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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 10 min read · Independent comparison
For most people shopping this exact question, my #1 pick is the Loveuing Silicone Air Fryer: a square 8.5-inch, dishwasher-safe silicone liner rated to 450°F that fits 5.8 to 8-quart baskets, with a raised oil-guide groove and a heightened edge that keep grease off your food and off the appliance.
• XIILSIE Air Fryer Silicone — best for smaller 3–5 qt air fryers; pick this if you want a two-pack of 8-inch square liners rated from -40°F up to 464°F.
• Amerbro 2 — best for protecting the countertop under your air fryer; pick this if you want a 29.5 x 21-inch fiberglass mat that also lets you slide heavy appliances instead of lifting them.
• THORSES Air Fryer Basket — best for people using a full-size oven with an air fry mode; pick this if you want a 15 x 11-inch stainless basket and tray that mimic air frying in a big cavity.
This is a square silicone liner, 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches, in a single green unit. That shape matters more than it sounds. Round liners waste the corners of a square air fryer basket, so you end up with less usable cooking area and more exposed metal to scrub. A square liner drops into a square basket and covers it corner to corner, which is exactly the footprint of most 5.8 to 8-quart machines.
The two features I'd point a shopper to first are the heightened edge and the oil guide groove. The edge is about 1.5 times taller than a basic liner, so it shields the sides of the basket from spatter, not just the floor. The raised texture underneath the food lifts fries and chicken slightly so grease drains away and residue stays isolated at the bottom instead of pooling around what you're eating. If you cook breaded things or anything marinated, that's the difference between a liner you rinse and a basket you soak.
It's food-grade silicone, oil-proof, and rated to withstand up to 450°F. It's dishwasher safe, and the soft material also hand-washes easily — you can turn it inside out and get into the ridges without a brush. In daily use, that means weeknight chicken wings or reheated leftovers go straight from liner to sink to rack, and the air fryer basket itself stays essentially untouched.
The trade-off is orientation. This is an accessory for an air fryer you already own, not a cooking appliance. It also assumes a square, larger basket — the manufacturer lists it as compatible with 5.3-quart or bigger units from brands like Cosori, Philips and Ultrean, so if you have a small round 2 or 3-quart fryer, it will be too big. Outside the air fryer it's also rated for toaster ovens, steamers, microwaves and Instant Pots, which is a nice bonus, but the sizing still rules it out for compact cookers.
Who is it for? Someone with a big square-basket air fryer who is tired of scrubbing. In my opinion, that's the most common version of this problem, which is why it sits at the top of my list.
XIILSIE Air Fryer Silicone
The heat range here is genuinely wide: food-grade, BPA-free silicone rated up to 464°F and down to -40°F. That low end is worth noticing, because it means the same pot can go from freezer prep to hot cooking without a separate container. Like the Loveuing liner, it uses raised lines to improve airflow and even out doneness, and the design drains oil toward the edge so it doesn't sit under your food.
Cleaning is the headline feature, and the flexibility is what makes it work. You flip the pot inside out and wash it with warm water, or run it through the dishwasher. The liners are specifically pitched as a replacement for parchment, which is the real selling point: parchment is single-use and can scorch if it drifts up into the heating element, while silicone won't. In a 3-to-5-quart basket, a liner like this also keeps grease and crumbs out of the coil area, which is the part of an air fryer that's genuinely annoying to clean.
Two caveats. First, the manufacturer notes that food-grade silicone can carry a slight odor from high-temperature vulcanization during production, and recommends soaking it in boiling water or brewing it before first use. That's normal for the material, not a defect, but plan for it. Second, with light-colored silicone, sauces can stain the surface at high heat — the maker's own tip is to soak it with water and detergent for up to 24 hours. The red two-pack here sidesteps the worst of the visible staining.
So: small-to-mid air fryer, two baskets to rotate, freezer-to-fryer flexibility. That's the buyer.
This is a different kind of accessory entirely, and it answers a question people don't ask until their countertop is already marked. It's a two-pack of heat-resistant mats, 29.5 inches by 21 inches each, in black, made from fiberglass with silicone resin coating on both sides. The manufacturer rates the heat resistance at up to 550°C / 1022°F, with stitched edges, and states it won't stick, tear, curl or crack from heat.
Why does that matter for an air fryer? Because air fryers vent hot air out the back and bottom, and that heat dissipates onto whatever it's sitting on. Wood and marble counters don't love it. A mat under the appliance absorbs that, and the size here is generous enough that the mat extends well past the footprint of most countertop fryers, so the hot exhaust area is covered too.
