Can you put foil in an air fryer?

Whether you’ve just snapped up an air fryer or have been using one for a while, there are lots of air frying tips that can make your cooking experience easier. While the best air fryers are becoming increasingly popular, they can be quite messy to clean – especially if you’ve cooked meat, or added oil during cooking. There are lots of options that can help make cleaning easier, one of which is foil.

Why use tin foil?

It's a great way to reduce the mess

“Foil can be such a great tool to keep your air fryer clean,” says Clare Andrews, air frying expert and author of The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook. The foil also prevents food sticking to the bottom of the basket, making sure you get the whole of your delicious dish on your plate and not at the bottom of the air fryer.

In addition, it makes removing food from the basket a lot easier – especially if it’s likely to break up as you take it out.

Finally, there’s a school of thought that says the foil helps food cook more evenly. It works as a distributor, sending heat across the basket and not in just in one, literal, hot spot. The foil will also boost any flavours. Without a barrier, marinades or natural juices will drip through the holes in your basket, potentially leaving your food a bit tasteless.

Is tin foil safe to use?

Be careful and you should be OK

It all depends on who you ask. While many air fryer experts, like Andrews, agree it’s a great way to reduce mess, many manufacturers advise against using tin foil in an air fryer.

Philips, for example, says it’s not recommended to use tin foil in their air fryers as it will reduce performance and could even start to burn if the foil gets pulled into the heater. The air flows through the bottom of the basket to distribute the heat, so if these are covered then Philips says the air fryer can’t do its job.

On the other hand, Ninja says that foil is fine to use with their roasting tray option.

How to use tin foil in an air fryer?

If you are going to use tin foil, there are some things to consider.

1. First up, don’t use lots. The air does need to flow through the basket and if you cover all the holes, you’ll not get the benefits of air frying. Ideally, cut the foil to the correct size of the basket.
2. Don’t enclose the food totally with tin foil. Instead of creating a deliciously crispy meal, you’ll end up with a soggy mess.
3. You also need to weigh down the tin foil with the food. The air in the basket could make the foil move around and it may even get sucked into the heater and burn. For this reason, never put foil in during the pre-heat stage.
4. Finally, be careful of what you use it with. A study has shown that some foods, such as fish and tomatoes can actually dissolve the aluminium in the foil, which then ends up in the food. Cooking at a high temperature can also cause this, and the study concluded that those most at risk from using tin foil in cooking were small children and those with certain illnesses, such as renal failure. It would be extremely difficult they noted for an average person to consume enough trace aluminium to cause any major risks to health.

What are the alternatives to tin foil?

Clare Andrews really rates silicone moulds, as they are heatproof, available in different sizes and most importantly, are easy to wash up. She uses cupcake silicone moulds for cooking smaller items, while she chooses bigger silicone moulds for cooking sauce-based dishes, as these are one of the things not to cook in an air fryer. 

Try these silicone air fryer liners (£13.99, Amazon), which are not only a great price but also a good sustainable buy as they can be used time and time again, unlike tin foil.

Any cookware you use in your oven can, in theory, be used in your air fryer, so that includes metal roasters, ceramic plates or glass dishes.

Copper containers and cast-iron skillets are also safe to use. You’re unlikely to be able to use the ones from your oven, though, as they will probably be too large, but you can pick up cookware sized for air fryers easily enough. This kit includes a cake barrel and pizza pan (£15.99, Amazon), which will add lots of cooking options to your air fryer repertoire.

If you don’t want to use tin foil, baking paper does the same job. Again, ensure you’ve cut it to size and weighed it down.

You can also buy pre-made liners (£7.99,Amazon), which save having to cut the baking paper to fit each time.

What can’t I use in the air fryer?

Step away from the plastic!

As well as some foods that should never be cooked in an air fryer, there are some utensils that you need to swerve with this particular kitchen gadget. Anything made from plastic is a no-no, as it will just melt.

Double check that any pans or pots that you use in the air fryer don’t have plastic handles.

It’s also best to avoid cookware that has a non-stick coating. Even though air fryers use convection heat to cook, some oil is needed to get the best results, and unfortunately, that can break down the non-stick coating.