What To Put At The Bottom Of An Air Fryer? | No Mess

The bottom area of an air fryer takes the hit from every cook. Crumbs fall, fat drips, sugar bubbles over, then it all gets reheated the next time you press Start. Put the wrong thing down there and you can get smoke, soggy food, or a stubborn layer of baked-on grease.

This guide gives you practical choices for what to place under your food, plus the small rules that keep airflow strong. You’ll get quick picks for normal weeknight cooking, then a few “use only when needed” moves for sticky sauces and fatty cuts.

What To Put At The Bottom Of An Air Fryer? Options By Mess Level

Start with one question: are you trying to stop sticking, catch drips, or speed up cleanup? Each goal points to a different item. In many baskets, the best default is “nothing added,” then a light-touch liner only when you’re cooking something that splatters.

Bottom Add-On	When It Helps Most	Watch-Outs
Nothing extra	Fries, veg, wings with dry seasoning	Old grease in the drawer can still smoke
Perforated parchment liner (basket-sized)	Sticky glaze, delicate fish, easy cleanup	Needs food on top so it can’t lift toward the heater
Plain parchment cut smaller than the basket	Small batches where you still want airflow	Oversized sheets block air and leave pale spots
Aluminum foil sling under food	Saucy chicken, oily fish, lift-out meals	Keep foil snug and weighted; don’t let edges rise
Oven-safe dish that fits (metal or ceramic)	Reheating saucy food, melting cheese, soft bakes	Less airflow means less crisping
Reusable silicone liner (with ridges or holes)	Greasy foods where you want drips away from the meal	Some designs trap steam; choose one with drainage
Small splash of water in the drawer (under the basket)	Fatty cooks that tend to smoke	Only in drawer-style designs; keep water away from vents

Know Your Air Fryer Design Before You Add Anything

“Bottom” can mean two different spots, and mixing them up leads to trouble.

• Basket bottom: the base of the cooking basket where your food sits.
• Drawer or pan bottom: the area under the basket where grease collects.

Brands don’t all give the same advice. Philips says baking paper or tin foil are not recommended, since covering the bottom can disrupt airflow and cooking results. You can read their note here: Philips Airfryer baking paper and tin foil guidance.

Instant’s FAQ for its air fryer products states you can’t use aluminum foil or parchment paper in its air fryer models. That wording is on their official page: Instant air fryer foil and parchment FAQ.

So your safest approach is simple: treat liners as optional, keep air paths open, and follow the rules that match your exact model.

The Safest Default For Most Meals

If you’re cooking dry foods that don’t ooze fat or sauce, put nothing extra at the bottom. Let the basket do its job: hot air passes through, moisture escapes, and the food browns.

Two habits keep the “no liner” method low-mess:

1. Dump crumbs and wipe the drawer while it’s still warm.
2. Wash the basket before old oil turns into a smoky film.

Perforated Parchment Liners When Food Sticks

Perforated parchment is the liner most people reach for. It reduces sticking, it keeps sugary sauces from welding to the basket, and it cuts scrub time. The holes matter because they let air hit the food from below.

Use it when you’re cooking sticky marinades, delicate fish, or small bites with cheese that drips.

The rule that keeps parchment safer: don’t preheat the air fryer with parchment sitting empty. Put the liner in, then put food on it right away. That weight keeps the paper from lifting into the heating element.

How To Trim Parchment So Air Still Moves

If you’re cutting parchment from a roll, make it a bit smaller than the basket footprint. Leave a border of open space where air can sweep up and around. If the sheet climbs the sides and seals the gaps, food can cook unevenly.

Skip wax paper. It’s a different product, and it’s not meant for this heat.

Aluminum Foil When You Need A Sling

Foil works best as a shaped tool, not a blanket. Think “sling” that cradles messy food and lifts it out clean. Keep it tight to the basket floor so it can’t flap in the fan’s airflow.

Foil is handy for salmon, saucy wings, and meals you want to pull out fast without scraping. Keep edges low so foil stays away from the heater.

Foil And Acidic Ingredients

If your food is heavy on citrus, vinegar, or tomato, foil can react and leave a metallic note. In that case, parchment is the cleaner choice, or use a small oven-safe dish.

Reusable Silicone Liners For Greasy Cooking

Silicone liners can help when you cook bacon, sausages, or skin-on chicken and want drips to pool away from the food. The better designs have ridges or drainage holes that keep the meal from sitting in its own fat.

Fit matters. Pick a liner that leaves some open space around the edges so air can travel up the sides.

