For easy cleanup and to catch drips, you put perforated parchment paper liners, silicone mats, or aluminum foil (with caution) on the bottom of the air fryer basket or tray, always making sure they are weighed down by food or placed under the crisper plate to prevent them from flying into the heating element and causing a fire.
The best things to put on the bottom of an air fryer for easy cleanup are perforated parchment paper liners, silicone mats, or aluminum foil, though parchment is most popular for catching drippings while allowing airflow. Always use perforated liners or punch holes in parchment/foil to ensure air circulation for crispiness, weigh them down with food, or use them under the crisper tray/basket to prevent them from flying up and touching the heating element.
putting something in a container defeats the purpose of an air fryer. Your food is cooked by air flowing around it. a container will block it causing the top layer to be cooked while the bottom may not be so. You will have to learn to adjust the heat and it will take longer.
Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is a popular choice for lining the bottom of an air fryer. It can handle the heat inside the air fryer, typically up to 428°F (220°C) (2). You can tear a piece of parchment paper from a roll and cut it to size for your fryer basket.
Dry with a paper towel. I never had a serious mess to clean up. I put holes in the paper paper myself so it will be able to let the air flow. I use aluminum foil in the bottom under the basket and parchment paper liners in the basket.
“Foil can be such a great tool to keep your air fryer clean,” says Clare Andrews, air frying expert and author of The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook. The foil also prevents food sticking to the bottom of the basket, making sure you get the whole of your delicious dish on your plate and not at the bottom of the air fryer.
People are getting rid of air fryers due to small basket sizes limiting family meals, issues with peeling non-stick coatings, difficulty cleaning, safety concerns like melting components, the perception they're just small ovens, limitations on certain foods (like wet batters), and sometimes switching to cheaper, more efficient appliances like halogen ovens. Many find they outgrow basic models, leading to batch cooking, and eventually replace them with larger or different appliances.
The best things to put on the bottom of an air fryer for easy cleanup are perforated parchment paper liners, silicone mats, or aluminum foil, though parchment is most popular for catching drippings while allowing airflow. Always use perforated liners or punch holes in parchment/foil to ensure air circulation for crispiness, weigh them down with food, or use them under the crisper tray/basket to prevent them from flying up and touching the heating element.
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using an Air Fryer
The best air fryer liners depend on your needs: Silicone liners (like Wavelu or Lotteli) are reusable, durable, dishwasher-safe, great for messy foods, but can be trickier to clean the basket. Parchment paper liners (like Vancens or Katbite) are disposable, excellent for preventing sticking, allow for crispier results with perforated designs, but can blow around if not weighed down by food. For overall ease and cleanliness, reusable silicone often wins, while parchment is great for simple cleanup with many foods.
If you are going to use aluminum foil in an air fryer, use a small amount at the bottom of the basket, making sure not to cover the food. This will help make the cleanup even easier while still allowing the hot air to circulate and heat your food.
Lining the bottom of the cooking basket with foil or parchment paper will block the airflow necessary for air frying and result in undercooked or unevenly cooked food. It's best to cook directly on the bottom of the nonstick basket whenever possible.
Anything that is oven safe can be used in an air fryer. I bought a silicone basket and love it.
Frying an egg in an air fryer is much easier than you might imagine with this simple air fryer fried egg recipe. Simply crack your eggs into a small skillet, or metal heatproof dish, season and air fry! Try it served with smashed avocado, buttery toast and chopped chives. Looking for more Air Fryer recipes?
Lining your air fryer basket with a round of parchment paper is the perfect way to keep your air fryer squeaky clean and slash the time it takes to clean up.
It's ok to add a small amount of water to your air fryer and can even be beneficial in some instances. What is this? The main reason for using a small amount of water is that it can help the food retain moisture while cooking and prevents burning. It can also reduce the amount of smoke if you're cooking greasy foods.
Yes you can— just like you can use a silicon mat in your oven— ( for example, on a cookie sheet.) The AF is just a mini convection oven. They make silicone mats with air holes in them specifically for air fryers so the air can circulate properly.
The "Air Fryer 20/20 Rule" is a guideline for converting conventional oven recipes, suggesting you reduce the cooking time by 20% and lower the temperature by 20°C (or about 20°F) to account for the air fryer's faster, more intense cooking. While a good starting point, it's essential to monitor your food and potentially shake or flip it halfway through for even cooking, as air fryer models and foods vary, notes this BBC article.
It's not just about fat.
There's more to air fryers than calories and crunch. Cooking with less oil also reduces acrylamide, a potentially harmful chemical that forms in starchy foods when they're cooked at high temperatures. “Air frying has been shown to lower acrylamide levels compared to deep frying,” says Dr.
The "air fryer rule of 25" is a handy guideline for converting oven recipes: reduce the oven temperature by 25°F (or 10-20°C) and decrease the cooking time by about 20-25%, checking for doneness earlier. This rule works because air fryers cook faster and more intensely than conventional ovens, circulating hot air efficiently to crisp food quickly, so you often need less time and slightly lower heat.
Foodies are switching to healthier halogen ovens that are still small enough to sit on a kitchen worktop but have far cheaper running costs. This £29.89 Daewoo model on Amazon costs as little as 11p to run per 20-minute meal as shoppers who 'don't want to spend money on Ninja' pick it.