Paper towels vs. reusable silicone mats for air fryer cleanup - what's your go-to?

I've been going back and forth on this for months. Paper towels are cheap and easy, I just toss them after cooking bacon or chicken wings. But I tried those silicone liners last week and they did save me from scrubbing the basket after a messy batch of salmon at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. The problem is the silicone ones don't let the air flow as well underneath, so my fries came out less crispy on the bottom. Which one do you all stick with for stuff like frozen nuggets or breaded fish? I'm leaning back to paper towels but want to hear if anyone has found a trick to make the liners work better.

2 comments

2 Comments

oscar3902d ago

...yeah I've been down that same road with those silicone mats. The airflow thing is real, especially with frozen nuggets or anything breaded. What worked for me was punching a few small holes in the silicone mat with a hole punch, about a dozen or so scattered around. Lets the hot air hit the bottom of the food without making a mess in the basket. Still not as crispy as straight on the wire rack with paper towels, but cuts the scrubbing way down. For bacon though I just go back to paper towels every time, nothing beats that for easy cleanup.

sean_martin442d ago

Bro that whole "still not as crispy as straight on the wire rack with paper towels" line hit me hard. I've been fighting that exact battle for months now, trying to find a middle ground where my food doesn't suck but I'm not scrubbing burnt cheese off the basket for 20 minutes after every meal. The hole punch idea is actually genius though, I never thought of that. Gonna try it on my next batch of tater tots for sure. And yeah bacon in the air fryer is just a lost cause for easy cleanup no matter what you try. I gave up and just do it in a pan now lol.