Parchment paper in the air fryer: safety win or fire hazard waiting to happen?

I was at a diner over in Scranton last month and the cook told me he lines his air fryer basket with parchment paper every single time for easy cleanup. I tried it at home on some chicken tenders at 375 degrees and it worked great, no smoke or curling. But then I read online that some papers can block airflow or even catch fire if they touch the heating element. What's the real deal here, do you guys use parchment paper or is it just not worth the risk?

3 comments

3 Comments

eric72311d ago

My aunt runs a small bakery outside of Wilkes-Barre and swears by the unbleached parchment from a restaurant supply place - it's way thicker than what you get at the grocery store. She says the key is cutting it to fit the basket perfectly so there's NO overhang touching the walls or the heating coil. She had a scare once with the cheap paper that crinkled up and singed her fries, but since switching to the heavy-duty stuff and trimming it tight, she's done hundreds of batches without any problems. The real issue isnt the paper itself, it's using the thin flimsy kind that shifts around or peels up at the edges.

terry_carter1511d ago

Eric723, did she give you the exact brand name of that heavy-duty stuff she buys?

robin_roberts8411d ago

Got a buddy from down in Philly who tried this with his air fryer last Thanksgiving. He threw some parchment paper in there for his leftover turkey sliders, cranked it to 400. Paper curled up into the heating element, caught fire, filled his whole apartment with black smoke and stunk up the place for three days straight. He still uses parchment but now he weighs it down with a fork or crumples it first so it can't float around.