Can you use aluminum foil in the air fryer? If you’re wondering whether this shiny kitchen staple can make your air fryer life easier — or accidentally lead to a cooking disaster — you’re not alone. The answer is yes, but only if you know the do’s and don’ts. Keep reading to uncover the safest and smartest ways to use foil in your air fryer.
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Air fryers have quickly become a go-to kitchen gadget, transforming how we cook everything from crispy fries to roasted vegetables. But as you explore new recipes and techniques, you may find yourself asking, “Can aluminum foil go in the air fryer?” The short answer is yes, but it’s not as simple as tossing in a sheet and hoping for the best.
There are a few key considerations to keep in mind to safely and effectively use your air fryer with foil. In this guide, we’ll explore the best ways to use aluminum foil in basket and oven-style air fryers, answer common questions, and highlight situations where foil might not be the best choice.
In This Article
The Rise Of Air Fryers
Air fryers have become a kitchen essential in the last couple of years, and many home cooks eagerly use them for easy and quick meals. They’re simple to use, significantly reduce cooking time, and produce incredibly consistent results.
Since a countertop air fryer is essentially a mini-convection oven, it’s most impactful for those whose ovens don’t have a convection setting. But, even if your oven has this cooking capability, you might still prefer the air fryer for certain recipes.
From larger meals to easy condiments, like roasted garlic, it’s one of the few kitchen countertop appliances worth the space it takes up. Because of its many great uses, the question of whether you can safely use aluminum foil in the air fryer often pops up and is worth exploring in detail.
Using Aluminum Foil In An Air Fryer
To answer the question “Can aluminum foil goin in the air fryer?” there are two main considerations:
- What type of air fryer do you have — basket or oven model?
- What kind of food are you cooking?
Both of these things can impact the decision of whether to use foil in the appliance. Specific brands will also detail in their instruction manuals if aluminum foil is recommended.
Reasons For Using Aluminum Foil
Much like using parchment paper on a baking sheet for oven cooking, the most common reason for wanting to use foil in an air fryer is to simplify cleanup. However, aluminum foil has a few different uses in the air fryer:
- Lining the bottom tray in an oven-model air fryer to collect any drippings and help keep the air fryer clean.
- Wrapping food to create a packet-like meal for easier cleanup and better flavor.
- To prevent the food from sticking to either the basket or trays, which can make cleanup a breeze.
How Air Fryers Work
Air fryers constantly circulate hot air around the food as it cooks. Like a traditional oven, every air fryer has a heating element. In oven-style air fryers, the heating coils are typically located on the top. Basket-model air fryers, on the other hand, heat from the bottom, below the basket.
It’s important to maintain proper air flow when cooking food in this kitchen appliance. Otherwise, the air fryer’s effectiveness will be compromised. For that reason, using aluminum foil in a basket air fryer can be a little trickier than in an oven model.
How To Use Aluminum Foil In An Oven Model Air Fryer
The best use of tin foil in air fryer ovens is to line the grease tray. This simple use allows drippings that fall off the food while cooking to deposit on the aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Since the heating element is located at the top of the air fryer oven, using aluminum foil on the bottom does not interrupt the airflow or impact cooking.
When cooking foods like salmon in foil, do not let the foil cover the entire surface area of the tray. Air needs to be able to flow around the food from bottom to top. If the tray is completely covered in foil, it will block the movement and result in unevenly cooked food.
Instead of using foil to keep food from sticking to the trays in an oven-model air fryer, it’s better to lightly grease the trays. You can use butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray.
How To Safely Use Foil In A Basket Model Air Fryer
Using tin foil in a basket-model air fryers is a little trickier. Since the heating element is located underneath the basket, there is no foolproof way to use foil to collect grease or drippings. You can use tin foil in an air fryer basket, but you need to ensure the foil doesn’t cover all of the holes in the basket, as they allow the heat and air to push up from the heating element.
If foil blocks all the openings, the food will not come out crispy. Even worse, you run the risk of potentially damaging the appliance. Unlike oven models, you cannot use aluminum foil on the very bottom beneath the air fryer basket to catch excess oil and drippings.
Weighing The Foil Down
As mentioned above, air fryers blow hot air around the food to cook it. Therefore, if the food isn’t sitting directly on the foil or isn’t heavy enough, the foil can easily be displaced.
To avoid this issue:
- Wrap the food more tightly with the aluminum
- Use something air-fryer safe to keep the foil from being blown about — pie weights can work well for this.
Acidic Foods In An Air Fryer
It’s best to avoid cooking acidic foods with aluminum foil. Tomatoes, citrus, and vinegar can react chemically with the foil, causing aluminum to leach into the food.
Foiled No More
If you’re one of many home cooks who has embraced air fryer cooking in the last few years, now you know that you can put aluminum foil in an air fryer safely if done properly. It not only simplifies cleanup but also locks in flavorful juices for even tastier meals.
Do You Use Aluminum Foil in Your Air Fryer?
Have you used aluminum foil in your air fryer? What worked best for you? Any lessons learned along the way? Drop your tips, experiences, or questions in the comments below.
Portions of this article originally appeared on Running to the Kitchen.
