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Updated: 2026-09-25 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• chengziyue 8QT — biggest strength: a square 8QT crisping plate built specifically for the Gourmia GAF824, with a double-layer nonstick coating, a handle for lifting, dishwasher-safe cleanup, and four adjustable rubber feet included.
• chengziyue 8QT — biggest trade-off: it only fits one air fryer family. If you don't own a Gourmia GAF824 8QT, this tray isn't for you.
• Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs — biggest strength: a three-piece tong set (two 9-inch, one 12-inch) with silicone tips that are heat resistant up to 600°F and safe on nonstick surfaces.
• Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs — biggest trade-off: tongs don't expand your cooking surface. They help you handle food, not cook more of it at once.
• Who chengziyue 8QT is for: Gourmia GAF824 owners who want to cook sides and mains on separate levels.
• Who Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs is for: anyone who cooks hot food and wants one tool that grabs, flips and serves without scratching a nonstick basket.
The chengziyue 8QT is a replacement crisping plate, not a universal accessory. It's made to sit inside the Gourmia GAF824 8QT air fryer, and the square shape is designed to match that basket rather than a round one. The brand even notes that you can adjust the tightness of the four feet to get a better fit, which tells you this is a tray meant to be tuned to one specific machine.
What it does best is add a second layer. Because it's a flat, square nonstick plate with a handle, it gives you a surface to rest food on above the main basket — the kind of setup that helps when you're cooking a main and a side at the same time and don't want them touching. The carbon steel body is food grade and BPA-free, and the double-layer nonstick coating is built to resist flaking better than a single coat. The handle matters more than it sounds: lifting a hot tray out of a deep basket with bare hands is a bad idea, and this one gives you something to grab. It's also dishwasher safe, and the listing includes a magic cleaning cloth plus four silicone rubber feet.
Who should buy it: someone who already owns the Gourmia GAF824 and keeps running into the same problem — the basket is big, but everything ends up piled in one layer. This tray lets you split the load.
Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs: Who It's For
The Tovolo set is a three-piece tong lineup: two 9-inch tongs for medium portions and one 12-inch tong for bigger, heavier food where you want your hand further from the heat. All three are stainless steel with silicone tips and silicone-coated handles, and the tips are designed to grip delicate food without scratching a nonstick pan or an air fryer basket.
The headline number here is heat resistance up to 600°F. That's the spec that makes these tongs genuinely useful around an air fryer, a grill or a screaming-hot skillet — you're not going to melt the tip while flipping something right out of the basket. The silicone tips also solve a real annoyance: metal tongs on a nonstick surface leave marks. These glide instead.
The ergonomics are thought through. The silicone-coated handles are meant to stop slipping when your hands are greasy, and the balance is tuned so the tongs don't feel like they're fighting you. There's also an easy lock mechanism that keeps them closed and compact in a drawer, which is the kind of small detail that decides whether a tool gets used daily or buried under everything else. Cleanup is dishwasher safe.
Who should buy it: anyone who owns an air fryer, a grill or nonstick cookware and doesn't yet have a tong that's safe for all three. The size range covers most jobs — small for turning shrimp or chicken wings, long for a roast or a whole piece of fish.
Who should skip it: someone who already has a tong set they like, or someone expecting tongs to solve a capacity problem. Tongs don't cook more food. They just make handling it easier.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for expanding air fryer capacity → chengziyue 8QT. A second surface means sides and mains can cook at once instead of in batches.
• Best for handling hot food safely → Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs. The 12-inch tong keeps your hand back from the heat, and 600°F resistance covers air fryer, grill and stovetop work.
• Best for a specific machine → chengziyue 8QT. It's built for the Gourmia GAF824 8QT and nothing else.
• Best for cleanup convenience → both, with a caveat. Both are dishwasher safe, but the chengziyue tray needs gentle handling to protect its coating, while the tongs have no such warning.
• Best for someone cooking for one or two → Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs. If your basket already holds everything you cook, you need handling tools more than extra surface area.
• Best for someone cooking a full tray of sides → chengziyue 8QT. This is exactly the scenario a crisping plate is designed for.
• Best if you own neither yet → Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs. It works with any air fryer you buy next, while the tray is locked to one model.
In my opinion, most people should buy the Tovolo Stainless Steel Tongs first. They work with any air fryer, any nonstick pan and any grill, they're heat resistant to 600°F, and they solve a problem every cook has: getting hot food out without wrecking the surface or burning a hand. The chengziyue 8QT is the better buy only if you specifically own a Gourmia GAF824 and your real frustration is that everything has to cook in one layer. If that's you, the tray earns its place. If it isn't, the tongs are the more broadly useful pick. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before deciding — the button on this page will take you there.
what are good side dishes for air fryer chicken legs
Side dishes that cook in a single layer work best — think vegetable pieces, small potatoes or anything that benefits from circulating hot air. If you want to cook a side alongside the chicken without stacking them, a second surface like the chengziyue 8QT tray lets you keep the two separate. Tongs then make it easy to pull each piece out without dumping the whole basket.
what dishes are safe to use in an air fryer
Oven-safe and heat-resistant cookware is the general rule, and anything you place inside should tolerate high heat without warping or releasing fumes. The chengziyue 8QT is made from food grade carbon steel with a nonstick coating and is designed specifically for the Gourmia GAF824 basket. For handling whatever you cook, the Tovolo tongs are rated to 600°F.
what dishes can i use in an air fryer
Beyond the basket itself, you can use crisping plates, racks and trays that fit your model — that's exactly what the chengziyue 8QT is. The key word is "fit": it's built for the Gourmia GAF824 8QT, and the brand suggests adjusting the four feet for a snug seat. Universal cookware often doesn't sit properly, which blocks airflow.
can dishes be used in an air fryer
Yes, as long as they're heat resistant and sized to your basket. A crisping plate like the chengziyue 8QT sits inside the Gourmia GAF824 and adds a second level for sides. Pair it with silicone-tipped tongs like the Tovolo set so you can lift food out without scratching the nonstick coating on either the tray or the basket.
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See also: DOITOOL Stainless Steel Air vs LIOOBO Air Fryer Grill, Garneck Stainless Steel Deep vs Winado 10QT: Air Fryer, Cabilock Air Fryer Rotisserie vs Abaodam Stainless Steel Rotisserie