Rant: My air fryer caught fire from a tiny bit of grease I missed

I was in my kitchen in Akron, trying to get crispy chicken thighs for dinner. I'd cooked bacon in the fryer the day before and thought I wiped the basket clean. Wrong. About 8 minutes into cooking, I saw smoke pouring out the back vent, then a small orange flame shot up inside. I panicked, unplugged the unit right away, and let it cool completely outside on the patio. The fire went out on its own, but it left a nasty burnt spot on the heating element. The whole thing smelled awful for a week. I learned you have to scrub that drip tray and the area under the basket after every single greasy cook, not just a quick wipe. Has anyone else had a close call like this, and what's your deep clean routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

mitchell.tara2mo ago

Scared me half to death when my toaster oven did that with some pizza drips. I run the removable parts through the dishwasher after anything greasy now, no exceptions. It's a boring chore but way better than dealing with that burnt smell again.

mitchell.tara2mo ago

My air fryer did that with bacon grease once.

the_ben2mo ago

My old toaster oven set off the smoke alarm three times last month because of cheese drips from frozen pizzas. I feel you, @mitchell.tara, that sudden smoke is such a panic. Now I wipe down the crumb tray with a soapy paper towel right after I use it, even if I'm tired. The smell of burnt food stuck in the kitchen for days is the worst. What do you use to get the grease film off the inside glass?