What air fryer accessories do you need? As a Food Editor, these are the only ones I think are worth buying

The era of the air fryer has begun and now we can’t imagine our kitchen without one. But even the best air fryers can be improved with a handful of handy accessories. From prepping, cooking and even cleaning an air fryer these are the best air fryer accessories. 

I cook in my air fryer almost daily (so much so that I’m tempted to use my oven for storage), have written recipes for air fryer cooking and tested and reviewed numerous models; I'm very familiar with the capabilities of different air fryers and what you need to know before buying an air fryer, including knowing which accessories are most useful. 

These are my essentials that I recommend as the best air fryer accessories which I rate for being air fryer compatible, good quality, and easy to use, as well as a welcome addition to your kitchen kit. 

The best air fryer accessories

Air fryers vs ovens are more compact so you may find that, as your cooking habits evolve to integrate this new piece of kit into your kitchen, it's worth picking up a few extra accessories to master the latest air fryer hacks.

My top 3 essential air fryer accessories

An oil spray bottle, a probe thermometer and oven mitts are my go-to essentials for integrating an air fryer into your daily meal prep.

At their core air fryers are great at creating an effect similar to deep frying without the need for copious amounts of oil, making air fryers healthier. An even spritz of oil is the trick to crisp foods perfectly in an air fryer. Cooking with excessive oil is a common air fryer mistake; a simple way to evade this is by using a spray bottle. You can purchase spray oil from the supermarket, but I prefer to use a reusable bottle so I can choose what oil to fill it with.

When cooking meat I like to use a probe thermometer. Monitoring the internal temperature takes the guesswork out of knowing when it’s cooked to perfection. Especially useful if you're still familiarising yourself with this new way of cooking.

For air fryer cooking a probe thermometer such as the Thermometer Dot Digital Thermometer is ideal as the probe can be left in the meat as it cooks and alert you when it's ready. The best Ninja air fryers also come with integrated thermometers which makes cooking meat in an air fryer so much simpler. 

Another common kitchen accessory that is essential for air fryer cookery is a pair of oven gloves. I like using pot holders as they are more compact and less unwieldy than old-school oven mitts. They are ideal for handling the smaller parts of the air fryer as well as being useful for placing the air fryer drawer on while you dish out dinner.

Best tongs for cooking with an air fryer

A decent pair of cooking tongs are so useful for cooking with an air fryer and probably come in first place for my most used kitchen accessory.

It's important to use ones that won't scratch the non-stick surface of the air fryer, so avoid naked metal and instead opt for a pair with a plastic or silicone end. You also don't want something too large as it will be hard to manoeuvre, so a sleeker design is preferable.

If you don't already have a pair of tongs they're bound to be a useful addition to your kitchen, especially for many of the things you can cook in an air fryer. 

I find them so useful for a range of applications: from moving food in a frying pan to tossing a stir fry, they're even great for twirling spaghetti to arrange it artfully on a plate. I have all of these tongs in my kitchen, and they are all brilliant quality options. 

Best air fryer bakeware

If you have been inspired to expand your air frying repertoire to the realm of baking then you may well need some bakeware. Most air fryers are too small to accommodate conventional bakeware, but if you have cake tins that fit these will work. 

Alternatively, Sam Milner, a best-selling cookbook author suggests using ramekins. She explains “Ramekins are also really useful for air fryer cooking:  I love using ramekins in the air fryer and they are brilliant because no matter what the shape of the air fryer, ramekins will fit. I can fit two in my super tiny air fryer, or 5 in my big air fryer at once.” Ramekins are great for baking things like crumbles and melting middle chocolate cakes. 

Sam Milner

Author of one of the Sunday Times bestsellers: The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook Sam Milner is an air fryer early adopter, she’s been at it for almost 12 years making her an experienced authority on air fryer cookery.

Silicone muffin cases are also a useful air fryer accesorry, like ramekins they can fit into any air fryer size or shape. They're Jane Curran’s fave air fryer accessory: “silicone muffin cases and cake pans are ideal for an air fryer. They are totally non-stick and easy and quick to clean.” Not only is silicone bakeware usually dishwasher safe, it’s also non-stick so your bakes will pop straight out. Sam points out that when using a silicone case “you don’t have to worry about lining it with parchment paper first or greasing it.” making it even quicker to use than a conventional cake tin. Silicone is also lightweight and easy to store. Tower sell a kit of air fryer accessories ideal for baking that will fit in most air fryers.

