Your air fryer came with a basket. But you see people online using parchment paper, silicone mats, and special racks. Do you need all that stuff?
Let’s talk about what actually helps and what’s just extra clutter.
The Basic Basket Design
Most air fryers come with a perforated basket that sits inside a drawer or pan. The holes in the basket are there for a reason. They let hot air flow under and around your food. This airflow creates the crispy texture.
The basket catches your food while the drawer below catches drips and crumbs. After cooking, both pieces need cleaning.
Some baskets are round. Some are square. Some are rectangular. The shape affects what foods fit best, but they all work on the same principle: holes for airflow, nonstick coating for easy release.
Accessories That Actually Help
You don’t need a bunch of accessories. But a few items make cooking easier:
Parchment Paper Liners
These are cut to fit your basket with holes already punched in them. Place a liner in your basket before adding food. The liner catches drips and crumbs, making cleanup easier.
Use liners for messy foods, sticky sauces, or anything that might stick. Don’t use them for every recipe. They’re not necessary for simple foods like frozen fries.
Never put parchment in the basket during preheating. The light paper will blow around and could hit the heating element. Add the liner right before you add food. The food weight keeps it in place.
You can buy pre-cut liners or cut regular parchment paper to size. Make sure any liner you use has holes punched in it for air circulation.
Silicone Liners or Mats
Reusable silicone mats work like parchment liners but you can wash and reuse them. They have holes punched throughout for airflow.
These save money in the long run if you cook frequently. Wash them after each use. Make sure they’re completely dry before storing.
Buy liners that fit your basket size. Too large and they’ll block airflow. Too small and they don’t do much good.
Oven-Safe Dishes and Pans
Small oven-safe bowls, ramekins, or cake pans can go in your air fryer. Use these for baking, making casseroles, or cooking dishes with sauce.
The dish must fit in your basket with space around it for air circulation. Metal, ceramic, and glass oven-safe dishes all work. Check that the dish is rated for the temperature you’re using.
Tongs or Spatula
You need a way to flip food and remove it from the hot basket. Silicone-tipped tongs work great. They won’t scratch your nonstick coating.
A silicone or heat-resistant spatula helps with delicate foods like fish.
Avoid metal tongs or forks that might scratch your basket.
Sources:
- Best Oils for Air Frying Healthy Air Fried Foods?, Air Fryer World, December 14, 2024, https://airfryerworld.com/best-oils-for-air-frying/
Accessories You Don’t Really Need
Marketing makes you think you need tons of accessories. Here’s what you can skip:
Fancy accessory sets: Many include racks, skewers, pizza pans, and more. Most people use maybe one or two items from these sets. Buy accessories individually as you discover you need them.
Aluminum foil: You can use foil, but it’s not necessary for most cooking. If you do use it, make sure it doesn’t block all the holes in your basket. Air needs to circulate.
Special cleaning brushes: A regular soft sponge works fine for cleaning your basket. You don’t need specialty brushes.
Tips for Using Accessories
When using any accessory:
- Never block all the air holes in your basket
- Leave space around dishes or pans for air circulation
- Don’t stack multiple accessories on top of each other
- Make sure items are heat-safe for your cooking temperature
The goal is to help cooking and cleanup, not to block airflow. Air circulation is what makes an air fryer work.
Do You Really Need Accessories?
For your first few weeks, cook without accessories. Learn how your air fryer works with just the basic basket. Get comfortable with simple foods.
After you’ve done some basic cooking, you’ll know what accessories would help your specific cooking style. If you find cleanup annoying, get liners. If you want to bake cakes, get a small pan. If you never have issues, skip the accessories.
Don’t buy a bunch of stuff before you know what you actually need.
Next steps: You now have all the basics covered. These first 10 posts taught you setup, cleaning, avoiding mistakes, choosing oils and sizes, and essential cooking techniques. You’re ready to start cooking with confidence.023, https://airfryingfoodie.com/best-oils-for-air-fryer/
- Best Oils and Oil Sprays For The Air Fryer, The Foodie Physician, November 13, 2024, https://thefoodiephysician.com/best-oils-for-the-air-fryer/
Oils to Avoid in Your Air Fryer
These oils have low smoke points. Don’t use them for air frying:
Unrefined Coconut Oil – Smoke Point: 350°F
The unrefined version smokes easily at air fryer temperatures. Use refined coconut oil instead.
