Best Air Fryer Accessories Worth Buying: Liners, Racks and Pans

Must Have Accessories to Start With

These four types earn their storage space in most homes. Each one handles a daily task, works for many foods, and costs less than most specialty tools. For most households, they are the best air fryer accessories to own first.

Liners for the Basket

Liners sit under food and catch crumbs, sauce, and melted cheese before they bake onto the basket. Parchment liners are single use and suit sticky foods, while silicone liners can be washed and reused for plain foods like fries and vegetables. Check the shape first, round or square, and match the liner size to the inside of your basket. Leave room at the edges so air can move around the food, and never run a liner alone during preheating, since moving air can lift it toward the heating element.

A Raised Rack

A rack lifts food off the basket floor or creates a second layer inside a tall basket. That extra space helps when you cook for three or four people and want wings or cutlets in one batch instead of two. Measure the height from the basket floor to the top edge, because a rack that is too tall will press food into the element above. Choose a rack with feet that sit flat and handles or edges you can grip with tongs when it is hot.

An Oil Mister

A mister applies a thin, even coat of oil, which helps breading turn crisp and stops lean foods from drying out. It also replaces aerosol sprays, whose additives can build up on some basket coatings over time according to many maker guides. Fill the mister only partway, pump or press as the maker directs, and spray the food rather than the basket when you can. Keep the nozzle clean by wiping it after use, and store the mister upright near the cooker so you remember the light coat is usually enough.

Tongs With Silicone Tips

Tongs turn food midway through cooking without scratching the basket coating the way metal forks can. Silicone tips grip slippery items like fish fillets and asparagus, and they tolerate the heat inside the basket during a quick turn. Pick a length that keeps your hand clear of rising steam, usually around nine to twelve inches for a counter model. A locking ring keeps the tongs closed in a drawer, and a hanging loop helps if your storage is a rail or hook.

Accessory Types Compared and How to Choose

Most shoppers choose between single pieces and an air fryer accessories kit. A kit bundles a rack, a pan, skewers, and liners at a lower total cost, often about $25 to $50, but it only saves money if you will use most of the pieces. Buying singly costs more per item, yet it lets a small household pick the exact pan depth or rack height the basket allows. For a family that cooks varied meals, a kit can make sense. For a couple in a small apartment, two or three chosen pieces usually fit the drawer better.

Material matters just as much. Silicone is flexible, quiet in a drawer, and easy to wash, but it can hold odors from strong spices. Metal pans and racks feel sturdier and brown food well, though they need care to protect basket coatings when you slide them in and out. Parchment is the simplest choice for messy foods because you throw it away, but the ongoing cost adds up with daily use. Match the material to the food you cook most, not to the longest feature list.

Accessories for Cooking More Things

A shallow baking pan opens the fryer to foods the basket cannot hold well, such as eggs, grain bowls with sauce, and small casseroles for two. Silicone muffin cups let you bake egg bites or muffins without a full oven, which suits small households and warm days. A small pizza pan or a flat tray works for reheating slices and for flatbreads. When you want ideas that use these pieces well, browse air fryer recipes and note which pan shapes appear again and again before you buy.

Skewers add another option for kebabs and vegetables, as long as their length fits inside the basket with the door or drawer fully closed. A rack made for drying can also hold thin slices of fruit or herbs at low heat in models that offer that setting. Buy these specialty pieces one at a time, after a recipe you love calls for them, rather than filling a cabinet on the chance you might try them once.

Cleaning and Maintenance Accessories

A soft brush reaches the corners of the basket and the grooves of a crisper tray without harming the coating. Use it with warm water and mild soap once the parts have cooled, and let everything dry fully before you store it, since trapped moisture can leave odors. A silicone scrubber gives you a gentler option for baked on sauce. Avoid steel wool and harsh powders on coated parts, and check your manual before putting any part in the dishwasher, because heat and detergent tolerance vary by model.

For the main unit, a soft cloth wipes the inside walls and the area around the fan cover after the fryer is unplugged and cool. Food left in those spots can smoke at high heat during the next cook. Keeping a brush and cloth in the same cabinet as the fryer turns cleanup into a two minute habit instead of a weekend project.

