Air Fryer Accessories You Actually Need (and 5 You Should Skip)
Published on 2026-05-26David Kim
Wire racks, silicone liners, oil sprayers, parchment papers — which air fryer accessories are worth your money? Honest reviews of 12 accessories based on months of daily use.
Most Accessories Are Unnecessary. Here Are the Exceptions
Walk down the kitchen aisle of any store and you will find an entire shelf of 'air fryer accessories.' Magnetic cheat sheets. Specialty tongs. Branded oil sprayers at triple the price of generic ones. Silicone mats in every shape. Most of this stuff solves problems that do not exist or duplicates tools you already own. I have bought and tested a lot of these accessories over the past year — some because they seemed useful, some because they were gifts, and some because I was curious. About two-thirds of them sit unused in a drawer. The remaining third I use regularly and would buy again. Here is the honest assessment of what earns its place in my kitchen and what was a waste of money.
Worth It: A Refillable Oil Sprayer (About 10 Dollars)
This is the single most useful air fryer accessory and the one I recommend to everyone. A simple pump-style oil mister — not electric, not aerosol — filled with your cooking oil of choice. Two or three pumps evenly coat a basket of food without the chemical propellants that damage non-stick coatings. I have been using the same 10-dollar sprayer for over a year. It has never clogged, never leaked, and uses about a tenth as much oil as pouring from a bottle. Skip the 40-dollar electric versions. They are not more effective, they require charging, and they break. The manual pump style is more reliable and costs less. Get one with a glass body rather than plastic — oil can degrade some plastics over time, and glass is easier to clean.
Worth It: Perforated Parchment Paper Liners (About 8 Dollars for 100)
These pre-cut round liners with holes punched in them are genuinely useful for foods that tend to stick — breaded fish, marinated chicken, anything with cheese. They prevent sticking, make cleanup nearly instant, and the holes allow enough airflow that cooking results are nearly as good as cooking directly on the basket. A pack of 100 lasts several months with daily use. I use them about 30 percent of the time — mainly for sticky foods and for foods that leave residue that is annoying to clean. For dry foods like fries or unbreaded meats, I skip the liner and cook directly on the basket for better airflow. You can cut regular parchment paper to size and poke holes in it, but the pre-cut liners are so inexpensive that the convenience is worth the small cost.
Worth It: A Two-Layer Rack (About 12 to 20 Dollars)
A wire rack that sits inside the basket — sometimes called a dehydrator rack or双层 rack — effectively doubles your cooking capacity by letting you cook on two levels. Food on the top rack cooks faster because it is closer to the heating element, so arrange accordingly: thinner or faster-cooking items on top, thicker or slower ones on the bottom. I use this most often for cooking a main dish and a side simultaneously — chicken breasts on the bottom rack, broccoli on the top rack above them. The broccoli finishes in about 6 minutes while the chicken continues cooking below. The rack is also useful for foods you want elevated for better all-around airflow — bacon comes out noticeably more evenly cooked on a rack than directly on the basket because the rendered fat drips away and air circulates underneath. Get a rack sized specifically for your air fryer model rather than a universal fit — the universal ones tend to be slightly too large or too small.
Worth It: Silicone Muffin Cups (About 10 Dollars for a Set)
Individual silicone muffin cups are the easiest way to bake in an air fryer. Fill them with muffin batter, egg bites, or small portions of baked oatmeal, place them directly in the basket, and cook. They are heavy enough to not fly around and the silicone releases food easily without greasing. I make egg bites for breakfast meal prep — eggs, cheese, and vegetables baked in the cups at 320 degrees for about 8 minutes. They pop right out and reheat well. The cups are dishwasher safe, stack for storage, and cost very little.
Skip It: Magnetic Cheat Sheets
These magnets that stick to your air fryer with printed cooking times seem convenient. In practice, they are not. The times are generic —' chicken breast 10 to 12 minutes at 375' — without accounting for thickness, weight, or your specific model. The print is small enough that you end up pulling out your phone anyway. And if your air fryer has a curved exterior, the magnet will not sit flat. Our Time Finder on FryCalc gives you more accurate, food-specific times that account for weight and air fryer type — use that instead of a static magnet.
Skip It: Specialty Air Fryer Tongs and Utensils
Regular kitchen tongs work exactly the same as 'air fryer' tongs. Regular spatulas work the same as 'air fryer' spatulas. There is nothing unique about air fryer cooking that requires specialty utensils. The one exception: if your air fryer basket has a non-stick coating, use silicone-tipped tongs to avoid scratching it. But those are just regular silicone-tipped tongs — they do not need 'air fryer' on the package.
Skip It: Silicone Basket Liners That Cover the Entire Basket Floor
I tested a full silicone basket liner that covers the entire bottom of the basket. It blocked too much airflow — food came out noticeably less crispy on the bottom than when cooked directly on the basket or on perforated parchment. The convenience of easy cleanup was not worth the texture trade-off for me. If you go with a silicone liner, get one with large cutouts or use it only for foods where bottom crispiness does not matter, like salmon or meatballs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the one accessory every air fryer owner should buy?
A refillable oil sprayer — about 10 dollars. It applies oil evenly without aerosol propellants that damage non-stick coatings, uses less oil than pouring, and lasts for years.
Are air fryer liners worth it?
Perforated parchment liners are worth it for sticky foods — they prevent sticking and make cleanup easier. Full silicone liners that cover the entire basket floor can reduce crispiness by blocking airflow.
Do I need a special air fryer cookbook?
No. Most air fryer cookbooks are just regular cookbooks with adjusted times. The conversion is simple — our Oven to Air Fryer Converter handles it automatically for any recipe.
Want to convert your own recipes? Use our free air fryer calculator.
Air Fryer Calculator