Most air fryer baskets are coated in non-stick, and most of them get ruined the same way: someone attacks a layer of baked-on chicken fat with the scourer side of a sponge, and a few months later the coating starts flaking off in little grey specks. A scratched basket is almost always avoidable, though. You need a gentler cleaning routine, and possibly something sitting between your food and the basket in the first place. This guide covers both. It includes an honest look at the PINTAUR silicone liners, one of the most popular reusable liners on Amazon UK, including the complaints that don’t make it into the listing.
At a glance
- The short answer: soak, don’t scrub. Warm soapy water, a soft brush or sponge, and a bicarbonate of soda paste for stubborn bits
- Never use: steel wool, metal scourers, the green abrasive side of a sponge, or metal tongs and forks inside the basket
- Worth trying: a reusable silicone liner, so most of the grease never reaches the basket at all
- The product we looked at: PINTAUR Silicone Air Fryer Liner 2 Pack (7.6 to 9.5L dual basket size), rated 4.6 out of 5 from over 7,800 ratings at the time of writing
- Watch out for: fit. These are shaped for specific dual-basket models and several unhappy owners bought them for fryers they weren’t designed for
Why baskets get scratched in the first place
A non-stick coating is a thin layer, and it doesn’t take much to break through it. Abrasive pads do it gradually, metal utensils do it in one go, and a surprising amount of damage comes from people using a knife tip to prise stuck food off the mesh or the crisper plate. Once the surface is scored, food sticks more, which means more scrubbing, which means more scratches. It’s a slow spiral.
The other quiet culprit is aerosol cooking spray. Several air fryer makers advise against it on non-stick parts because the propellants and additives can build up into a tacky layer that’s genuinely hard to shift without scrubbing. If you want oil on your food, a refillable oil mister or a brush is kinder to the coating.
How to clean the basket without damaging it
- Let it cool, but not completely. Grease lifts far more easily while the basket is still warm. Wait until it’s safe to handle, then get on with it.
- Soak first. Fill the basket with hot water and a squirt of washing-up liquid and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. Most of what looks welded on will slide off after that.
- Use something soft. A non-scratch sponge or a soft-bristled washing-up brush gets into the corners and the holes in the crisper plate without taking the coating with it.
- For stubborn residue, make a paste. Bicarbonate of soda mixed with a little water, left on for a few minutes and then worked gently with a soft brush, deals with most dark, sticky marks.
- Dry it properly. Water left sitting in the seams isn’t great for any metal part, so give it a quick towel dry before it goes back in.
Plenty of baskets are sold as dishwasher safe, and that’s fine to use now and then. Lots of people find hand washing keeps the coating looking newer for longer, though, since dishwasher detergent is fairly harsh. Your manual is the final word here, so check what your model’s maker actually recommends.
Do silicone liners actually help?
Liners change the job completely. Instead of cleaning the basket after every meal, you’re cleaning a flexible silicone tray that you can bend, turn inside out and chuck in the dishwasher. The basket underneath mostly just needs a wipe. For anyone who cooks fatty things like sausages, chicken thighs or halloumi a lot, that’s a real change to the washing-up routine.
The PINTAUR 2 pack is the one we looked at in detail, because at the time of writing it’s the top seller in its Amazon UK category, with enough reviews behind it to get an honest picture, good and bad.
What you get
- Two food-grade silicone liners, black, rectangular, with a pull handle on each short side
- Dimensions of 22 x 15 x 6.8cm and a weight of 231g for the pair
- Raised ridges across the base, meant to lift food out of the fat and let a bit of air underneath
- Heat rated to roughly 230°C (the listing gives it as 450°F)
- Dishwasher safe, and listed as usable in ovens and microwaves too
- Designed for dual-basket fryers like the Ninja AF300UK, AF400UK and AF451UK, plus the Tower T17088. Other sizes are sold under the same listing for 4.7 to 6.2L single baskets and larger 9 to 10L drawers
What owners like
- Fit on the Ninja dual models they’re built for comes up again and again. One owner with a 9L dual zone fryer said they were perfectly sized
- The walls are thick enough to hold their shape. A reviewer who’d tried a cheaper set before said these were roughly twice as thick and didn’t collapse
- The handles make them easy to lift out, which matters when the whole thing is hot
- Most people say the basket underneath stays close to spotless
What owners don’t like
- The ridges trap food. This is the most common real complaint. The raised strips that stop food sitting in fat are also a nightmare after marinated chicken, and a couple of 2 and 3-star reviews say sticky sauces took proper scrubbing to get out of the grooves. So you haven’t eliminated cleaning, you’ve moved it
- Fit outside the listed models is hit and miss. One buyer said they’d been pointed to these for a Tower slimline fryer and they didn’t fit at all. Another used them in a fryer that wasn’t on the compatibility list and posted photos of a liner they said had melted after a few minutes. Treat the model list as the actual list, not a rough guide
- Slightly small for the biggest drawers. A 4-star UK reviewer with a larger basket said they didn’t quite cover the whole base
- A bit floppy when full. One owner said the sides flexed enough that the food nearly tipped out while lifting. Lifting by both handles helps
- Taste. A small number of reviews mention an odd flavour at first, though others specifically say they noticed nothing. A hot soapy wash before first use is sensible either way
Who they’re for
If you own one of the named Ninja dual-basket fryers, or the Tower dual, these are an easy call. They fit, they’re sturdy, and they’ll stop the basket coating taking a beating from every greasy meal. If your air fryer isn’t on the list, measure your drawer before buying and pick the size that genuinely matches, or look for a liner made for your exact model. The melting report is a rare one, but it’s the kind of thing you’d rather not find out for yourself.
They’re less useful if you mostly air fry dry things like frozen chips or reheated pizza. Those barely mark the basket anyway, and a liner adds a bit of washing for little gain.
Using them safely
Keep an eye on your temperatures too. The liners are rated to about 230°C, and a few air fryers have a max crisp or high heat setting that can run close to or above that, so check your manual before using one on the hottest mode. Use silicone or wooden tongs, not metal, so you don’t nick the liner either.
FAQ
Can I use metal tongs in my air fryer basket?
Best not. Metal is one of the quickest ways to scratch a non-stick coating. Silicone-tipped or wooden tongs do the same job without the damage.
Is it okay to put my air fryer basket in the dishwasher?
If the manual says it’s dishwasher safe, occasional runs are fine. Hand washing with a soft sponge tends to be gentler on the coating over the long run, so a lot of owners save the dishwasher for the really messy days.
Do silicone liners make food less crispy?
A solid liner does cut some airflow underneath the food, so the bottom can be a touch softer than cooking straight on the crisper plate. For wet or saucy food most people don’t mind. For chips, some owners skip the liner altogether and shake the basket instead.
What should I do if my basket is already scratched?
Light surface marks aren’t usually a problem. If the coating is actively flaking into your food, it’s time to contact the manufacturer about a replacement basket, which many brands sell separately.
The verdict
Keeping an air fryer basket scratch-free mostly comes down to soaking instead of scrubbing and keeping metal away from it. A good silicone liner makes that routine much easier, and the PINTAUR pair is a solid pick if you’ve got one of the Ninja or Tower dual models it’s designed for. Just go in knowing the ridges need a proper wash after anything sticky, and double check your model is on the compatibility list before you buy.
Still choosing an air fryer? Have a look at our best air fryers for one person, the best budget air fryers for a small UK kitchen, or our Tower Vortx 4.2L review.
