It is safe to put a glass bowl in an air fryer but not totally

You might be looking to know if you can put glass in an air fryer. Well, you’ve come to the right place. As a food enthusiast, I belong to people who use glassware because of its convenience and toughness in ovens. However, how does glass fare when it comes to air fryers?

Can you put a glass in an air fryer? The simple and short answer is yes! Most glassware can withstand the heat air fryers, and ovens generate since they are tough. However, there’s a need for caution regarding air fryers.

If you’re a foodie, you need to understand that there’s so much more than just placing your glassware in your air fryer. Keep reading to keep your appliance and yourself safe. In addition, this piece will discuss how to use glass inside of an air fryer effectively. You will also learn how you can use glass safely with your air fryer, the alternatives (you don’t want to miss that), and how to keep your glass from breaking in your air fryer.

If you’re ready, let’s dive in!

How Are Air Fryers Different and How Do They Work?

Air fryers are different from traditional cooking appliances, and their cooking is not the same.  These appliances use the convection method to cook food where all sides within the air fryer have hot air circulated.

There is a “basket” inside every air fryer that holds the food you want to cook. When you check the bottom of the basket, you will find open grooves. These grooves play a significant role in letting hot air come from above.

You will be charging the heating element electronically when you put on the air fryer. With that, it will heat up. A fan above the heating element will blow and convey the scorching air in the chamber.

But how does the air get to the bottom of the basket?

It is through air circulation!

The grooves allow redirecting the air below and above the basket.

When the central fan above throws the hot air, it gets to the food directly and it also heats up outside the basket as the excess air navigates upwards and circulates.

How to Prevent Glass from Breaking in Your Air Fryer

Do you know that there’s a risk of glass cracking even though air fryers depend on rapid temperature changes and high heat?

Read on carefully and refer to some of these safety tips when cooking.

Check Your Glass Carefully

It is crucial to ensure that your label is free of imperfections, chips, or cracks apart from checking for marking. You may see this as nothing, but any minor damage can weaken the glass when exposed to high heat. Consider replacing it if it looks damaged.

Beware of Extreme Heat

Many people have talked about their fryers hitting around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Though it’s a great way to get your veggie or meat crispy, it risks your glass cookware. The highest oven-safe dishes can go is under 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can even reduce the thermal shock effect by cooking at a slightly lower temperature when putting in or taking out your dish from the oven.

Use Tempered Glass

Never use regular glass bowls in an oven, microwave, or air fryer. If you do, you can end up having cracked cookware. If you are unsure, don’t assume to use glass not designed for oven use. Get suitable oven-safe alternatives.

How to Safely Put Glass in the Fryer

While you can put glass in your air fryer, you must be cautious about the process. This section is dedicated to helping you with the tips to put glass in your fryer safely.

Follow these steps:

As mentioned before, high temperatures are unsuitable. Your glass can shatter or break if it gets too hot. The temperature range of any oven-safe glass bowl is between 350 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the label carefully to know the basket’s limits at high temperatures.

In addition, the right size for the air fryer is another essential point. If you use a bigger glass, it could prevent airflow, resulting in uncooked food. A smaller glass could fall into the basket and the heating element. Get the right size of the glass.

Also, too much pressure on the glass can cause it to shatter or break. It would be best if you desisted from changing the temperature so suddenly. Sudden temperatures can cause the glass to crack or break.

Use a heat-resistance surface for the glass. You can prevent the glass from shattering or breaking when it gets too hot.

What Kind of Bowls Can You Put in the Air Fryer?

You can choose to use other alternatives if you’re unsure whether to use your glass bowl in an air fryer. Some of the best oven-safe options you can put inside your air fryers include:

1.  Perforated parchment paper: The vendors of most parchment papers designed them for air fryers with lots of prepared holes. These holes will speed up the steam circulation in steamers or air fryers.

2.  Silicone molds: Silicone molds are a great option for air fryers. They can resist temperatures up to 440 degrees Fahrenheit without leaching hazardous chemicals into your food.

3.  Small bakery molds: With their spiral form, they can be used up to 250 degrees centigrade and are easy to clean.

4.  Ceramic coated bowls: It is safe and effective to use ceramic bowls for air fryers. Ensure that they are oven-safe.

5.  Ovenproof steel bowls: While you can use steel bowls for air fryers, ensure that it is oven-safe and can withstand the heat generated within the air fryer.

If steel materials are your choice, ensure to choose tough options because lightweight alternatives might not be able to withstand high air fryer temperatures. The best choice is silicone due to its exceptional flexibility when it comes to high heat resistivity.