Jane Curran

Previously food director at Woman & Home, Jane is part of the team behind the woman&home air fryer bookazines and the Quick & Simple Air Fryer Cookbook. Jane has tested every recipe in the book, so she's well-versed in adapting recipes to work in air fryers and knowing what not to cook in an air fryer.

Best air fryer drawer liners

If you use your air fryer regularly or to cook foods that stick then liners are going to be a big help. While you can put foil in an air fryer we recommend using flat air fryer liners, like the ones below from Lakeland come in all shapes and sizes and can be cut to fit your model. 

You can either put them under the removable base to make cleaning easier, or you can use them on top if you're cooking things that might melt through the holes such as something topped with cheese. 

Jane Curran is a fan, she explains: “Parchment paper liners are a real help on the cleaning front. I always put one under the drawer to catch any drips or crumbs, as well as using it as a liner for fish or anything with a marinade.” 

Flat air fryer liners are especially useful for baking biscuits and cookies. A great hack is to freeze balls of cookie dough that can be baked individually from frozen. The problem is the powerful fan in the air fryer can blow baking paper, so instead use a liner.

For messier foods, you might find silicone liners with sides and handles more useful as all the cooking mess and juices stay contained. There are lots of options available. 

Best air fryer cleaning accessories

When it comes to using an air fryer over an oven one of the pros high on the air fryer’s list is it’s simpler to clean as most of the parts can be run through the dishwasher. 

However, for the bits that can’t be, I have a few secret cleaning weapons. I use microfibre cloths for cleaning all around my home, and they’re ideal for cleaning and polishing the air fryer too. Ecloths are great because they remove bacteria without the need for lots of chemicals. The two ecloths below are ideal for most air fryers, but there is pretty much one designed with every material in mind.

And when you're deep cleaning an air fryer a good cleaning spray such as the one below from Lakeland makes light work of cleaning the cooked-on grease.

Best airfryer cookbooks

My final essential air fryer accessory is a good cookbook is an essential air fryer companion, great for reference and inspiration. 

It can be confusing to know what is best to cook in an air fryer it’s not always clear how long things take or what temperature to cook at, so these books are a great help. There's a whole array of brilliant books to choose from, but these three are my most-rated, reliable options for everyday cooking. 

FAQs

Are air fryer liners worth it?

Air fryer liners are handy for cooking fragile foods, such as fish fillets or for baking cookies as they make lifting things out of the air fryer basket much easier. Many air fryer baskets are deep and the metallic base can be tricky to remove while still hot, whereas a liner can easily be lifted out.

Liners are usually made from a material that is lighter and cools faster than the metal case does, some even have handles so are easy to remove with tongs or by hand. Air fryer liners also help to simplify the cleaning process as they catch most of the mess and can usually be put directly in the dishwasher, or if they are disposable, the bin.

A variety of different types of air fryer liners are available, some are flat and can be positioned under or on top of air fryer tray insert. Others have sides and are more of a pot shape making it possible to heat foods that are juicy or saucy, such as mac ‘n’ cheese. Some have a woven base or holes and are designed this way to ensure the air circulates inside the air fryer, while others have a solid base.

It’s worth noting that if the base is solid the hot air will not circulate in the same way, so we wouldn’t recommend using these for anything that you intend to crisp. If you don’t have a liner for your air fryer and still wish to cook something delicate then baking paper can be a good option. It’s important to ensure it fits neatly in the air fryer basket, as the edges may scorch or catch fire if they are too close to the internal heating element.

Why do you need silicone tongs for an air fryer?

Using non-abrasive utensils, such as silicone tongs when cooking in an air fryer is important. This is so the non-stick coating of the air fryer doesn’t get scratched. Tongs are useful for removing or flipping hot food in the basket. The pointed shape means they are easy to manoeuvre in a compact space such as the air fryer basket. 

Classic spatulas can be too large and make it awkward to handle the food in the basket. Tongs are also useful for other cooking, they are useful when frying or dishing out portions of everything soon you’ll be using them for everything from flipping chicken breasts to swirling spaghetti.