You no longer need to save on fried meals because practically anything can be air-fried. Why wouldn’t you want to, though? With a small amount of oil and some intensely heated air, air fryers mimic the effects of deep-frying.
However, considering the temperatures an air fryer is capable of reaching, you might be wondering: what heat shield can you put under your air fryer to protect your countertops?
You can put basic heat pads made of bamboo, silicone, cork, or ceramic under your air fryer to protect your countertop from heat damage. Any object put under an air fryer should be heat-resistant, water-resistant, and flat. Your best option is a silicone mat as they are very durable, easy to clean, and take up little space.
Air fryers are heat-intensive appliances. When operating, they are capable of producing high heat up to 450°F. Our kitchen countertop may undergo undesirable damages from this heat, such as cracks.
Below are some materials that can shield your countertop from heat damage:
1. Silicone Heat-Resistant Countertop Shields
Silicone heat-resistant mats are great for wood and laminate kitchen counters. They have a temperature resistance range of 446-40°F degrees Fahrenheit, making silicone mats viable for the refrigerator and a guard for countertops.
The nonslip exteriors of the silicone guards help keep your hot pans from rolling around.
We’ve been using these extra-thick silicone mats from Gasare over the years, and they’ve protected our countertop from daily exposure to rather high temperatures. They are also waterproof and one of the finest silicone counter mats you can use If you ask me.
The mat is 25 x 17 inches. This makes it simple to utilize any medium- or large-sized air fryer or appliance over the mat.
2. Wooden Countertop Protectors
Another excellent heat-proof material is a wooden cutting board. While not as heat-proof as silicone, wooden boards can readily withstand heat up to 500°F and guard against thermal shock damage to your countertop.
They are simple to wash in a solution of soap and warm water. Many have rubber feet for added stability and protection while the air fryer operates.
Wooden trivets for heated pans and pots that are both beautiful and practical as they give off a pleasant, natural wood aroma and give your space a cozy, inviting feel. Even after extended use, they don’t get hot like silicone hot pads.
They work best for hot items that have just come out of the fryer. Compared to silicone or bamboo trivets, they look and smell better. The ECOSALL Natural Wood Trivets come in a set of two 7-inch non-toxic organic wooden trivets and are highly recommended for their durability.
3. Ceramic Countertop Shields
Countertop protectors made of ceramic have high heat resistance and can withstand 350 degrees Fahrenheit. They are available in numerous patterns and designs. You can utilize ceramic tiles if you have some leftovers from your home’s construction.
However, they will become almost as hot as the cookware on top of them. The Arly Ceramic Tile has back protection with a 5mm non-slip cork pad that can efficiently isolate heat and moisture while protecting your countertop from scratches.
4. Bamboo Countertop Protectors
Bamboo chopping boards are as good as wooden cuttings when shielding your countertops. They may be used to cut veggies and serve as a surface guard for your air fryer. Bamboo boards are easy to keep and wash since they do not stain.
Bamboo trivets have a pleasant natural scent, making them naturally eco-friendly. Placing a 5-8″ bamboo square under your air fryer is going to protect your countertop from the heat. This option seems large enough to hold an air fryer.
Your kitchen space is given a vivid new life by its beautiful colors.
5. Glass Cutting Board
Glass cutting boards have also been recommended because they look so stunning. On the dining room table, you can use it as a decorative protective mat besides being a heat protector to the countertop.
While glass cutting boards aren’t particularly heat-proof, they’re still capable of withstanding quite high temperatures. However, I wouldn’t recommend this as your first choice.
Nearly all air fryer models can be placed inside the space of a glass cutting board. They are easy to clean, and their color never fades. Additionally, they are very effective at getting food and oil stains off.
The Farberware Glass Utility Cutting Board is an excellent choice as it can withstand temperatures up to 356°F (180°C).
Will an Air Fryer Damage Countertops?
Countertops are among the frequently used spaces in the kitchen prone to damage by high heat-inducing appliances such as fryers.
Air fryers can produce a lot of heat which damages your countertops. With repeated exposure to extreme heat over time, countertops start to crack, buckle, or even catch fires, while others begin to stain and discolorize.
Although some air fryers have insulation underneath them to protect your countertop, they also have vents to release the heat.
When those vents are located underneath the air fryer, and if you’re using it too often or too long, it may damage your countertop and cause it to break.
In addition, moisture from the air fryer can damage your heat-resistant counter (countertops made up of copper, granite, and stainless steel). Without a protective covering, excessive heat may partially destroy your countertop, leaving scratch lines for cracks or stains.
Read more: Do Air Fryers Damage Countertops?
Where Should an Air Fryer Be Placed In a Kitchen?
