What Is Parchment Paper – and Is It Safe for the Air Fryer?
Parchment paper might sound more like a tool for drawing than for the kitchen, but it is paper safe for the oven. Its most common use is in baking, providing a handy protective layer between the baking sheet and cookie or other confection for easy cleanup. It withstands pretty much all oven temperatures, so using it in an air fryer isn’t a big leap.
Parchment paper is safe to use with this appliance as long as a few precautions are observed.
How to Use Parchment Paper in an Air Fryer
First, be sure what you’re using is, in fact, food-grade parchment paper.
Next, check the maximum temperature restriction of the parchment paper, usually printed on the box. The air fryer should not be your testing oven. If the paper ignites, you’ll have quite a problem on your hands.
Cut the paper to the size of the bottom of your air fryer basket (best to cut it a bit smaller in fact, so air can circulate more freely.) Perforating and trimming the paper is even better, further assisting in air circulation, allowing any grease to drain away from food as it needs to, and making it less likely the paper will float around inside the unit.
If you’re preheating your air fryer, don’t add the parchment until afterward, when it can be weighed down by food, or it’ll fly about inside the basket, which can put it in contact with the heating element and burn it.
Parchment paper is good for food that might stick to the basket, like chicken wings, making clean-up a bit easier.
Parchment paper can be replaced to save waste and money by buying a silicone liner for air fryers. They’re reusable and dishwasher-safe.
Air fryers contain a circulating fan and very hot heating elements. Placing paper in that environment will always pose some sort of risk, so take every precaution and don’t leave it unattended.
