Cooking itself is fun, but it is the aftermath that people dread—tons of dishes in the sink and counters to clean. Not to forget that the air fryer needs a thorough cleaning because you’ve already used it for the nth time. That is where you resort to hacks and look for any tips that might work for you.
If you’ve heard about air fryer liners, you might be wondering, “Do air fryer liners work? Would they make the cleaning process easier?”.
Yes, air fryer liners work. They prevent food from sticking to the basket, reducing the basket’s scrubbing time when cleaning.
Let’s look at the types of liners you can use and their pros and cons.
How do air fryer liners work?
Your air fryer has a removable basket that holds the food you want to cook. The bottom of this basket has a meshwork of holes from which hot air passes during cooking. If you place the food directly in the basket, chances are that some of it would stick to the bottom.
Air fryer liners are supposed to prevent food from sticking to the bottom of the basket and to make less mess. Delicate meats like fish break easily when cooked. You can save the best pieces with liners without worrying about them breaking. They practically work just as they do in the oven.
Types of air fryer liners
Air fryer liners come in a couple of varieties. You can buy them from the store or make DIY ones at home.
Parchment paper liners
Parchment paper liners are the most common and inexpensive liners out there. The readymade ones have holes punched in several places and are usually the standard size of an air fryer.
If you want to buy parchment paper liners for air fryers, read this article of ours!
To make a parchment paper liner at home, you’ll need:
- A parchment paper cut into the size of your air frying basket.
- Use a hole puncher to perforate the parchment paper.
- Your parchment paper liner is done and ready to use.
However, before using parchment liners, you’ll need to be careful about a few things.
- Do not put parchment paper alone in the air fryer. Always weigh it down with food. If you try to preheat the air fryer with the liner in it, the paper will blow and get stuck in the heating element.
- Parchment and wax paper may look the same, but they can’t be used interchangeably as liners. Wax paper should never be used in an air fryer. The wax will melt as soon as the heat hits it, resulting in an awful smell and contaminated food.
Silicone trays and baskets
Silicone is that magic material that’s pretty much indestructible and heat resistant. It is perfect for high-temperature cooking like baking and does the work in an air fryer.
You can easily find silicone ware in stores. It is perfect for use if it can be adjusted in your air fryer’s basket. Similarly, silicone mats are commonly used as well. They are flat mats with prominent lines underneath to ensure airflow.
Also read: Can you layer food in an air fryer?
Do air fryer liners really work?
The purpose of going through the trouble of getting liners for your air fryer was to keep the cleaning to a minimum. For some people, the liners work just fine. They don’t have to worry about cleaning the frying basket and drawer after every cook. Most probably, they like to cook less saucy food.
On the other hand, others are not impressed with the air fryer liners hack. They claim their food still gets stuck, and the juices ooze into the drawer. They have to wash the removable parts nonetheless.
This contrast is because of the perforations in the liners. You cannot have a hole-less liner because the food won’t be cooked properly without proper airflow. And since there are holes, some food, and juices are bound to leak.
Final thoughts on whether air fryer liners work?
Air fryer liners do work, but they might not be for everyone. People who regularly cook marinated food with extra sauces won’t see a difference with liners. But cooking relatively drier food on liners might just be a game changer. It all comes down to everyone’s preference and cooking style. There are no wrong answers here!