Flaxseed Oil – Smoke Point: 225°F
Way too low. This oil will smoke immediately. Save it for salad dressings.
Butter – Smoke Point: 200-250°F
Butter burns quickly at air fryer temperatures. It will smoke and give food a burnt taste. If you want butter flavor, brush it on after cooking.
Sesame Oil – Smoke Point: 350-410°F (varies by type)
Toasted sesame oil has a low smoke point and strong flavor. Use it sparingly as a finishing oil, not for cooking. Regular sesame oil can work but adds intense flavor.
Sources:
- Best Oils for Air Fryer, Air Frying Foodie, October 30, 2023, https://airfryingfoodie.com/best-oils-for-air-fryer/
- Best Oil Spray for Air Fryers, Sweetpea Lifestyle, July 4, 2022, https://sweetpealifestyle.com/best-oil-spray-for-air-fryers/
The Problem with PAM and Aerosol Sprays
You might reach for PAM or similar aerosol cooking sprays. Stop. These products damage air fryer baskets.
Aerosol cooking sprays contain propellants and additives like soy lecithin. These chemicals break down at high temperatures. They leave a sticky residue on your basket that’s hard to remove. Over time, this buildup can cause the nonstick coating to peel off.
Once your nonstick coating is damaged, food sticks more easily. Your air fryer becomes harder to clean. The damage is permanent.
Many air fryer owners have shown photos in online groups of their baskets with peeling, damaged coatings. The cause: regular use of aerosol cooking sprays.
Sources:
- Best Oils for Air Frying Healthy Air Fried Foods?, Air Fryer World, December 14, 2024, https://airfryerworld.com/best-oils-for-air-frying/
- What Is The Best Cooking Spray for Air Fryers, Jazz Leaf, February 6, 2025, https://jazz-leaf.com/recipes-index-full/best-cooking-spray-for-air-fryers
Safe Spray Options
You have three good options for spraying oil in your air fryer:
Option 1: Non-aerosol pump sprays
Buy cooking spray that uses a pump mechanism instead of aerosol propellant. Look for labels that say “propellant-free” or “non-aerosol.” These sprays contain just oil with no added chemicals.
Brands that make propellant-free sprays include Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray and similar products. The bottle has a pump or trigger mechanism you press manually.
Option 2: Refillable oil misters
Buy an empty spray bottle designed for oil. Fill it with your chosen oil. Pump it to build pressure, then spray.
The Evo Oil Sprayer is a popular choice. It works well and doesn’t clog like cheaper misters. You can fill it with any oil you want, saving money compared to buying pre-filled sprays.
Option 3: Brush it on
Use a silicone basting brush to apply oil directly to food or the basket. This gives you control over how much oil you use. It’s simple and requires no special equipment.
Sources:
- Best Oils for Air Frying Healthy Air Fried Foods?, Air Fryer World, December 14, 2024, https://airfryerworld.com/best-oils-for-air-frying/
- What Is The Best Cooking Spray for Air Fryers, Jazz Leaf, February 6, 2025, https://jazz-leaf.com/recipes-index-full/best-cooking-spray-for-air-fryers
- Oil Sprays that work for an Air Fryer, Air Fryer Fanatics, December 4, 2023, https://airfryerfanatics.com/oil-sprays-that-work-for-an-air-fryer/
How Much Oil to Use
Air fryers need very little oil. That’s the whole point of this appliance.
For most foods, use just 1-2 teaspoons of oil total. A light spray or brush coating is enough. The goal is a thin film on the surface, not puddles of oil.
For frozen foods that are already coated (like frozen fries or chicken nuggets), you don’t need to add any oil. They have oil from manufacturing.
For fresh vegetables, toss them in a bowl with 1-2 teaspoons of oil before putting them in the basket. This ensures even coating.
For chicken or meat, spray or brush a light coating on all sides. If you’re breading chicken, spray the coating each time you flip the chicken. This helps it brown evenly.
Too much oil causes problems. Excess oil drips into the pan, smokes, and makes cleanup harder. Your food also won’t be as healthy.
Sources:
- Best Oils for Air Fryer, Air Frying Foodie, October 30, 2