Rant: I used to fight my air fryer with foil and prayers, now I just let it breathe
For about two years I lined the basket with foil every single time I made wings, and every single time the bottom stayed pale and sad while the top got charred. My roommate Dan finally watched me do it last Tuesday and asked why I was wrapping the food like a leftover. I said so the basket stays clean. He said the whole point is the hot air going under the food, and foil just blocks it. So I ran a test that same night, eight wings with foil and eight without, same 400 degrees, same 22 minutes with one flip. The no-foil batch came out crackly on both sides and the foil ones were soggy on the bottom, no contest. I still hate scrubbing the basket but a ten minute soak in hot water and dish soap handles it fine. Now I keep a little rack in there for anything greasy and the wings are better than the ones from the place on 5th. What do you all put under messy stuff, or do you just wash the basket every time?
Man, I gave up on foil years ago for the same reason, the air just needs to move under the food. If the basket gets nasty I soak it, but a cheap wire rack keeps most of the mess off it anyway.