Can You Put Metal in an Air Fryer?

In this post, I’ll share with you if you can or can not use metal utensils in an air fryer.

Air fryers are amazing cooking appliances, and I have been cooking A LOT in them since I got them.

Cooking a few recipes like cake or scrambled eggs requires you to put a utensil inside the air fryer to cook the recipes correctly.

This raises the question of whether you can or cannot use regular steel bowls or metal utensils that one would generally use at home inside an air fryer.

To quickly answer the question- You can use steel, aluminum, or any metal utensil inside the air fryer. Metal utensils are made to handle temperatures up to 500°F, and the maximum temperature of an air fryer is 400°F.

In this post, I will share more on which utensils are safe in the air fryer and how to know if the utensils you use at home are safe inside the air fryer.

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Table of Contents

Is it safe to use metal in an air fryer?

Yes, it is safe to use metal utensils in an air fryer. You can use anything that is oven safe inside the air fryer since the working of an air fryer is very similar to an oven.

Many of us get confused about this because there are many limitations to what one can use inside a microwave. And since the air fryer is similar to a microwave, we get confused if metal is safe to use inside an air fryer.

Is it safe to use metal in an air fryer? — Yes, you can use metal in an Air Fryer

But even though the air fryer kind of heats up fast like a microwave, it isn’t one and doesn’t use electromagnetic waves as the microwave does.

The air fryer has a heating coil and a fan, and the fan distributes the heat with the air fryer, creating a hot cooking chamber.

An air fryer is more like a convection oven, so any utensil inside an oven is good to go in an air fryer.

What kind of metal cookware can you use in the air fryer?

Anything that is marked oven-safe by the manufacturer can quickly go inside the air fryer. You can use aluminum foil, silicone cups, baking trays, etc., inside the air fryer.

*Materials that go in an Air Fryer*	*Materials that do not go in the Air fryer*
Steel (Oven safe)	Plastic
Silicone Cups and moulds	Painted Cookware(where the paint can melt)
Baking tray	Wood
Aluminum Foil	Paper towels
Metal Skewers	Bamboo Skewers
Parchment Paper

Make sure that whatever you use inside the air fryer fits the air fryer and is not overcrowded inside, as the air has to be circulated inside the air fryer for the food to cook correctly.

Oven-safe materials are usually resistant to wear and tear when used at high temperatures. It is NOT fun when your bowl cracks halfway through while cooking something inside an oven.

That is why I highly recommend using bowls and pans that are oven safe to be sure that they do not break, crack or melt while you use them in an air fryer.

When Not to Use Metal in an Air Fryer?

If a metal utensil is not marked oven safe, then best not to use it in the air fryer. Also, if the metal container has plastic handles, keep it away from the air fryer.

Anything painted on the container that may melt, too, should not be used inside an air fryer.

Just keep a few oven-safe utensils for the air fryer and use them instead of trying out different utensils everything.

Can you use aluminum foil inside the air fryer?

Yes, you can use aluminum foul inside the air fryer. Since aluminum foil also works well inside the oven, it works great even when used inside an air fryer.

Some people cook their entire recipes on aluminum foil or in an aluminum container.

What cookware you can’t put in an air fryer?

Plastic and wooden containers and objects are best if not used inside an air fryer. The plastic might melt if it cannot withstand the heat, and the wood can catch fire because of the high temperature inside an air fryer.

Can you use aluminium foil inside an air fryer

You can use silicon moulds and sheets that are heat resistant to make sure they do not damage when used inside the air fryer.

Paper towels are another BIG no-no when you use them in the air fryer, as they can fly around and catch fire because of the high temperature.

Also, since paper towels are lightweight, they can get caught up in the heating element, so it is best NEVER to use paper towels inside an air fryer.

Final Verdict on using Metalware inside an air fryer

Now you know that metal utensils are safe in an air fryer. Just because a utensil isn’t microwave-safe doesn’t mean you cannot use it in an air fryer.

What cookware you can’t put in an air fryer?

You are safe as long as you have realized what NOT to use inside an air fryer and the utensils that you can use inside an air fryer.

You can use your metal utensils if they are oven safe and quickly cook different recipes and dishes inside the air fryer.

Using metal utensils gives you a lot of freedom to cook a wide variety of recipes in the air fryer.

My Air fryer Journey

I own a Philips air fryer, and after a lot of research and going through all the crappy air fryers that I found online; I can tell that the Philips one I own is durable and has lasted me for a very long time.

It is a year and a half old and still looks as good as new, even after using it every other day for more than a year.

I can tell you that my research for the right air fryer paid off, and even if the air fryers from Philips are a tad bit expensive, I swear by their air fryer, and this one has no issues.

The air fryer is perfect for a small family of four (2 adults and 2 kids), and it cooks food quite fast since it is powerful compared to other air fryers.

Let me know which air fryer you own and how long it lasted on you in the comments!

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