Summary – You should not put paper towel in your air fryer. Your air fryer operates at a high heat, so using paper towel is a fire risk and should absolutely be avoided.
Can I put paper towel in air fryer?
The simple answer is that you should NOT use paper towels in your air fryer. As you already know, paper towels are a flammable material, therefore putting it in your air fryer is an inherent fire risk.
Don’t do it.
Air fryers are essentially high powered convection ovens. They can operate at very high temperatures and circulate the air very quickly within the unit. This is why the food within it cooks very quickly.
Using paper towels may cause it to burn in the unit, thus creating a fire risk. The same result is possible if the paper towel gets loose and touches the heating element. The results can be devastating.
What are the alternatives to paper towels
It really depends what you are using your paper towels for.
If it is to keep your air fryer clean and prevent food particles from sticking to the air fryer basket, I recommend that you use parchment paper or baking paper.
These are resistant to high temperatures and will not burn like a paper towel. You can simply cut them into the correct shape and you are good to go. Parchment paper is cheap to buy too so there is little excuse.
Alternatively, if you own one of the big brand air fryers, you are more than likely able to buy pre-cut parchment paper that already fits your air fryer basket. These will already have the holes cut into them, allowing your air fryer to work as intended.
A popular alternative is aluminum foil. Again, this is very inexpensive and it is easy to handle too. Obviously, it wont absorb any moisture, but it will do a good job of preventing food sticking to the air fry basket. Just make sure that the aluminum foil is nowhere near the heating element.
Summary
Stay safe and do not take the risk of putting paper in your air fryer. It is a disaster waiting to happen. There are plenty of safe alternatives to consider.
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