Air fryer parchment paper has holes to allow hot air to circulate freely, which is crucial for the "air frying" cooking process, ensuring food gets crispy and cooks evenly, while also letting grease drain away for easier cleanup. Solid paper would block airflow and defeat the purpose of the appliance, potentially leading to undercooked or soggy food.
Yes, your parchment paper really needs to be perforated. This helps with the air flow of the air fryer and can prevent a fire. But no worries, it's easy to make on your own! Just see the guide below.
The holes allow hot air to circulate around the food while still providing a base to trap some of the grease and food bits that usually fall through the basket. The liners are especially helpful if you have an air fryer basket with a fine-mesh bottom--food stuck in those little holes is so hard to clean out.
Unlike ordinary oven, there are no heating elements on the bottom of the airfryer thus it relies on the hot air reaching the bottom to cook it. That is why the airfryer's basket has lots of holes on the bottom. If you block those holes with a liner then the hot air can't reach that part of the food.
They are non-stick, so if you don't have a non-stick air fryer, the silicone flat liners could help if you need to flip food for baking. However, I'd probably recommend using parchment paper baskets above for baked goods – it's a time-tested method for a reason.
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.
Many people use it with air fryers because these machines are now common small appliances for the kitchen, and perforated paper makes them even easier to use. Regular parchment paper has no holes. It can still work, but it blocks more airflow and can make food cook a little slower.
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.
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.
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.
Liners can also impede airflow within the air fryer, potentially resulting in less crispy food compared to cooking without a liner. For certain recipes that rely on direct heat exposure for crispiness—such as breaded items—this could be detrimental.
If your recipe requires preheating, warm up your air fryer without the liner. Always place the paper liner flat in your basket and then immediately place food on top of the liner. This keeps the paper in place, preventing it from flying up and touching the any heating elements.
You can't cook foods with wet batter, liquids, or loose items like leafy greens in an air fryer as they make a mess; also avoid rice, pasta, popcorn, and large roasts that need even liquid-based cooking or have too much drippings, as they won't cook properly or will burn the machine. Essentially, anything requiring boiling, stewing, or a significant amount of liquid, or very delicate items that blow around, should be avoided.
The paper gets its shine and heat protection from a silicone coating. While some manufacturers dip both sides of their sheets in the protective adhesive, others do not. To get the full benefit of the parchment liner, it's important to check your roll and make sure the glossy side points up.
Air Fryers Reduce Taste Quality
It has numerous benefits and can cook food efficiently. However, the taste can be subpar compared to other cooking methods available at the commercial level. People traditionally enjoy the authentic taste of conventionally fried or deep-fried food items.
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.
Air-frying equipment is not known to cause cancer, but the process of air frying does result in the formation of certain compounds, like acrylamide, that are linked to cancer development. Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen.
Remove the air fryer crisper tray when… 1️⃣ You want your food to cook in the marinade and juices. 2️⃣ You are cooking foods that can easily fall into the crisper tray holes. For example, rice or small chopped vegetables.
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.
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.
“Air fryers are good for small things that cook quickly. If you're gonna have to use your air fryer 15 different times for different items generally on energy usage, you'd be better off to use an oven.