Wash silicone right after cooking with hot water and a grease-cutting soap. If grease cools on silicone, it can feel slick even after a rinse.

Small Oven-Safe Dishes For Sauces And Soft Foods

For saucy leftovers, melty toppings, or small bakes, a dish can beat any liner. It gives you clean edges and no leaks. Place the dish in the basket, then set the food inside the dish.

Expect a trade-off: less airflow under the meal means less crisping. That’s fine when the goal is warm and gooey, not crunchy.

Water In The Drawer To Reduce Smoke

Some drawer-style air fryers let you add a small splash of water under the basket. Drips hit water instead of a hot, dry pan, which can cut smoke during fatty cooks.

This is not universal. Only do it when the base is clearly separated from vents and electronics. Keep the amount small so it can’t slosh when you pull the drawer out.

What Not To Put At The Bottom

A few items cause repeat problems. Skip these unless your manufacturer lists them as approved accessories.

• Paper towels: they can lift, scorch, and shed fibers.
• Loose parchment with no food weight: it can flutter into the heating element.
• Plastic trays or foam plates: they can melt and give off fumes.
• Thick layers that block the drain path: trapped grease is what bakes onto the drawer.

Setup Steps That Keep Food Crisp And Cleanup Easy

Once you pick the right bottom option, a few small moves keep results steady.

Preheat Only When It Helps

Preheating can speed browning for thin foods like fries. If you use parchment, wait to place it until the food is going in. If you use a dish, preheat with the empty basket, then add the dish carefully.

Keep Air Paths Open

Air fryers brown food because air moves. Don’t cover every hole in the basket. If you’re using a liner, choose perforations or cut the sheet smaller. If you’re using foil, shape it to the food and keep edges down.

Use A Light Oil Film When Needed

Many baskets are nonstick, yet sticky foods can still cling. A quick mist of high-heat oil on the food, not the basket, can reduce sticking. If your basket coating warns against aerosol sprays, use a refillable mister.

Cleaning Habits That Stop Smoke Before It Starts

Most air fryer smoke is old grease, reheated. Liners can help, yet they won’t fix a drawer that’s coated in yesterday’s drips.

1. Right after cooking: cool the basket until it’s safe to handle, then dump crumbs and wipe the drawer.
2. Same day: wash the basket and any liner with hot water and soap.
3. Weekly: check the heating area for splatter once the unit is unplugged and cool.

Picking The Right Bottom Choice For Common Foods

Use this as a quick match-up, then adjust based on how messy your recipe runs.

Chicken Wings

Dry-seasoned wings usually do best with nothing on the basket bottom. If you add a sticky sauce near the end, a perforated parchment liner saves the basket from sugar burn.

Bacon

A ridged silicone liner can keep bacon from sitting in grease. If your unit tends to smoke, a small splash of water in the drawer can help in models built for it.

Fish

Parchment helps fish release cleanly. For lift-out cleanup, foil can work if it stays tight and low. For citrus-heavy marinades, lean toward parchment or a dish.

Vegetables And Frozen Snacks

Most veg and frozen snacks want airflow. Skip liners unless the food drips cheese or sugar. If you use parchment, choose perforated liners and keep them smaller than the basket so air can move.

Quick Troubleshooting When A Liner Causes Problems

If a new bottom setup changed your results, the fix is usually one small tweak.

Problem You Notice	Likely Bottom Cause	Fix For Next Cook
Food looks pale underneath	Liner blocked airflow under the food	Switch to perforated parchment or trim the sheet smaller
Parchment scorched	Paper sat empty during preheat	Add parchment only when food is ready to go in
Smoke mid-cook	Old grease in the drawer reheated	Clean the drawer; use liners as a helper, not a patch
Food feels steamed	Silicone liner trapped moisture	Use a ridged or perforated liner, or skip the liner for crisp cooks
Foil shifted upward	Edges rose or foil wasn’t weighted	Press foil tight to the basket and keep edges low
Metallic taste	Foil touched acidic ingredients	Use parchment or a dish for citrus, vinegar, or tomato-heavy recipes

One Simple Rule For Cleaner Air Frying

If you came here asking what to put at the bottom of an air fryer?, the best answer is “as little as needed.” Use nothing for crisp foods, then add a basket-sized perforated parchment liner for sticky messes, or a snug foil sling when you want lift-out cleanup. Save a dish for sauces. Save water-in-drawer for smoky, fatty cooks when your model design allows it.

Ask the question again when you’re choosing: what to put at the bottom of an air fryer? If your goal is airflow and crisping, keep the bottom open. If your goal is cleanup, use a liner that can’t lift and won’t block vents.