Storage and Organization

Accessories lose value when they vanish into a deep cabinet. A shallow bin or a small vertical divider keeps racks, pans, and liners in one place near the fryer. Flat pieces like racks store well upright in a file style holder, while muffin cups nest inside the baking pan to save room. In a small kitchen, measure the cabinet or drawer before you buy a kit, because bulky bundles often cause the clutter they were meant to prevent.

If counter space is tight, consider a heat safe mat under the fryer only if your manual allows it, and keep cords and accessories off the surface where the unit vents. A home with open shelving can use a single basket for all the extras, which keeps the counter clear and makes it obvious when you already own a piece before you order a duplicate.

Replacement Parts Worth Keeping on Hand

Some air fryer replacement parts wear out sooner than the machine itself. The crisper tray or basket insert sees the most heat and scraping, and a spare keeps you cooking while a damaged one is replaced. Rubber feet or bumpers on trays can tear or go missing, and small parts like these are cheap to keep in a labeled bag. Filters on models that use them also need changing on the schedule in the manual.

Only buy spares that match your exact model number, since baskets that look alike can differ in latch shape and depth. Keep the model number from the label on the back or bottom of your unit in your phone. That one habit prevents most wrong orders and returns.

Accessories to Skip

Skip liners that cover the whole basket floor with no holes or gaps when your manual calls for air flow under the food, because blocked air can leave the bottoms pale and soft. Skip oversized pans sold for ovens, novelty molds you will use once, and extra baskets for a model you may replace soon. Large bundles with many tiny tools often repeat what your kitchen drawers already hold, such as measuring cups and basic spatulas.

Also skip any piece with no clear heat rating or no maker name and support contact. An accessory sits close to a heating element, so clear labeling matters more than a low price. If a listing cannot tell you the material, the size, and the top safe temperature, choose a different option.

How to Check Compatibility With Your Model

Start with three measurements taken inside your basket or cooking chamber: width, depth, and usable height with the drawer or door closed. Write them down in inches and compare them with the outside size of any pan or rack, leaving a small gap on all sides for air to circulate. Shape counts too. A round pan wastes space in a square basket, and a square pan may not fit through a round opening at all.

Next, read the manual section on accessories. Some makers limit what can sit on the basket floor or require their own tray for certain settings. Check the heat rating of each piece against the highest temperature you use, often for roasting or broiling style settings. Finally, confirm the door or drawer closes fully with the piece inside and food on it, since a rack plus thick chops sits higher than the rack alone.

Your Questions, Answered

Are accessories from other brands safe to use in an air fryer?

Accessories from other brands can be safe when the material, heat rating, and size suit your model. Look for clear labeling, a stated top temperature above your highest setting, and food contact materials from a named maker. Avoid pieces with loose coatings or unclear origins. If your manual limits outside accessories for a specific function, follow the manual for that function and use outside pieces only for plain basket cooking.

What accessories do I need for an air fryer?

Most homes need only a liner, tongs, and an oil mister at first. Add a rack when you cook for more than two people, and add a baking pan when you want eggs, casseroles, or baked goods. Cook with that small set for a few weeks. The piece you wish for during real meals is the right next purchase, which keeps spending tied to your habits rather than to a bundle list.

Can silicone accessories change how food cooks in an air fryer?

Yes, a thick silicone liner or cup can slow browning on the bottom of food because it blocks some air flow and adds a layer between the food and the hot basket. You can offset this by preheating the basket, flipping food once, and leaving space between pieces. For foods where a crisp base matters most, such as pizza or cutlets, a metal rack or the bare basket usually gives a firmer result than silicone.

How often should air fryer accessories be replaced?

Replace a piece when you see cracks, warping, peeling coating, or a loose handle, even if it still seems to work. Silicone that stays sticky or holds a strong odor after washing is also ready to go. Parchment liners are single use, while metal racks often last for years with gentle washing. Keeping a spare crisper tray on hand means a worn tray never forces you to stop using the fryer while you wait for shipping.

Final Thoughts

Buy for the meals you cook, the space you have, and the model you own, in that order. A liner, tongs, a mister, and one well sized rack cover most daily needs, and specialty pieces can wait until a recipe earns them a place in the drawer. Check the product table above once more, compare sizes against your basket measurements, and choose the best air fryer accessories for your home with confidence.