We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want to cook a big batch of air fryer chicken strips in one go with crisp edges and no soggy bottoms, choose Generic 3; if you want the easiest possible cleanup after those chicken strips, choose PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner.
• Generic 3 — biggest strength: A three-tier stackable stainless steel rack system (8.3 x 8.3 x 3.6 in) that turns one basket into three cooking levels, so chicken strips, wings and fries can all go in at once.
• Generic 3 — biggest trade-off: It's a rack, not a liner. It won't catch drips or crumbs, so you still have to clean the basket afterward.
• PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner — biggest strength: Three reusable silicone trays (7.5 in square, 1.97 in deep) with a textured, ridged base meant to keep air moving and food from sticking.
• PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner — biggest trade-off: It's a flat, single-level mat. You get no vertical stacking, so batch size is limited by basket area alone.
• Who Generic 3 is for: Anyone cooking protein-heavy meals — chicken strips, wings, jerky, bacon — who wants volume and airflow.
• Who PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner is for: Anyone who hates scrubbing the basket and wants a wipe-clean, dishwasher-safe surface under the food.
The Generic 3 set is built around one idea: use the vertical space your air fryer already has. You get three stackable racks, a lifting tong, and four silicone feet. The feet are 1.8 inches tall, which lifts each tier and creates real separation between layers — that matters when you're cooking thicker pieces like chicken strips, because it keeps the top rack from pressing down onto the food below.
The mesh construction is the other half of the story. Air fryer chicken strips live or die on airflow. If strips sit flat on a solid surface, the underside steams while the top crisps. A mesh rack lets hot air move around each piece, which is exactly the kind of setup you want if you're aiming for a crunchy coating on raw strips you've breaded yourself.
Who should buy it: Cooks who want to batch-cook chicken strips and sides together, or anyone who also wants a dehydrating and roasting rack for other jobs. Who should skip it: Anyone whose only goal is not scrubbing the air fryer — this doesn't do that. You'll still be washing the basket after the drips land.
PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner: Who It's For
The PRETYZOOM liner is a different tool entirely. You get three silicone trays — one blue, one grey, one black — each about 7.5 inches square and just under 2 inches deep. That depth is worth noting: it's a tray, not a thin sheet, so it can hold a little rendered fat or juice rather than letting everything run straight through to the basket.
The design detail that matters most for chicken strips is the base. It's textured with strips — ridges — and those are meant to distribute heat and airflow under the food. In practice, that's the anti-soggy mechanism: a raised surface means the bottom of each strip isn't sitting flush against a flat plane. It won't match a mesh rack for pure airflow, but it's a meaningful step up from a plain flat mat.
Silicone also brings two practical wins. First, food releases easily — the liner is explicitly aimed at preventing sticking, and it's described as suitable for chips, snacks, chicken wings and legs. Second, cleanup is simple: warm water or the dishwasher. If your least favorite part of air frying chicken strips is picking breading out of a wire basket, this solves that directly.
The trade-offs are real, though. Silicone trays don't crisp the underside the way open mesh does, and three flat trays don't multiply your capacity the way three stacked racks do. Who should buy it: Anyone cooking smaller portions who values fast cleanup and easy release. Who should skip it: Big-batch cooks and anyone chasing maximum crunch on the bottom of every strip.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for crispness and airflow → Generic 3. Mesh construction plus 1.8 in silicone feet keeps air moving around and between layers.
• Best for easy cleanup → PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner. Warm water or dishwasher, no basket scrubbing.
• Best for non-stick release → PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner. The trays are designed to stop food sticking, which helps with breaded strips.
• Best for cooking beyond the air fryer → Generic 3. It's listed for ovens, roasters and slow cookers, plus baking, roasting, draining and dehydrating.
• Best for smaller households or single portions → PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner. One 7.5 in tray is plenty for a quick batch of strips.
• Best for raw, breaded-from-scratch strips → Generic 3. You want the underside exposed to moving air so the coating sets instead of steaming.
• Best for frozen strips straight from the bag → PRETYZOOM Air Fryer Liner. Less sticking, less mess, and the ridged base still lets some air underneath.
I'd buy the Generic 3. In my opinion, if the whole point of air frying chicken strips is a crisp coating, the mesh rack with 1.8 in of separation between tiers is doing more useful work than a flat silicone tray can. It also does more jobs — dehydrating, roasting, draining — and stacks for bigger batches. The PRETYZOOM liner is the smarter pick only if cleanup is what actually stops you from using your air fryer. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, then decide which of those two problems you'd rather solve.
FAQ
how to air fry chicken strips
Lay the strips in a single layer with space between them so hot air can circulate. With the Generic 3, use the mesh racks and stack tiers with the 1.8 in silicone feet for separation; with the PRETYZOOM liner, use the ridged side up so air still moves under the food.
how to air fry chicken strips frozen
how to air fry chicken strips raw
Pat raw strips dry, coat them, then cook in a single layer so the coating sets instead of steaming. The Generic 3's mesh construction is the better match for raw strips because the underside gets exposed to moving air rather than sitting flat.
how to air fry chicken strips
Whichever setup you use, don't overcrowd. Stacked racks let you cook more at once, but each tier still needs airflow around every strip. With silicone trays, leave gaps between pieces rather than piling them up.
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