Often, yes — the drawer under the crisper plate is where the grease collects, and lining it keeps the airflow intact. But a loose liner can be blown toward the element, and some manuals forbid covering the drawer floor. Your manual decides it.
Why the drawer is where the mess is
Fat drips through the crisper plate and collects underneath. That is what the plate is for — lifting food off the base so air passes under it.
The basket and plate are usually the dishwasher-safe parts; the drawer itself often is not, and it is the dirtier of the two. See what must never go in the dishwasher.
The risk with anything loose
Airflow can lift a light liner. In a small cavity with an element close overhead, that is the failure that matters — and it is why loose foil or paper is riskier in an air fryer than in an oven.
Weighted or fitted, it stays put. Loose, it does not.
What works
A fitted silicone liner shaped to the drawer, or a piece of foil pressed flat to the floor if the manual allows it — never over vents.
Perforated parchment in the basket, smaller than the floor and only under food. A solid sheet turns the basket into a pan.
Nothing at all, and a warm wipe after each use: on a nonstick drawer, that takes less time than cutting a liner. See coatings and what kills them for what scratches the surface.
What does not
Anything that covers the perforations of the crisper plate. The food steams instead of crisping — see why a single layer matters.
Preheating with an empty liner. Nothing holds it down.
The air-fry toaster oven difference
A toaster oven has a separate crumb tray under the elements, which slides out and catches drips without any liner. The BLACK+DECKER 5-in-1 and the Hamilton Beach on this site both have one.
The rule that survives all of it
Nothing covers the perforations, and nothing loose goes near the element. Under the plate, not over it — and only if your manual says so.
Check your own manual before you follow anything here. Temperatures, fill limits and pressure ratings differ from model to model, and the manufacturer’s figures take precedence over anything written on this site. We report what makers publish — an oven’s range in degrees, a cooker’s maximum fill line, whether a part is declared dishwasher-safe — and we never turn those figures into food-safety guidance. Cooking temperatures and holding times for particular foods are set by manufacturers and by your national food safety authority, and this site points you to them rather than restating them.
What readers want to know
Why not line the basket instead?
Because a liner over the crisper plate blocks the holes the hot air passes through, and that airflow is the appliance. If you do line the basket, use perforated parchment cut smaller than the floor, and only with food on top to hold it down. Under the plate, at least, the air path stays open.
Can I put foil in the bottom of the air fryer?
Check your manual first — some forbid it. Foil that covers the whole drawer floor can disturb the airflow and trap grease against a hot surface, and a loose corner can be lifted toward the heating element. If your manual allows it, keep it flat, shaped to the drawer, and never covering vents.
Can a liner catch fire?
A loose one can. The fan lifts light paper, and an element sits close overhead. Never preheat an air fryer with an empty liner inside, never let paper extend past the food or the basket edge, and use parchment rated for the temperature you cook at — most is rated to about 420 to 450 °F.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026