them. Or use your air fryer without placing some food in it to fade out the plastic smell entirely. You may even need to curate your own maintenance routine to ensure that it is properly cleaned after each use.

These methods are effective in combatting the plastic smell but in this article, we’ll further discuss some permanent solutions.

Why does Air Fryer Smells like Plastic?

New items always have a distinct smell. Think of new clothes, new cars, new shoes, or even a new house. The same goes for your new air fryer. When launched straight out of the box, you get a hit of a distinct plastic smell. This is because many air fryers have a protective coating of heat-resistant plastic on them.

An air fryer works on the convection heating principle. In layman terms, it simply means that air is passed over, under, and all-around your food to cook it. This hot air comes in contact with the plastic coating the inner walls of the air fryer causing the air to smell like plastic. This air is typically called plastic fume.

These fumes can stick to your food, inherently causing them to smell or taste like plastic. Either way, it is an unpleasant experience. To prevent this here are some tips that will help you avoid this nasty experience.

Tips to Remove Plastic Taste from your Air Fryer

Tip #1 – Wash It

If you have just bought an air fryer, it is advised that you wash it first before making use of it. This is because many people have discovered the hard way that cooking with an air fryer right away leaves your food smelling like plastic.

This is because they are mostly made of heat-resistant plastic that is designed to insulate heat. When you wash it with a strong, degreasing dishwashing liquid, you will be getting rid of any plastic particles that lie on the basket, separator tray, and any other part of the dishwasher. Once, it is squeaky clean, let it air dry. Always ensure that you wash the fryer after every use.

Tip #2 – Let the Fumes Out

Another tip to consider is powering the air fryer on while it is empty, letting it run for a couple of cycles. This allows hot air to circulate around the air fryer chamber in a process that is known as convection heating. Soon, the hot air begins to smell like plastic.

After 7 minutes or thereabout, power off the air fryer and open the tray to release the plastic fumes. The more you do this breaking in the air fryer, the more the plastic fumes will be released, until there is none left. This is similar to getting rid of the new car smell. Try doing this outdoors to prevent your entire house from smelling like burnt plastic.

Tip #3 – Grease the Basket and Separator Tray

Another suggestion that will help will be you get some regular cooking oil and use it to coat the surface of the air fryer basket and its grease separator tray. To do this, dampen a paper towel with some of the oil and spread it around the surfaces. Once this has been done, heat up the air fryer at its highest temperature setting for about 10 minutes.

Once this has been completed, let it cool down for a couple of minutes before you wash off the grease with a strong degreasing dishwashing liquid. Leave it to air dry.

Tip #4 – Prime the Basket and Grease Separator Tray

Get some distilled vinegar and lime juice. Mix both ingredients in equal parts. Pour the mixture into an oven-safe dish. Power on the air fryer for 5 minutes at the highest temperature setting. This mixture will absorb all of the released plastic fumes present in the air fryer.

Repeat the process for a couple of cycles. After the vinegar-lime steam bath is completed, you can proceed to wash off both air fryer components. You should notice a visible difference in your air fryer.

Tip #5 – Create an Air Fryer Maintenance Routine

Oftentimes, the plastic smell lingers because you do not have a proper maintenance routine for cleaning your air fryer. Food particles could be stuck within the basket. Therefore, the first thing to do is to remove all removable parts.

Turn the air fryer upside down and remove all the dirt you can find with a soft cleaning brush. Then, you need to wipe it down with some lime juice. Clean the basket and tray carefully with a degreasing dishwashing soap and allow the fryer to air dry.

Related Questions

Why Does My Air Fryer Smell and Taste Like Plastic?

Your air fryer smells like plastic because it is new. Just like all new products, a new air fryer will smell like the plastic most of its parts are coated with. There are several ways in which you could get rid of this smell. You could wash it, power it on and let out the plastic air fumes. After doing this a couple of times, the plastic smell won’t linger.

How Do I Get Rid of New Air Fryer’s Plastic Smell?

It can be concerning when you make food in your new air fryer and it smells and tastes like plastic. An easy fix will be to place a small bowl that is filled with a mixture of lime juice and vinegar in your air fryer. Power it on for a few minutes a the highest temperature. The mixture will absorb all of the plastic smell that is within your air fryer.

What Can I Do If The Plastic Smell Does Not Fade?

Not all air fryers have this persistent problem. If the plastic smell stays, you should contact the manufacturer to ask for a replacement or a refund. The inherent plastic smell and taste could be harmful to your health and it needs to be addressed.