Air Fryer Accessories: What's Worth It and What's a Drawer Filler
The $11 Accessory That Saved My Air Fryer (and the Drawer Fillers to Skip)
I've tested over 40 foods in every air fryer I own, kept a spreadsheet of cook times, and dehydrated chicken for my dog Biscuit in my Cosori TurboBlaze. After 30 days of daily use, I can tell you this: the right accessories matter more than the machine. The wrong ones will burn your food, waste your money, or both. Here's what survived my kitchen and what's still sitting in my drawer.
Best Overall: Magnetic Paper Liner Strips
Spend the $11. I bought the magnetic strips that hold paper liners in place after my first liner slid around, dumped a batch of fries into the bottom of the basket, and smoked up my entire kitchen. The strips are four small magnets that clip onto the basket rim, and they hold the liner flat while the fan does its thing.
I tested these with parchment liners from three different brands, and the difference is night and day. Without the magnets, the liner crumples, slides, and lets food slip between the grates. With them, I've cooked coconut shrimp from frozen in 8 minutes, made taquitos (it holds about 9), and reheated fried chicken better than when my HungryMan brought it home fresh. Nothing ended up in the bottom of the basket.
One warning I'll repeat until I'm hoarse: do not put a paper liner in the basket during preheat. That's a fire risk. The magnets don't change that. Preheat empty, then add the liner and the food.
The ceramic coating on the Cosori releases even melted cheese with ease, so honestly, I don't need liners for most foods. But for anything with a wet marinade or a crumb coating that might drip, the magnets turn a frustrating mess into easy peasy cleanup.
[Check price on Amazon]
Best Value: Silicone Air Fryer Basket Insert
I was skeptical. A silicone basket insert seemed like a solution looking for a problem. Then I made a batch of small fries, and half of them slipped through the grates into the bottom of the basket, where they burned and smoked. The insert has smaller holes, so tiny taters stay put.
It's also made cleanup faster. Melted cheese, stuck-on batter, all of it peels off the silicone in seconds. The insert costs around $15 and fits both my Cosori TurboBlaze (B0C33CHG99) and my Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone (B089TQWJKK) with a little wiggling.
The downside is that it takes up about a quarter inch of vertical space, which matters in a shallow basket. And it's one more thing to wash, though it goes in the dishwasher. For the price, it's the best insurance against the "food fell through the grate" tragedy.
[Check price on Amazon]
Editor's Pick: Oil Spritzer Bottle
I've said it before and I'll say it again: you need a spritzer. The aerosol sprays work fine, but they run out fast and you can't control the amount. A $12 glass spritzer bottle with a pump nozzle gives you a fine mist that coats food evenly without drowning it.
I microwave my taters for three minutes first, then coat them in oil and McCormick seasonings, spritz the basket, and voila!! Gorgeous crispy taters every time. The spritzer also helps with the chicken thigh crisp test: a light oil spray on the skin before cooking gets it crackling without making the meat greasy.
One thing I learned the hard way: buy the glass bottle, not the plastic one. The plastic pump mechanism broke after three weeks, and I was back to using a pastry brush. The glass one has survived four months of daily use and counting.
[Check price on Amazon]
The Drawer Filler: Air Fryer Cookbook (the big glossy one)
I bought a $25 air fryer cookbook with 500 recipes, and I've used exactly four of them. The recipe book that comes with the Cosori has 24 recipes plus a cooking times chart, and it's better than anything I've found in a store. The internet has thousands of free air fryer recipes, and most of them work fine.
The cookbook isn't bad, exactly. It's just unnecessary. It takes up drawer space, and I never reach for it. If you want a cooking times chart, print one out and stick it to your fridge. Save the $25.
Another Drawer Filler: Egg Bite Molds
I was so excited about these. Silicone molds for making egg bites in the air fryer, like the ones from that coffee chain. I made them twice. The first batch came out rubbery. The second batch came out slightly less rubbery but still not worth the effort.
The problem is that the air fryer's fan blows hot air over the top of the molds, so the eggs cook unevenly. The tops were set while the bottoms were still liquid, and by the time the bottoms cooked, the tops were tough. I've had better results just cracking eggs into a ramekin and cooking them directly in the basket.
These molds are $10 and they're sitting in my drawer, taking up space. Skip them.
Best for the Ninja DualZone: Reversible Rack
The Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone (B089TQWJKK) is a great machine, but it has one problem: the baskets are wide and shallow, so stacking food means crowding. A reversible rack that sits inside the basket solves this. You can cook a layer of chicken thighs on the rack and a layer of vegetables underneath, and both come out cooked through.
I used this for a batch of chicken thigh crisp tests, and I was surprised at how even the heat distribution was. The rack adds about $20, and it's worth it if you regularly cook for more than two people. The downside is that it takes up storage space when not in use, and it's another thing to wash. But for the DualZone specifically, it's the accessory I'd buy first.
[Check price on Amazon]
What Else to Consider
The silicone tongs with silicone tips. Useful for flipping food without scratching the ceramic coating. I have two pairs. They cost $8 and they work.
The air fryer liner sheets, the disposable kind. If you're not going to buy the magnetic strips, don't bother. They slide around, they catch fire in preheat, and they're a false economy. Spend the $11 or skip them entirely.
The thermometer with a probe. I've cut into dozens of gorgeous chicken thighs to find pink at the bone. Browning is a liar. A $15 instant-read thermometer is the one thing I'd recommend before any accessory. It's not glamorous, but it's the difference between dinner and a trip to the hospital.
How I Tested
I ran my standard battery on every accessory: the frozen fry test, the chicken thigh crisp test, the cake test, and the 30-day daily-use trial. I cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Cosori TurboBlaze and the Ninja DualZone for a month, using each accessory repeatedly. I kept notes on what slipped, what burned, what cleaned up in seconds, and what went straight back to the drawer.
I also packed and unpacked each accessory, carried them from the drawer to the counter and back, and washed them by hand and in the dishwasher. The magnetic strips survived 30 wash cycles without losing their grip. The silicone basket insert held up fine. The egg bite molds went in the drawer and never came out.
Should You Buy the Magnetic Strips?
If you use paper liners at all, yes. They're $11, they work, and they'll save you from the smoke alarm that goes off when a liner slides and dumps food into the bottom of the basket. I've burned three kitchens' worth of smoke alarms testing air fryers. The magnets are the cheapest insurance I've found.
The silicone basket insert is worth it if you cook small foods like fries or chickpeas regularly. The reversible rack is worth it if you own the Ninja DualZone and cook for a crowd. The spritzer bottle is worth it if you want crispy taters without drowning them in oil.
The cookbook and the egg bite molds are drawer fillers. I'll die on that hill.
God Bless the person who invented magnetic strips. They saved my kitchen from another smoke alarm incident.