The second job is the one I find more useful day to day. The surface is smooth silicone, so you can slide a heavy air fryer, stand mixer or Instant Pot across the counter without lifting it. The mat also provides friction under the machine's weight, so it stays put while you're pulling the basket in and out. That's a small thing that gets less small when you're moving a loaded 8-quart fryer one-handed.
Care is simple: waterproof and oil-proof, wipe with a wet towel or dish soap, dry, fold, store. The trade-off is that it's not a cooking surface. It doesn't go in the oven, it doesn't hold food, and the manufacturer's compatibility list — air fryer, coffee maker, oven, microwave, stand mixer, toaster, juicer, Instant Pot, crockpot — is about what sits on it, not what it does. If you already have a heat-safe trivet or a dedicated appliance shelf, you may not need it.
THORSES Air Fryer Basket
Here's the product that speaks most directly to the actual question in this guide. If you don't own an air fryer but you do own a full-size oven with a convection or air fry setting, this set turns that oven into something much closer to an air fryer. It's a 15-inch by 11-inch stainless steel basket paired with a tray, and the manufacturer sizes it at large 15.7 x 11.6 inches — big enough for a family meal or a tray of food for guests in one pass.
The mechanism is the same one an air fryer uses: a raised mesh circulates hot air 360° around the food, so you get a crispy exterior with far less oil and no flipping. The tray underneath catches drips and crumbs, which keeps the oven itself clean — the thing that makes oven cooking feel like a chore. The set includes 30 pre-cut parchment sheets so you can line the basket and skip scrubbing entirely on busy nights. In practice, that's fries, pizza, onion rings, wings and roasted vegetables without a single soggy spot.
It's food-grade, non-stick stainless steel, rust-resistant and high-temperature resistant, and it's dishwasher safe. But I'd flag the manufacturer's own advice here: because of the black surface treatment, they recommend hand washing to extend service life, and they warn against wire scrubbers or abrasives, which can permanently scratch it. Wipe it down, dry it thoroughly, store it dry. That's the routine.
The trade-off versus a dedicated air fryer is time and cabinet space. A big oven cavity takes longer to come up to temperature than a compact air fryer, and preheating a full oven for a small portion of fries is a lot of energy for a little food. It's also a 2.4-pound piece of cookware you have to store, and it only helps if your oven actually has a convection or air fry mode.
But for a household that already cooks in big batches, or that has an oven with an air fry setting and no counter space for another appliance, this is the smarter answer.
How We Picked
I compared published specs and features — dimensions, materials, heat ratings, compatibility ranges, cleaning requirements and included components — and weighed them against the everyday jobs each product is meant to do. The ordering here is my independent editorial opinion, not a claim about which product is objectively superior. No brand paid for placement, and no manufacturer saw this guide before it was written.
what's better air fryer or oven
Neither is universally better — it depends on what you're cooking and what you already own. A dedicated air fryer is a compact, fast-heating appliance built around a small basket, while a full-size oven with an air fry mode uses a large cavity and needs a basket accessory like the THORSES set to get similar results. For small portions, the air fryer wins on speed. For big batches, the oven wins on capacity.
The main advantage is size and airflow concentration. A compact basket with a raised mesh circulates hot air 360° tightly around the food, which is why these designs produce a crispy finish with much less oil and no flipping. That same tight circulation is harder to achieve in a large oven cavity, where the air has more space to disperse. Smaller cooking volume also means less time waiting for the appliance to reach temperature.
why air fryer is better than oven
For a single portion of fries, wings or reheated leftovers, a basket-style air fryer gets you to a crisp result faster and with less cleanup, especially if you use a silicone liner like the Loveuing or XIILSIE pots so the basket itself stays clean. It's also easier on counter space than a second full-size appliance. That said, if you regularly cook for a crowd or already have a convection oven, an oven basket set can cover the same ground without adding an appliance.
do I need a liner if I already have an air fryer basket
No, but it changes how much you clean. A silicone liner like the Loveuing or XIILSIE pot sits inside the basket, catches grease and residue, and goes in the dishwasher, so the fryer basket itself rarely needs washing. The trade-off is that a liner takes up a little of the basket's usable volume and has to be sized to your fryer — 5.8 to 8 quarts for the Loveuing, 3 to 5 quarts for the XIILSIE.
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See also: Linda's Essentials Air Fryer Oven vs HOLIDYOYO Round Nonstick Air, Uten Air Fryer Oven vs Plum chef Multifunctional Convection Toaster, Cosori Air Fryer Oven vs GreenLife Countertop Toaster Oven