Can You Put a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer?

Can You Put a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer - Air Fryers For Home Use

There are many heat-resistant materials used in cooking and baking products these days. Silicon cooking products have made a big impression on both professionals and amateurs. When it comes to using your air fryer, we’ll answer the question: can you put a silicone mat in an air fryer?

The answer is a big fat YES. And there are many reasons why you will love using a silicone mat in your air fryer. We’ll take a look at how to choose a silicone mat, how to clean them,  and why you should use them, as well as other uses so read on.

Why Use a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer

Once you buy a liner or two, you’ll find that using a silicone mat in your air fryer is very cost-effective. They can be reused over and over again. They are also very durable and easy to clean. There’s less waste as well. You won’t have to keep buying parchment paper or parchment paper liners so you’ll save money. 

Using a silicone mat doesn’t mean you won’t have crispy food. In fact, you may find that these liners work better than using aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

How To Choose A Silicone Basket Liner 

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Sizing is crucial when choosing the right silicone liner. Liners come in a variety of sizes and shapes such as squares, rectangles, and circles. Make sure that your liner doesn’t block air from circulating. Note the shape you need. Then measure the diameter of the basket.  This information will be helpful when you buy a liner.

Depending on the types of food you cook, you may want to use perforated mats in your air fryer. 

8 Steps On How to Use a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer 

Before you use a silicone mat, make sure it’s the right size. To use a silicone mat:

  1. Preheat your air fryer if necessary
  2. Spray a small amount of oil on the liner
  3. Place the mat in the basket or on the rack
  4. Place food on the mat
  5. Push the basket into the air fryer 
  6. Once your food is cooked, remove the food from the basket
  7. Remove the silicone mat
  8. Wash the basket or rack with hot soapy water
  9. Do the same with the silicone mat or place it in your dishwasher

Using a silicone mat is much easier than using parchment paper and much less wasteful. 

How to Clean Silicone Pot Mats?

The beauty of using silicone mats is that they are so easy to clean. Just pop them in your dishwasher. They are dishwasher safe. If there’s a lot of food or grease stuck to the mat, you may want to rinse it off first.

Alternatively, if you prefer, you can handwash them with hot soapy water at the same time you clean the air fryer basket or tray used and leave them to dry.

Do Silicone Perforated Mats Keep Food From Sticking?

Definitely! And it is clearly one of the best features of using silicone mats. They are especially useful if you have a wire basket or tray. They make cleaning much easier, too. 

Why Are Air Fryer Silicone Mats Perforated?

This is to allow air to flow freely around your food to provide for even cooking. Even though the mat is perforated, it will catch most of the drippings or grease that is released from the food you cook. 

7 Reasons to Use Perforated Silicone Liners 

Cost Savings - Can You Put a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer
  1. Easy Food Removal: The silicone mats are non-stick so they keep food from sticking to the mat, racks, and trays.
  2. Great Protection: Liners can help to extend the life of your air fryer by protecting the basket, racks, and trays.
  3. Dishwasher Safe: Since the mats are dishwasher safe, all you have to do is remove it from the air fryer and place it in your dishwasher.
  4. Cost-Effective: Because these liners are made of silicone, you can reuse them over and over again.
  5. Multiple Uses: These liners are oven safe and can be used in a toaster oven, regular oven, convection oven, pressure cooker, and even a microwave oven. You can even use them in place of potholders for hot pots and hot trays of food. You can also put them under your air fryer to protect your countertop.
  6. Easy to Store: The liners are lightweight, flexible, small, and thin making them very easy to store in the smallest kitchen.
  7. BPA-Free: Silicone liners are BPA-free and free of toxic materials, latex, phthalates, and lead so they are very safe to use. 

Conclusion

Can You Put a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer - Coment Image

One of the worst things about owning an air fryer is the clean-up. Grease and food drippings can hide in places you can see and can make cleaning a real chore. Silicone mats are a must when using your air fryer. They are very versatile, heat resistant, reasonably priced, easy to clean, and easy to store. 

Have you ever tried using silicone mats in your air fryer? Do you have perforated ones? What has been your experience? Or if you have any Air Fryer Questions. Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Yes. Silpat mats are made with high-quality 100% food-grade silicone that is reinforced with fiberglass mesh. These mats provide even heat distribution and can be used in an air fryer. 

Definitely. In fact, there are many silicone products made to use in the oven such as muffin molds and cake molds. You can also use them in microwaves.

The most important thing to remember is that whatever you put under your air fryer must be heat resistant.  This means that it should be able to withstand heat up to 450°F and large enough to cover the area under the fryer completely. 

It should also be at least 1.5mm/0.5 inches thick. There are specially made silicone trivets that can be used for this purpose. Other materials that can be used are large tiles and stainless steel mats.

9 thoughts on “Can You Put a Silicone Mat in an Air Fryer?”

    • Hey there Patrice!
      Good news, you can totally use silicone baskets in your air fryer! They’re perfect for baking delicious treats like cakes, cobblers, etc. However, if you plan to cook items like french fries in them, keep in mind that it may take a little longer and require more frequent stirring to cook them evenly. Just be aware that using these baskets may reduce air circulation some.

      Reply
  1. I have a Ninja Foodi XL Pro Grill & Griddle, there is no basket like the ones pictured on Amazon. Can I use the round silicone bowl or the parchman paper round liners on the flat surface inmy air fryer without hazard of fire?

    Reply
  2. I have an oven air fryer not an air fryer. Can I put the silicone mats with out holes in my oven air fryer.
    Also can I put the silicon bowls in my oven air fryer. If so do I have to either use my basket or a tray the in my oven, to cook the food? Thank you

    Reply
    • Hey Judy,
      Great to hear from you! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you – I’ve been working on some exciting projects lately. But, I’m happy to be back and ready to help you out!

      To answer your first question, absolutely – you can use mats without holes in your air fryer oven. Just keep in mind that you won’t get as much air circulation as you would with mats that do have holes.

      And to answer your second question, you can definitely use silicone bowls in your oven as well. However, if they don’t have holes in them, you may find that your food doesn’t cook as evenly. It’s all about finding the right balance of air circulation and cooking surface, so don’t be afraid to experiment a little! Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Reply
  3. I bought my silicone mat before I got my air fryer combo and the mat is too wide so can I cut it to fit? Thanks

    Reply
    • Margaret,
      Absolutely! You can definitely cut it to fit! When I bought a mat for my air fryer, I ran into a little issue where the corners weren’t quite round enough, causing it not to fit properly. But don’t worry, I had a simple solution! I grabbed my handy pair of scissors and carefully trimmed the mat to perfectly match the shape of my basket. Voila! Problem solved! If there’s anything else you’d like to know or any other questions you have, please feel free to ask. We’re here to help!

      FryDay Dave

      Reply
  4. I recently purchased a cosori toaster/air fry oven. Bought silicone mats to protect wire basket. Will food cook using these mats in basket. I cooked chicken tender but they did not get crispy.

    Reply

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