Can You Use Parchment Paper in an Air Fryer? (Safety Tips & More)

Can you put parchment paper in the air fryer?

Yes, you can line an air fryer with parchment paper. Parchment paper is a lightweight, heat-resistant material with a surface treated with a thin layer of silicone to make it non-stick. Home cooks often line their air fryers with it to prevent food from sticking to the basket or tray and make clean-up quicker and easier. Parchment paper can be a fire hazard if it blows around the air fryer and comes into contact with the heating element. For this reason, follow the recommended safety precautions when using parchment paper as an air fryer liner, like cutting it to size and weighing it down with food.

How to Safely Line Your Air Fryer with Parchment Paper

Cut the parchment paper smaller than the air fryer tray or basket. This will prevent extra material from sticking up the sides of the air fryer and potentially touching the heating element. It will also leave a gap around the tray for increased airflow throughout the appliance, which will help your food cook thoroughly.

Poke holes in the parchment paper with a wooden skewer. Parchment paper typically comes in solid sheets which can block some of the air flowing throughout the air fryer and potentially increase your cook time. Adding holes to your parchment paper piece before placing it in the air fryer will help address this issue. If you don't want to cut or poke holes through your parchment paper, purchase perforated parchment paper air fryer liners. These are disposable pieces of parchment paper that are already cut to size to fit most air fryers.

Avoid putting parchment paper in the air fryer during preheating. The air flowing through the air fryer will blow your parchment paper around, increasing the risk that it will touch the heating element and scorch – or worse, start a small fire. Put the parchment paper in the air fryer only after it's done preheating to your desired temperature.

Weigh the parchment paper down in the air fryer. Parchment paper is so lightweight that the air fryer can easily blow it around if it's not weighed down. Ensure the food you're cooking is heavy enough to pin the parchment paper to the air fryer basket or tray. Heavier foods like chicken, fish, and potato wedges should keep it from moving. When cooking lightweight foods like chips or thin apple slices, add pie weights to the parchment paper to help hold it down.

Air Fryer Liner Alternatives to Parchment Paper

Aluminum Foil Aluminum foil works best as a liner on the bottom of an oven-style air fryer to catch grease droppings. However, it's not recommended to use it as a liner for the tray in an oven-style air fryer or the basket in a basket air fryer. It blocks more airflow than parchment paper and may cause your food to turn out less crispy and more soft and soggy. If you're cooking acidic foods like tomatoes, lemons, or vinegar, you may want to avoid lining the air fryer tray or basket with foil. The chemical reaction between the acid in these foods and the foil (combined with the high air fryer temperature) may cause aluminum to leech out into your food. Experts say the amount of aluminum that would leech into your food isn't a cause for concern, but it's something to be aware of if you're worried about heavy metal buildup in your body.

Silicone Silicone air fryer liners are non-stick and easy to clean (plus, some of them are already perforated). They're made of a plastic that's generally considered safe to use in cooking; however, some research has shown that exposure to high temperatures may cause it to release a small amount of chemicals into your food. Experts recommend heating silicone before cooking with it to release those chemicals so they don't migrate to your meal.

Cooking Oil If your biggest concern when cooking in an air fryer is food sticking to the appliance, spray or brush cooking oil onto the bottom of the air fryer basket or tray. This strategy prevents most sticking, allows for the most airflow, and will ensure that your food not only cooks thoroughly but crisps up, as well. Use a cooking oil with a high smoke point like vegetable oil or beef tallow while cooking at high temperatures above 400 °F (204 °C) to prevent your food from adopting a bitter flavor.

Should you line your air fryer with parchment paper?

Use parchment paper in the air fryer if you want to speed up cleaning. The parchment paper will prevent the food from sticking to the basket or tray making cleaning the air fryer faster and easier. To use parchment paper safely and ensure your food cooks all the way through, cut a piece of it to a size slightly smaller than your air fryer tray or basket and poke holes in it with a wooden skewer. For a more eco-friendly option, opt for unbleached parchment paper. Unbleached parchment paper is brown and hasn't been treated with chlorine like the regular, white variety. This reduces its environmental impact, as well as the amount of chemicals you're bringing into your kitchen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it better to use parchment paper or foil in an air fryer? It's better to use parchment paper than foil in an air fryer. Foil blocks more air than parchment paper does, which could result in your food cooking unevenly or coming out soft instead of crispy. It also has the potential to leech aluminum into your food.

Can you put a paper towel in an air fryer? No, it's not safe to put paper towels in an air fryer. The high heat will cause it to catch on fire.

Should you put parchment paper below or on top of the grill grate in an air fryer? You should put parchment paper on top of the grill plate. Never put it on top of or near the heating element in either a basket or oven-style air fryer, as you'll increase the risk of a fire.