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AirfryerHQ

Liners

Disposable paper liners

Sold to save washing up, and the one comparison we have read found they do not: grease goes through. Several manufacturers forbid paper in the basket altogether.

AirfryerHQ’s verdict

You probably do not need this

Widely sold, rarely needed. Something you already own usually does the same job.

A paper liner is bought for a clean basket and does that job poorly. When Which? cooked the same messy food in three kinds of liner, paper contained it least well: grease seeped through and the basket still needed cleaning. Against that small gain sit two costs. The underside of the food sits on paper instead of in moving air. And paper weighs almost nothing under a strong fan with the element directly above — which is why every source says to weigh it down, and why Philips, in three manuals we have read, and Bosch for its air-fry mode prohibit it outright. Something that works badly, is bought repeatedly and is forbidden by some manufacturers is hard to recommend.

What it actually does

Puts a disposable sheet between the food and the basket, so that some of the fat and crumbs leave with the paper rather than staying on the non-stick surface.

Pre-cut rounds or squares of baking parchment, often pressed into a shallow bowl shape, used once and thrown away. They are the cheapest liner per pack and the most expensive per year, and they are the accessory with the widest gap between how freely they are sold and what appliance manuals say about paper.

When it helps and when it does not

When it helps

  • Sticky, sugary glazes that would otherwise bake onto the basket — a use where a little seepage still saves real scrubbing
  • Delicate food such as a fish fillet that tends to stick and tear when lifted
  • Only in an appliance whose manual permits paper, and only with food already sitting on it

When it gets in the way

  • Chips, wedges and anything breaded, where the underside stays paler because air cannot reach it
  • Saucy or very fatty food, which soaks straight through — the test found doubling the paper still was not enough
  • Any light load — a few slices of bread, a handful of leaves — that cannot hold the paper down
  • Preheating, or any moment the basket is running empty with the liner in it

What it does to the airflow

Stops air reaching the underside of the food

A solid sheet stops air reaching the underside of the food. Perforated liners are sold as solving this; the one comparison we have read tried liners with and without holes and reported no big difference in the cooking, while noting that the holes let the mess through.

What to use instead

Wash the basket. It is non-stick and most are dishwasher safe; a soak in hot soapy water for ten minutes deals with nearly everything a paper liner would have caught. If you want to catch drips, several manufacturers permit lining the drawer underneath the crisper plate, which keeps the paper away from both the food's underside and the element.

Using it safely

  • Check your manual first. If it prohibits paper, that settles it for your appliance, whatever the packet says.
  • Never run the appliance with a liner in it and no food on it. Unweighted paper lifts into the element.
  • The food must cover and hold down the paper, with nothing sticking up above the load.
  • Use baking parchment rated for the temperature. Greaseproof paper, kitchen paper and wax paper are different products and are not substitutes.

What specific manufacturers say

Statements read from a named model’s own documentation. AirfryerHQ does not infer that an accessory fits a machine from its advertised capacity, and no manufacturer here publishes the dimensions that would let anybody do so.

Which machines it suits

Makes sense in: Oven-style air fryer, Countertop oven with air fry.

  • Basket air fryer: A small chamber with the fan and element directly above the food is where loose paper is most likely to lift. It is also where the underside airflow matters most.
  • Dual-basket air fryer: The same geometry as a single basket in a smaller drawer, with smaller loads that are less able to hold a liner down.

Looking after it

Single use. A liner that has soaked up fat is fuel sitting under an element, so do not be tempted to run a second batch on it.

Evidence and confidence

Moderate confidenceWell supported, but from a narrower base of sources than we would like.
Applies to
Applies generally
Why this rating
The verdict rests on one qualitative comparison for how well paper works and on three manufacturer manuals for whether it is permitted. They point the same way for different reasons, which is why the verdict is firm even though no measurement exists.
Last reviewed
2026-10-09

What this does not cover

  • The comparison cited used one food and does not name the appliance, a temperature or any measurement. It establishes a direction, not a size.
  • Some manufacturers permit paper with conditions. This page's verdict is about whether the accessory is worth buying; whether it is allowed in your appliance is answered by your manual.
  • AirfryerHQ has not bought, fitted or used any accessory. Every judgement here is reasoned from what the accessory does physically and from what manufacturers and the cited test report.
Sources (5)

  • Air fryer liners tested: silicone vs paper vs reusable sheets

    Which? — Independent controlled testing (United Kingdom)

    Relied on for: That in a like-for-like comparison paper liners contained mess least well, with grease seeping through and cleaning still needed; that they must be weighed down with food; and that perforations made no big difference to the cooking.

    States this directly

    Passage read and verified

    Retrieved 2026-10-09 from which.co.uk

  • Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Airfryer with Steam NA55x — User Manual (PDF)

    Versuni Netherlands B.V. (Philips Domestic Appliances) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom and European Union)

    Relied on for: A manufacturer prohibiting baking paper in the appliance outright.

    States this directly

    Passage read and verified

    Retrieved 2026-10-09 from dam.versuni.com

  • Philips Airfryer 5000 Series Megabasket with Steam NA565 — User Manual (PDF)

    Versuni Netherlands B.V. (Philips Domestic Appliances) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom and European Union)

    Relied on for: The same prohibition in a second, later manual, repeated against a specific recipe row.

    States this directly

    Passage read and verified

    Retrieved 2026-10-09 from dam.versuni.com

  • Bosch built-in oven HBG934B.1 — Instruction manual (PDF)

    BSH Hausgeräte GmbH (Bosch) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom and European Union)

    Relied on for: A second manufacturer prohibiting paper in air-fry mode, with the reason given: the air must be able to circulate.

    States this directly

    Passage read and verified

    Retrieved 2026-08-13 from media3.bosch-home.com

  • AirfryerHQ assessment of airflow, element proximity and material behaviour

    AirfryerHQ — Calculated or inferred by AirfryerHQ (Not jurisdictional)

    Relied on for: The mechanism this is read against: forced convection, boundary-layer disruption and a small chamber.

    AirfryerHQ's interpretation of what it says

    Citation checked — the document exists and is described correctly

AirfryerHQ sells nothing and earns nothing here. There are no affiliate links, no sponsored placements and no brand recommendations anywhere in this section. The verdict above is what we think, arrived at before anybody asked whether it would sell anything.

Can it go in? The material questions

  • Baking parchment — Two manufacturers now prohibit it outright and one gives the mechanism. Earlier, every manufacturer we had read was silent; that is no longer true, and the verdict has hardened.
  • Aluminium foil — One manufacturer prohibits it and says why. Another puts it in its own recipe. Your manual decides, and this page explains what each of them means.
  • Cardboard and food packaging — No. Dry cardboard next to a heating element is the clearest fire risk in this section and no manufacturer permits it.

If this is why you are here

  • Food is not crisping — Almost always moisture that cannot get out, and almost always because there is too much in the basket. One manufacturer says so directly.
  • The air fryer is smoking — Usually rendered fat on a hot surface below the basket. Distinguishing that from an electrical smell is the first thing to do.

Cooking pages this affects

Worth reading

Others in this category

  • Works, but costs you results

    Silicone basket insert

    The most-sold air fryer accessory and the commonest way to make an air fryer cook worse. It works; it costs you the thing you bought the machine for.

  • You probably do not need this

    Reusable liner sheets

    A flat, flexible non-stick sheet that lies on the crisper plate. In the one comparison we have read it needed the most cleaning of any liner — which is the opposite of what it is bought for.