The air fryer accessory market has exploded alongside the appliance's popularity. A quick search reveals countless products promising to enhance your air frying experience—from specialised baking pans to elaborate rack systems. But which accessories genuinely improve your cooking, and which are solutions looking for problems?
After extensive testing across various accessories, we've developed clear recommendations on what's worth your money and what belongs in the "skip it" category. This honest assessment helps you avoid cluttering your kitchen with items that gather dust.
Essential Accessories
These accessories genuinely enhance air fryer functionality and see regular use in most households.
Digital Meat Thermometer
If you buy only one accessory, make it a reliable instant-read thermometer. Air fryers cook quickly, and the line between perfectly done and overdone is thin, especially with proteins. A thermometer removes guesswork entirely, ensuring chicken reaches safe temperatures and steaks hit your preferred doneness precisely.
Look for a digital instant-read model that gives readings within 2-3 seconds. Models with backlit displays are helpful for checking food in dimly lit kitchens. Budget around $25-50 for a quality thermometer that will last years.
Why a Thermometer is Essential
- Prevents foodborne illness by confirming safe temperatures
- Ends the cycle of cutting into meat to "check" doneness
- Helps you learn cooking times for your specific air fryer
- Essential for thick cuts where exterior appearance deceives
Silicone Baking Cups or Liners
Reusable silicone liners serve multiple purposes. They protect the basket's non-stick coating, make cleanup easier, and allow cooking of items that might otherwise fall through basket perforations. Quality silicone is heat-resistant well beyond air fryer temperatures and lasts for years.
Look for liners sized appropriately for your basket. Some are solid for catching drippings; others have perforations that maintain air circulation while still protecting the basket. The perforated versions are generally more versatile.
Silicone-Tipped Tongs
Metal tongs will scratch your basket's coating. Silicone-tipped tongs handle hot food safely without damaging non-stick surfaces. Choose tongs with locking mechanisms for storage and a length that keeps hands away from heat—around 25-30cm is ideal.
Oil Spray Bottle
While not technically an air fryer accessory, a refillable oil spray bottle is essential for anyone serious about air frying. Aerosol cooking sprays often contain propellants that can damage non-stick coatings over time and produce more smoke than pure oil.
A pump-style spray bottle lets you use your preferred cooking oil—avocado oil, light olive oil, or rice bran oil are excellent choices with high smoke points. A fine mist ensures even, minimal coating.
Worth Considering
These accessories aren't essential but provide genuine value for specific cooking styles.
Perforated Parchment Liners
Disposable parchment liners designed for air fryers have perforations that maintain airflow while catching drippings and preventing food from sticking. They're particularly useful for very sticky items like marinated wings or foods with sugary glazes.
The perforations are important—solid parchment blocks airflow and impairs cooking. Buy liners sized for your basket, or cut regular parchment paper and punch your own holes. The convenience factor makes pre-cut liners worthwhile for frequent users.
Parchment Safety Tip
Always weigh down parchment with food—never preheat with an empty liner. The circulating air can lift unsecured parchment into the heating element, creating a fire hazard.
Baking Pan or Cake Tin
A round or square baking pan that fits your air fryer basket expands cooking possibilities significantly. You can bake small cakes, frittatas, casseroles, and other dishes impossible in the open basket. Look for pans with handles for easy removal—the basket gets hot.
Verify measurements before purchasing. Pans need at least 1cm clearance around edges for air circulation. Most standard 15-18cm pans suit 4-6L air fryers.
Skewer Rack
If you enjoy kebabs, satay, or skewered vegetables, a rack designed to hold skewers vertically can be useful. It keeps skewers elevated for even cooking and prevents wooden ends from scorching. However, you can achieve similar results by simply laying skewers in the basket—the rack is convenience, not necessity.
Multi-Level Rack
Racks that create two cooking levels increase capacity for smaller items like chicken wings or vegetables. They're particularly valuable for smaller air fryers where batch cooking is otherwise necessary.
Ensure the rack is designed for your basket size and doesn't interfere with air circulation. Quality matters—flimsy racks can warp under heat. Look for stainless steel construction with stable feet.
Skip These
Some popular air fryer accessories offer minimal practical benefit. Save your money and drawer space.
Air Fryer Cookbooks
Physical cookbooks specifically for air fryers are largely unnecessary. Free recipes abound online, and most conventional recipes adapt easily to air frying with minor temperature and time adjustments. If you prefer physical references, a general cookbook with a notes section works better than a specialised air fryer book that quickly becomes redundant.
Specialised Cleaning Tools
Marketed air fryer cleaning brushes and tools rarely improve upon a regular dish brush or sponge. The basket's non-stick coating releases food easily with normal washing. A brush designed for bottles works well for the heating element area if needed. Specialised "air fryer cleaners" are typically just regular cleaning solutions at premium prices.
Pizza Pan with Holes
Perforated pizza pans designed for air fryers are popular but often unnecessary. Personal pizzas cook perfectly well directly on the basket or on a regular baking pan. The holes theoretically improve crust crispness, but the difference is minimal in practice.
The Basket is Already a Pan
Many air fryer accessories duplicate what the basket already does. Before buying a specialised pan or rack, consider whether the standard basket might work just fine for your intended purpose.
Elaborate Multi-Accessory Sets
Bundle sets promising "everything you need" typically include several items you won't use alongside one or two useful pieces. The mathematics rarely favours buying sets over individual essential items. You end up paying for accessories that occupy drawer space without earning their keep.
Replacement Baskets (Unless Needed)
Some retailers push spare baskets as "essential" accessories. Unless your original basket is damaged, a spare simply takes up storage space. When replacement becomes necessary, buy then—not as a precautionary purchase.
Making Smart Purchases
Check Measurements First
Air fryer baskets vary significantly in size and shape. Always measure your basket interior before purchasing accessories. A pan that's too large won't fit; one too small wastes capacity. Allow 1-2cm clearance around accessories for air circulation.
Material Quality Matters
Cheap accessories often use thin metals that warp, plastics that melt, or silicone that degrades. For items exposed to high heat repeatedly, invest in quality materials. Stainless steel should be heavy-gauge; silicone should be rated for temperatures well above 200°C.
Consider Your Cooking Style
Before buying any accessory, honestly assess whether you'll use it regularly. A baking pan is worthless if you never bake in your air fryer. Skewer racks serve no purpose if you don't cook kebabs. Let your actual cooking habits guide purchases, not aspirational ideas about what you might cook someday.
Start Simple
Begin with just a thermometer and silicone tongs. Use your air fryer for several months before buying additional accessories. You'll develop a clear sense of what tools would genuinely enhance your specific cooking patterns.
DIY and Household Alternatives
Before buying specialised accessories, consider what you already own:
- Ramekins and oven-safe dishes: Many ceramic and glass dishes work perfectly in air fryers for baking and casseroles.
- Aluminium foil: Creates dividers, liners, and makeshift pans when needed—just ensure holes for airflow.
- Wooden or bamboo skewers: Work fine for kebabs without specialised racks—soak in water first to prevent burning.
- Metal cooling racks: Small racks from baking supplies can serve as elevated cooking surfaces.
The best approach to air fryer accessories is restraint. Start with genuine essentials, use your air fryer regularly to understand its capabilities, and add accessories only when a genuine need becomes clear. A drawer full of unused gadgets helps no one, while a few quality tools that see regular use genuinely enhance the air frying experience.