Air Fryer Safety Guide: What You Can (and Can't) