Can you put a paper towel in an air fryer?- NO, Here’s Why!
So, you are fed up with the excess grease in your air fryer, and you are looking for a quick hack to get rid of it and now want to use a paper towel in the air fryer, but can you?
No, you cannot use paper towels to line the air fryer and catch the excess grease that drips out of food.
Air fryer liners are usually recommended to line the air fryer with to make the clean-up process easier. However, you cannot use paper towels as air fryer liners.
But paper towels are extremely lightweight and do not stay put inside the air fryer.
This can cause acccients if they come in contact with teh heating element of the air fryer
There are some do’s and dont’s on what can be used inside an air fryer so make sure to read the entire post before lining your air fryer basket with something as flammable as a paper towel.
- Can You put a paper towel in an air fryer?
- What happens if you use paper towel inside an air fryer
- What can I Put inside an air fryer?
- Can you use paper towels inside a microwave?
- Can you put Baking Paper in Air Fryer?
- Can you use Aluminum Foil in air fryer?
- can you use wax paper in an air fryer?
- How to line an air fryer basket?
Can You put a paper towel in an air fryer?
If you are using paper towel to soak off excess oil when the dish is done with cooking then you use paper towels.
But, if you are using paper towel inside the air fryer while you are cooking a dish then it is an abosulte NO.
Air fryer works by regulating hot air inside the basket that helps in increasing or maintaining the said temperature.
Since paper towels are light they can lift and come in contact with the heating element.
This can cause the paper towel to catch fire and I have some first hand experience on this, it is not fun.
It could get even more dangerous if the paper towel gets stuck in the heating element and cause some permanent damage to it.
What happens if you use paper towel inside an air fryer
There are two things that can happen if you use paper towel to line the air fryer basket.
- Restricts air flow and even cooking
Lining your air fryer basket with paper towel will restric the air flow inside the air fryer and cause uneven cooking.
- Can lift up and burn
The paper towel is lightweight and it can easily lift up with all the hot air circulation and come in contact with teh heating element which will cause it to burn.
You will end up with some charred paper bits on your food and it is not the most appetizing image.
- Get stuck in the heating element
Somemthing even worse can happen and that is teh paper towel gets stuck real good in the heating element and permanently damage it.
In order to avoid all these accidents and inconveniences, it is best not to use paper towel inside the air fryer when cooking.
What can I Put inside an air fryer?
Safer and better alternatives to a paper towel for lining the air fryer basket are parchmment paper, aluminum foil and reusable silicone liners.
All the above three options can be safely used inside an air fryer without any issues.
Can you use paper towels inside a microwave?
Unlike the air fryer, you can use paper towel inside a microwave. Make sure to keep an eye on the food and paper towel just to be safe.
Can you put Baking Paper in Air Fryer?
Parchment paper is also known as baking paper(as it is widely used for baking) can be used inside an air fryer as it has a silicone coating.
Parchment paper can easily withstand heat in the range of 420°F-450°F or one can say at around 220°C.
You get perforated parchment papers for air fryer cooking to ensure that the hot air is evenly circula
This makes it an ideal cooking option for air fryers and ovens.
Best Parchment Paper For Air Fryer
Perforated parchment papers are the best for air fryers. You can use one and dispose them after a single cooking session inside the air fryer.
You can buy them in bulk and they are easily acccessible(even online on Amazon).
Can you use Aluminum Foil in air fryer?
Yes, you can use aluminum foil in the air fryer and you would have no issues as long as you poke some holes in it or leave some space around the air fryer basket for the air to circulate.
I usually poke some holes in the foil and then line the air fryer basket with it. NEVER preheat your air fryer with an aluminum liner or parchment liner on it.
This will result in the parchment/aluminum liner lifting and coming in contact with the heating element.
can you use wax paper in an air fryer?
No, you cannot use wax paper in an air fryer as it willwill disintegrate at high temperatures. Wax paper is usually used to wrap sandwiches and other food items and place it in the refrigerator.
You cannot use wax paper inside an air fryer or oven for cooking.
How to line an air fryer basket?
1. Make sure the liners you use have some perforation in order to ensure proper hot air regulation inside an air fryer.
2. Never put parchment paper or foil/silicone liners while preheating your air fryer
3. Place something heavy on the parchment paper or foil so it does not fly around in the air fryer basket and come in contact with the heating element.
4. If you are using silicone liner baskets make sure there is some space around the corners to avoid restricted air flow.