The kitchen is often a high-traffic area. Therefore, choosing a safe location for your air fryer is paramount. You must ensure that your air fryer is set up on a level surface and that there is adequate room for the heat to escape, and for security against burns.
In the kitchen, countertops are the preferred surface for putting things and are where we typically keep our large appliances.
The same is valid for air fryers, even though extra caution is warranted. Depending on the item you’re cooking, air fryer cooking temperatures range from 350° to 400°F and could harm your countertop if it is not already heat resistant.
However, you can install a heat-resistant mat to prevent damage to your countertop. To avoid such damages, wood also serves as an excellent insulator and a poor heat conductor; thus, it can be used on a countertop.
A wooden cutting board placed underneath the air fryer will protect the countertop from the equipment. But remember that using a rough cutting board increases the likelihood of scratches.
Additionally, an air fryer should be placed remotely to ensure it doesn’t come in contact with other appliances, cables, or objects while cooking. This is because even the outside of the air fryer becomes quite hot when it’s operating.
Having other objects in proximity could potentially become a fire hazard. Therefore, it’s best to keep some space around the air fryer. This will also ensure that the air fryer is capable to vent heated air without limitations.
Can You Put an Air Fryer On the Stove?
Air fryers are small and relatively portable. This gives the user the option to move them around freely with ease. It also makes the air fryer fit almost anywhere – one of those spaces being on the stovetop.
While it may seem like a good idea to place the air fryer on the stovetop (I mean, the stovetop already handles extreme temperatures without taking damage – it must be a good spot), that isn’t the case.
In fact, placing an air fryer on the stove is associated with a lot of risks and shouldn’t be done. The primary danger of placing an air fryer on the stove is that you could easily turn on the stove by accident.
This will cause the air fryer to sit on top of a heated stove, and eventually, start a house fire. It doesn’t take long before the air fryer starts to take damage, and for the electrical fire to start.
Stovetops don’t provide anti-skid surfaces either, which makes them an even worse option. You want to put your air fryer on a surface that will prevent it from moving around – even if you accidentally come in contact with it.
No-skid surfaces will keep your air fryer in position and are therefore preferable.
Read more: Can You Leave An Air Fryer Unattended?
How Far Should an Air Fryer Be From the Wall?
The air fryer includes two fans: one for ventilation and the other for hot air circulation inside the air fryer. This fan circulates excess moist air out of your air fryer while maintaining the temperature inside to prevent overheating.
Nearly all air fryers have a ventilation fan on the back that should not be directed toward the wall. If you block the vent by mounting your air fryer against a wall, the air ventilation process will be impacted.
As a result, the air fryer’s capacity and performance will decrease. Therefore, always set your air fryer where air ventilation can readily flow, and keep it at least 5 inches away from walls.
On occasion, heated air causes wall paint to fade. Additionally, air fryers are to blame for melted sockets when placed near the wall. Thus, a safe distance is vital.
An air fryer is not a toy for children either. These electrically powered devices generate a lot of heat for cooking. Therefore, ensure your air fryer is out of reach for young children at all times, and keep it away from the wall.
Keep in mind to properly route the air fryer’s power cord. Safe distancing from the wall should go hand in hand with proper cabling to avoid dangling loose cables. Remember that one pull or an unintentional bump is all it takes to knock your new air fryer to the ground.
How Hot Do Air Fryers Get On the Outside?
Air fryers can get pretty hot on the outside just like all other small cooking appliances – it’s the nature of such compact countertop devices. Most air fryers are designed to operate at a maximum temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but this may vary depending on the model.
But remember; the heating elements are placed inside the air fryer, which means that the air fryer’s exterior doesn’t reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit but it can still reach quite high temperatures and will feel hot to the touch.
An adequately maintained air fryer that’s utilized in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations should be handled with oven mitts or left to cool down minutes after the cooking cycle has finished.
You can look for an air fryer with a cool-touch exterior if this is something that worries you. If you don’t have an air fryer with a cool-touch exterior, it’s even more important to ensure that your air fryer is placed in a well-ventilated area with nothing blocking it.
A functioning air fryer should release as much heat as needed to prevent it from overheating, but a malfunctioning, blocked, or overfilled air fryer can cause the temperature to rise above the recommended levels. This can cause the air fryer’s exterior to reach abnormal temperatures for the device.
Excessive use of oil inside the air fryer can cause oil to splatter onto the heating element, which will start to produce smoke. As your air fryer fills up with smoke and releases it, the air fryer’s exterior may also get hotter.
All of this must be taken into account when using an air fryer. This heat-generating device is very safe when used correctly – but could be a hazard when you don’t put some thought into operating it.