How to use Silicone Baskets in air fryer

Silicone baskets are essentially an air fryer-safe pot which will be used to add food in, instead of making a mess directly in the non-stick air fryer basket.

What is coined as a Silicone Baskets - also known as silicone pots - they sit directly in an air fryer basket where they are allowed to heat up to the temperature and time you've set. Add any food into the Silicone Basket while shaking the outer air fryer basket to disturb food within the silicone.

With a smaller capacity when utilizing a silicone pot in your air fryer basket, this will be well worth it as you essentially extend the air fryer baskets life span.

Whenever you add food directly into an air fryer basket, know that the non-stick protected coatings gradually twiddles; meaning the special coating gets less non-sticky the more you use it - but only when adding food items directly into it.

To help keep your air fryer basket brand new, while at the same time avoid replacing it down the road, this is where special air fryer pots and baskets come in to play.

How to use a silicone basket in particular is as easy as throwing food into it - with the basket added to the air fryer basket prior - to cook whatever food you have.

To stuff the silicone basket full of food will leave you little room to shake the food, which will in fact lead to poor quality air fried food.

Air fryer silicone baskets can be used to cook any food items within it, with no real concerns around safety or food quality. Baskets are designed to be lower than the air fryer basket itself, thus there's no real concern about contact with the heat source.

Save time and effort cleaning your air fryer by adding all food items to the silicone basket directly, with no cleaning of grease or crumbs off the often hard to clean air fryer.

How to clean your silicone basket would involve washing them when and how you do the dishes; soaking the silicone pots in boiling hot water while allowing the grease-cutting dish soap to work its magic.

Baskets can be used for all food items although I will admit it isn't easy to shake fries for example, in this basket. With use of silicone-tipped tongs, flipping other food items would be made a little easier.

Place Silicone Basket into air fryer basket

I believe silicone baskets made to fit in to the basket of an air fryer, are universally made, which means there's different sizes yet they can all fit in any one air fryer.

To quickly use a silicone basket and pot with no fuss on your part, first add the basket to the air fryer basket; throw in the food; set time and temperature, then cook away.

Where in the air fryer basket the silicone basket goes, will always be laid flat on the bottom.

Make sure the basket fits into the air fryer basket, as a too big silicone basket risks touching the heating element directly above it. Burning silicone isn't a nice smell with a partially melted silicone basket looking a bit worse for wear.

Alternative to a silicone basket are foil trays which are too light and limited in capacity, and what are called air fryer paper liners which are both flimsy and limited in how much food they can hold - with them being too delicate to properly shake and flip food.

Pinch both Handles to shake food

How to safely handle a basket when used to air fry food is certainly something to be concerned about, as experience as shown me it isn't that easy.

Silicone baskets become very, very hot when heated up to the temperature of which you've selected to air fry food. What that leaves you with is a boiling hot, difficult to handle silicone basket which provides awkward little handles to hold.

Little handles because the design of the silicone basket is restricted in both width, and more importantly, height.

Handles cannot extend any higher than the air fryer basket itself, as it will risk coming into direct contact with the air fryer heating element.

What you end up with would be cooking food in a hot silicone basket; which in itself is sat in a hot air fryer basket.

Go carefully when handling a silicone basket, using it responsibly while pinching both handles with oven gloves/mitts; with an option to use silicone tipped-tongs to not only flip food - but to remove food items to save yourself handling these small handles.

When to use silicone pot

When will be a good time to use a silicone basket in an air fryer, would be anytime you decide to cook.

To avoid washing up your air fryer basket a silicone basket can be put in place.

And while I recommend use of parchment paper to line your air fryer basket regularly, including foil paper - you just may not have any spare or find it wasteful - which in a way disposing of air fryer-safe parchment paper is a waste.

When you can't be bothered with the aftermath of a messy, oily food spilled air fryer; use silicone baskets to catch access oil and grease, which can be poured out into the trash with no fuss.

As a matter of convenience, bear in mind few silicone baskets will be reversible; which means the soft, flexible silicone can be folded inside-out which will allow you to air fry on either side - such as which side is cleanest at the time.

Benefits of utilizing silicone pot

Massive benefits to utilizing a silicone basket which in themselves are a dream to use, with little fuss needed.

Silicone baskets are non-stick pots which I've found haven't stuck to a single food item I have air fried in them over the years. Non-stick pots are important as you will know, thus a silicone basket is a must for this reason alone.

Of course there's no need to clean the air fryer after every use when using a silicone basket; where you'd normally have a second or third silicone basket available just in case you aren't ready to wash it yet along with the dishes.

Benefits of a silicone basket outweighs the disadvantages for sure. As these baskets are rugged and flexible - with any stains or marks made a natural occurrence.

Making the most of oven proof dishes in an air fryer are safe to use, but can scratch the special non-stick coating in an air fryer basket. Whereas silicone is particularly useful for its soft rubbery texture which will never damage any part of the air fryer.

Downsides to air fryer baskets

Certainly we must think about disadvantages of using a silicone basket which I feel there isn't enough reason to stop, or to at least not give them a go.

What I have found to be the biggest issue is that a silicone basket is limited in what you can add to it - to air fry food as its meant to be cooked. Fries can be air fried in a silicone basket, yet its incredibly hard to shake and flip fries as expected.

As mentioned previously, silicone baskets are usually featured with a pair of small handles that are practically useless when hot.

So do wear ovenproof gloves - also a thick kitchen towel a good option - to overcome that issue, but the heat emitting off the silicone can certainly be felt through.

Silicone baskets will stain 100% regardless if you clean them regularly. Its not a problem really but it can feel a little yucky when adding fresh food to air fry. Plus side is, you could make the most of reversible silicone baskets to utilize the cleanest side only.

Summarise

Don't be afraid to use a silicone basket within the basket of an air fryer. Silicone baskets exist to make your life easier when air fryer; which will delay your air fryer basket quickly deteriorating, where food would otherwise be added directly.

Place the silicone basket in the air fryer basket first thing, then proceed to add whatever food you like within it, as its easier to add food only when the basket is in position; rather than lifting what can be a heavy full of food silicone basket.

Don't ever over stuff the silicone basket just as you are advised against when putting food in the air fryer basket.

When to use a silicone basket/pot would be when you want to avoid making a mess in the non-stick basket, where you can't be bothered to clean up any time soon.

Benefits will include avoiding an unseen mess of grease developing on the inner air fryer basket; whereas the grease can be caught in this silicone basket to be poured away in the trash instead.

Downsides will be a hard to handle silicone basket which you'd really want to keep sitting in the air fryer basket, while at the same time stains can develop on the silicone.

Cook what you like in a silicone basket including fries, and a steaks if it will fit. With an option to cook eggs in this basket along with a fresh meals made up of all kinds of food items - along with an option to just use the silicone basket to reheat food.

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