Cooking some foods in an air fryer can be messy. Wax paper can be used for wrapping food to reduce mess, so can you put wax paper in an air fryer, or is there a better alternative?
Sometimes when cooking food in your air fryer you may want to use something to reduce mess, or to prevent food from sticking to your air fryer basket. Wax paper is often used for storing food, or wrapping it up to keep it fresh, so you may have asked yourself can you put wax paper in an air fryer?
Can I use wax paper in an air fryer?
No, you can’t use wax paper in an air fryer. Wax paper is not heat safe, and should only be used at room temperature or below.
However, there is an alternative that you can use that may surprise you. But before we get to that, first we need to understand exactly what waxed paper is and what it is used for.
What is wax paper, and what is it used for?
Wax paper is made of a soft type of paper coated with wax. It is used for wrapping up sandwiches or food for cold storage, such as separating or wrapping hamburger patties in the freezer, or for spreading things like homemade chocolate to cool.
It is coated with wax to prevent oil and water from the food soaking into it, or leaking out, and to help keep the food wrapped in it fresh.
Another kitchen paper, parchment (also known as baking paper) is similar to wax paper in many ways, and many people use the two terms interchangeably.
However, waxed paper and parchment paper are not the same thing, and have very distinct uses in the kitchen.
Wax paper and parchment are not the same thing.
Wax paper vs. parchment paper
Though they appear very similar and can both be used for some of the same uses, wax paper and parchment are not the same.
The key difference between wax paper and parchment paper is what they are coated with, and that affects what they can be used for.
Wax paper (also called waxed paper) is coated with a wax (usually either soybean- or paraffin-based). It is primarily used for wrapping food to keep it fresh, but has many other uses in the kitchen such as shaping chocolate while it is cooling, or seperating foods in the freezer to prevent them from becoming frozen together.
Parchment paper (also called baking paper) is coated with silicone, which gives it a nonstick, heat-resistant surface. It can be used for the same uses as wax paper outlined above, but because it is heat safe it can also be used for lining baking trays, wrapping food to be cooked en papillote (parchment cooking), or covering food in the microwave to stop splatter.
This is why it is not a good idea to use wax paper in your air fryer. Because it isn’t heatproof, the wax will melt onto your food and onto the air fryer if exposed to heat.