Can You Put Parchment Paper in Your Air Fryer?

That said, she does use parchment for certain recipes. “One of my favorite ways to do so is when cooking fish en papillote,” says Laurence, known by her followers as the Blue Jean Chef. “The parchment paper traps the steam and keeps the fish moist, while the air fryer cooks it quickly. It also means that there is no clean up at the end.” En papillote (“in paper” in French) is a cooking method that involves placing food—typically vegetables, or fillets of fish or meat—inside a folded pouch of parchment paper (or foil).

Brandi Crawford, author of "The Super Easy Air Fryer Cookbook," suggests using parchment paper designed for use with an air fryer when cooking these types of dishes. “The internal heat inside air fryers requires circulation, and air fryer parchment paper has perforated holes in it to help with that circulation,” she says. A 10-pack of air fryer liners can run you less than $10 dollars.

A word of caution if you do go this route: Make sure the food is heavy enough to keep the parchment paper in place. Otherwise, it can blow up toward the heating element, creating a fire risk.

If you’re not using the parchment paper for baked goods or steaming purposes, consider a reusable silicone liner. This dishwasher-safe accessory can stand in place of a perforated parchment paper liner, and cuts down on waste.