I’m a big air fryer fan, with my household’s trusty air fryer getting almost daily use. It’s fast, versatile, more energy-efficient and far easier to multitask with than our tiny oven. The one problem? The cleaning.
I cook everything from salmon and sausages to chicken and freezer foods in our air fryer so it really needs to be cleaned after every use. But, like many others, cleaning my air fryer is never at the top of my priorities, and so I have been known to neglect it, only to be forced to spend even longer deep cleaning it at the end of the week.
Luckily, I have finally found the answer to my problem: air fryer liners.
I admit, I might be a little late to the game with this one. Over the years I have tried out so many air fryer cleaning hacks, including soaking the baskets with hot water and a dishwasher tablet and using a special brush to remove grease without having to scrub for ages.
These have all worked with varying degrees of success, but it turns out prevention really is better than cure – especially if it costs just 10p per use.
I have a Ninja Foodi Dual Zone air fryer, so I bought liners to match. My exact ones are no longer available, but BYKITCHEN’s pack of 100 disposable parchment paper air fryer liners are available on Amazon for £9.99 and are very similar. Plus, there are loads of other options available whatever shape and size your air fryer.
It’s no exaggeration to say they’ve been game-changing, and my time in the kitchen can be split into life before air fryer liners and life after air fryer liners.
Before each use, I simply take a liner and place it in the basket, then make sure all of the food I’m adding into the basket is spaced out within the confines of the parchment.
I still do everything else as normal, including shaking at the halfway point and turning over meat or fish as I deem necessary.
When the cooking time is over, I then can lift the entire contents of the air fryer out by grabbing hold of each side of the liner. I then put the liner straight into the bin, unless it’s still in good condition.
At worst, this process leaves a few crumbs and a smear of grease from the underside of the paper in the cooking basket, which is easy enough to remedy with a quick rinse and wipe over. But usually, my air fryer is clean and ready to go again straight away with no cleaning necessary.
The only thing to look out for is that the paper can fold up or be burned by the heating element unless you weigh all four corners down with food. This hasn’t been an issue for me, but is worth noting before trying.
There are all kinds of air fryer liners available, including Bronxic’s 150-pack of circular liners (£6.79, Amazon). You can also opt for a silicone liner like Dunelm’s square silicone tray (£4).