Since they have a great smooth surface, ceramic is a good option and can withstand heat. Ultimately, you can use the materials above instead of glass bowls if you are looking for the best alternative.

Here’s the deal, let me introduce you to another great alternative.

Pyrex Bowel

Pyrex bowls are resistant to thermal shock since they are made of borosilicate glass. These bowls can go in the oven since they are designed to withstand high temperatures. However, it is proper to adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions to prevent any risk of shattering.

Pyrex bowls come with plastic lids, which are not oven-safe. You can only use them to store food, and they can melt if you put them in the oven.

I recommend preheating the oven before putting your Pyrex glass bowls inside. Your oven will have a uniform temperature when you preheat, and the same uniform temperature will spread to all the sides of the glass.

Pyrex Maximum Temperature

The oven-safe temperature for a Pyrex glass bowl is 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheating your oven is an effective way of using it, even though you can use it at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, follow the manufacturer’s instructions before using it for greater temperatures like 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pros and Cons of Heating Food in Glass Containers

The glass container used to heat your food can significantly impact the result. Take note of some of these pros and cons before using glass containers in your air fryer.

Pros

Since glass is versatile, people use it for almost all types of food since it can contain cooked food, doesn’t react to acids, and hold heat. Also, there are specific vital cases of using a concrete cooking vessel such as glass. A good example is a cake. Cake batter requires a solid vessel like glass to contain it, even though the air fryer usually depends on airflow to cook food.

Cons

Airflow is an essential part of cooking with an air fryer. When it doesn’t have proper air circulation, your air fryer is nothing more than an underpowered, small oven that will produce undercooked, soggy vegetables.

Many manufacturers equip their air fryers with fryer baskets and cooking racks. These units have significant gaps and holes, allowing for easy air circulation. However, you won’t get this with a glass container, and therefore, you won’t get the full potential of your fryer.

Glass Cookware Alternatives

Glass plays a significant role when it comes to air frying. However, you can get good or even better results from various alternatives.

Here are some of them.

1.      Silicone

You will like silicone cookware if you want a perfect way of baking goods and other treats in your air fryers. It is easy to clean, inexpensive, and durable. However, the silicone cookware is typically small and designed to cook specific food items; they are affordable. Even with that, you will need a whole unit if you want to use it often.

2.      Metal

Another cost-effective and practical alternative to glass is metal pans. They are highly durable and inexpensive; they only require minimal maintenance, and you can use them for years. However, metal pans can be hard to clean since food can stick to them, making them harder to wash off than ceramic and glass.

3.      Ceramic

Another low-hassle alternative is a ceramic cooking vessel. You can easily clean it, and it isn’t prone to cracking like glass, as long as you opt for the oven-safe option. The only problem with this option is that it can be less durable. You may avoid denting or scratching your ceramic cookware since it uses nonstick coatings.

FAQs

Can You Put Glass Pyrex in Air Fryer?

Yes, you can put Pyrex in the air fryer if it is oven-proof. The problem is that air fryers’ temperatures change more frequently than in the standard oven. Therefore, frequent changes can fracture the glass cookware.

What Can You Not Put in an Air Fryer?

Some things you shouldn’t put in an air fryer include broccoli, a cooked rice bowl, raw rice, a sandwich, a grilled cheese, and cheese. Others are popcorn, toast, hamburgers, raw grains, and whole roasts.

Can You Put a Plastic Bowl in an Air Fryer?

Unfortunately, no! Plastic containers are unsuitable to heat foods and cannot go in the air fryer.

Can You Put Ceramic Bowl in Air Fryer?

Yes, you can use ceramic in your air fryer if ovenproof.

Can You Use Aluminum Pans in Air Fryer?

Yes, you can put aluminum pans in the air fryer. However, ensure to line the bottom of the oven with parchment or foil.

Can You Put Foil in Air Fryers?

You can put foil in air fryers, but aluminum foil and tin foil are different, we have an article about foil here.

Can You Put a Casserole Dish in an Air Fryer?

Yes, you can put a casserole dish in an air fryer, whether made of silicone, metal, or ceramic.

Can You Put Stainless Steel Bowl in Air Fryer?

Yes, you can. However, ensure to use ovenproof stainless steel.

Final Thought

Though you can put glass in an air fryer, you need a bit of caution. Glass can evenly cook your food as a great conductor. However, you might not be able to see if your food is cooked even though it is transparent. You can check out some of the oven-safe alternatives on our list and let us know if there are more options in the comment below.