Do Air Fryer Disposable Paper Liners Work? (and are they worth it)

The air fryer is undoubtedly the best innovation in kitchen technology of the 21st century. Most people’s journey into the world of air fryers starts with scepticism and mistrust.

Before their first tentative steps into cooking a few chips in the air fryer. Then comes the realisation stage of how much easier and convenient it is cooking many of their favourite foods and then, they’re hooked.

Well that’s how it was for us at least. Using an air fryer means frozen chicken breasts can be cooked to perfection in 15 minutes and the taste and texture are just perfection itself.

The only slight issue most people have with air fryers is the cleaning process. We know that most air fryers are designed to be easy to clean. And we know that in many cases the air fryer basket can be placed on the top shelf in the dishwasher. But due to the cooking process, many foods stick to the air fryer basket and not all of us have dishwashers.

So our quick, easy to cook dinner often means longer washing up than would have happened if the meal had been cooked the old fashioned way.

Which leads us neatly into today’s article…

Do Air Fryer Disposable Paper Liners Work?

Unless you’ve been living on the moon or on a desert island, you’ll have seen air fryer disposable paper liners online. We thought in the interest of scientific discovery (or to save on the thankless chore of washing up), we’d invest the almost minute sum of money and buy 100 air fryer disposable paper liners.

To be completely honest, we weren’t expecting too much, having been caught out with cheap gimmick items in the past.

What Are Air Fryer Disposable Basket Liners?

First impressions, these disposable air fryer basket liners look like giant cupcake holders. 

They’re made from non-stick parchment paper (baking paper) that is free from bleach and is shaped to fit inside air fryer baskets. 

These disposable liners come in a range of sizes to fit most of the common designs of air fryer baskets.

Using them is as easy as using a coffee filter in a coffee machine. You simply place the liner in the basket, then add your food and cook as normal.

When the food is cooked, you can easily remove it by lifting the liner from the basket.

In most cases, the liner has contained all of the messy grease, sauce etc leaving the air fryer basket clean. This eliminates any meat or sauce that often gets stuck on the basket when air frying and is sometimes difficult to clean.

Using Them To Cook Frozen Southern Fried Chicken

Cooking frozen southern fried chicken in the air fryer often resulted in some of the breadcrumb coating getting stuck to the basket. Added to this was the stray breadcrumbs and juice from the chicken that leaked through the basket.

This meant cleaning the air fryer was a bit of a nightmare. Since using the disposable liners, frozen southern fried chicken is back on the menu. As you can see from the photos below, the air fryer basket was as clean after cooking the breadcrumbed chicken as it was before cooking commenced.

In case you’re interested, the frozen southern fried chicken took just 15 minutes at 175 C (347 F). And the air fryer took absolutely no time to clean up afterwards.

Using Them To Cook Beef Fat Roast Potatoes

Just like cooking frozen breadcrumbed chicken, cooking beef fat roast potatoes in the air fryer left a lot of mess. Which was enough to prevent us from cooking them.

Once again, as you can see from the photos below, the air fryer basket looks exactly the same after cooking them as it did before. And the disposable liner, including extra beef fat, went straight into the recycle bin.

Why Should You Use Air Fryer Liners?

You don’t have to use a disposable liner in order to use your air fryer, but there are several reasons why you should. These include;

• Disposable liners help prevent food from sticking to the air fryer basket.
  If you simply place your food in the basket or on the wire racks of your air fryer, it is highly likely that some of that food will stick as it cooks. This not only creates a mess in the air fryer, but in some cases can ruin the appearance of your food. Using a disposable liner will prevent this altogether or significantly reduce its occurrence.
• Disposable liners make it less likely that the air fryer basket will need to be deep cleaned.
  Using a disposable liner means you can not only save on washing up. It also means there’s less chance of your air fryer becoming scratched or damaged when you’re trying to remove any stuck on burnt to a crisp food.
• Disposable liners decrease the risk of burning your food in the air fryer.
  Air fryers cook at extremely high temperatures and disposable air fryer liners are designed to be used in temperatures up to 232 C (450 F). Allowing your food to cook quickly and become crisp with less risk of burning or drying out.

Do They Work?

Disposable air fryer liners do work and they are a great way to save on washing up. Let’s face it, air fryer cooking is all about speed and convenience. The only downside, is the washing up especially if you don’t own a dishwasher or it gets too full to fit the air fryer basket.

That’s where these disposable liners are great, not only does the food cook in a short time, there’s no need to wash the air fryer as often either.

How Safe Are Disposable Air Fryer Liners?

From a food contamination point of view, disposable air fryer liners are completely safe. In fact they are far safer than using aluminium foil which has proven links to Alzeimer’s.

Disposable air fryer liners do have their limitations though, which include;

• Never Use disposable liners at temperatures above their designed safety level. Parchment paper style air fryer liners are designed to withstand a maximum temperature of 232 C (450 F)
• Never put disposable liners in the basket during the preheat stage. Disposable air fryer liners should not be added to the air fryer until preheating is completed as the fan could force the liner onto the heating element which could cause a fire and damage your air fryer.
• Never use a disposable liner that isn’t the correct fit for your air fryer basket. It should line the bottom of the basket and stick up slightly at the sides, but should never stick up above the sides of the basket.

You should always check your air fryer’s user manual for specific safety instructions.

From an environmental perspective, disposable anything is considered bad nowadays and air fryer liners are no different. However, when you consider how much less washing up is needed to be done, there’s a balance to be had there. Plus many local authorities accept disposable liners in the recycling.

Where Can You Buy Disposable Air Fryer Liners?

Disposable air fryer liners can be purchased from many places, but a good place to start is Amazon as you can find many different products with honest reviews.

There are round liners, oblong liners, and they come in several different sizes. Be sure to get the correct size for your air fryer to save having to cut them about to make them fit.

How Much Are Disposable Air Fryer Liners?

Disposable air fryer liners range in price from around £5 for 100 to around £15 per 100 depending on the size and brand. This works out at anywhere between 5 to 15 pence per liner.

Which is not only cheaper than a sinkful of hot water and washing up liquid, but far more convenient too.

How Can You Dispose Of The Liners?

Disposable air fryer liners can simply be thrown in with your general waste or in some areas they can be placed in the recycling bin. You’ll need to check with your local council to see the best way to dispose of them in your area.

SEE ALSO: Can You Put Water In An Air Fryer? (read this first)

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