Air Fryer Accessories: What’s Worth Buying
Updated 9 September 2026
Most air fryer accessory sets are padding around two or three genuinely useful items. Here is what earns its place and what stays in the drawer.
Quick answer
- 1Worth buying: an instant-read thermometer, perforated parchment liners, silicone moulds.
- 2Situationally useful: a small metal trivet or second rack, a cake tin that fits, metal skewers.
- 3Skip: solid silicone basket liners, most "10-piece" bundles, anything that blocks airflow underneath.
The one accessory that changes your cooking
An instant-read thermometer. Air fryer times vary enormously between models, and for chicken, pork and fish the clock is a guess while internal temperature is a fact.
It costs less than most accessory bundles and it is the difference between dry chicken breast and juicy chicken breast.
Liners: perforated only
Perforated parchment cut to size makes sticky food and fish far easier to handle. The rule is absolute: put the food on top of the liner before it goes in, and never preheat with an empty sheet - it will lift into the element.
Solid silicone liners are the common mistake. They block airflow to the underside of the food, which removes the exact advantage a perforated basket gives you.
What to check before buying anything
Measure your basket. Accessories are sold by nominal air fryer size and the actual internal dimensions vary a lot between brands.
Then leave clearance. Anything that fills the basket edge to edge stops air circulating and turns your air fryer into a slow, small oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need accessories for an air fryer?+
No - the basket handles most cooking. An instant-read thermometer and perforated parchment liners are the only two things most people genuinely benefit from.
Are silicone air fryer liners any good?+
Perforated ones, yes. Solid ones block airflow to the underside of the food, which defeats the point of a perforated basket and leaves bases pale.
Can you use a cake tin in an air fryer?+
Yes, as long as it leaves a couple of centimetres of clearance for air to circulate. A tin that fills the basket bakes unevenly at any temperature.
What size accessories do I need?+
Measure the internal basket rather than going by the advertised litre capacity - actual dimensions vary considerably between brands at the same nominal size.