Do you have to use crisper tray in air fryer

Benefits to an exclusive crisper tray air fryer is that you can go with or without this device, although the air fryer will loose its most important function.

You don't have to use the featured crisper tray that comes with your air fryer. Air frying food functions all the same, only there are disadvantages when going without a crisper. Among them you lose air fried food quality where certain foods will become soggy by cooking in its own fat and grease.

Air fryers that I know come with an empty container with a crisper tray that sits on the base; the other will feature a basket which will be part of the air fryer functionality, thus a basket-featured air fryer won't work unless the basket is in place.

My first Ninja air fryer was a crisper tray-featured model and what I remember is, I never went without this crisper tray.

No particular reason other than I know my food yield better results with the crisper, rather than perhaps the one time I experimented without.

You don't have to use the crisper tray in air fryers but I recommend you do, as this basic device helps to circulate the air all around your air fried food.

Benefits though can include more food can be placed in a crisper tray-free container, while cooking items like pizza bread, flatbread and melting cheese in particular, would only be made possible without the crisper in place.

Did I mention it may also be possible to easily fry an egg on the base of an air fryer with no crisper - thus there are benefits to occasionally going without the crisper tray.

Disadvantages are soggier food which will see food sitting in their own fat/grease, which will badly effect battered or breaded foods, French fries - and foods you have to cook from frozen - plus any food you want to reheat in an air fryer.

Functions with or without tray

The way I see it, there are two air fryer styles; one that functions only with a basket in place, and the other that can function with or without a crisper tray. In my experience, there are advantages of a basket-free air fryer.

Crisper trays are essentially an elevated metal plate which is placed on the base of the air fryer container.

Food sits on top of this often too small rounded tray which will feature cut-out holes to allow hot air to circulate in and round, and beneath the food sitting on the tray.

Now remove this crisper tray and you will get back more space within the pull-out container; only you won't have the advantage of air circulating all around different food types that will stand to benefit from the crisper kept in position.

Essentially, your crisper-free air fryer becomes like a conventional oven, like where food sits on the base, but instead now food cooks via the heating elements positioned on top.

If you feel the need to go without your crisper tray once in a while then it shouldn't be a problem, but remember the whole point of an air fryer is to improve food quality with air circulation - of which going without a crisper tray can spoil certain foods, like fries.

Crisper used to improve food quality

Why you will want to use your crisper tray of all reasons, is simply to cook food as it was intended, with use of an air fryer.

Air fryers that are made to function with a crisper plate will do so to circulate hot air in and around the food, to produce even cooking and a crispy finish, where it applies.

Remove the crisper tray - and it is safe to go without the crisper tray I might add - and you essentially take away the reason for your air fryer to exist.

Crisper trays feature multiple gaps in the base to allow air to get beneath the food in an effort to evenly air fry food on the top and bottom, all at the same time. With no crisper tray in place, then only the top and sides of food will cook, in theory.

To remedy that you could always attend to your air fryer more often while flipping food more regularly, and shaking other types of food to prevent the one side cooking only.

Reasons to go without

Genuine reasons to go without the use of the crisper tray/plate are real and can serve to help you improve your air frying experience. Among them, your crisper could be missing or damaged, of which you could go without until you replace it later.

Reasons to go without an air fryer can provide many benefits, including:

• Higher quality of certain foods, like reheating pizza, can be added to the container, as the crisper can reduce food quantity
• Smaller food pieces can often get stuck in any crisper that features an awkward design, plus the air gaps can be troublesome
• Cleaning the crisper tray can be a bother but going without it can save you a couple of minutes when it comes to washing it

Summarise

I personally started out with an air fryer that comes with a basket, which I later found to be the most exciting feature of any air fryer.

My next air fryer was a basket-less model, which I really found to be the worse type of air fryer - which is the crisper tray style air fryer.

Why I bring that up is, I know how much of a pain in the backside the crisper tray can be, because for me it began to come unstuck every time I flipped food, to which my food, like fries for example, become trapped on the underside the tray instead.

I also know the crisper tray usually has an awkward design which makes it difficult for food to sit perfectly on top of it.

I never personally went without the crisper tray during the few short months - perhaps just the once to see what happened - but I know full well now, I would of benefited without it for more with all my favourite air fried foods.

Do use your air fryer without the crisper tray holding you back if you wish, but understand your air fried food would need more attention, as food is unlikely to cook evenly without the crisper in place.

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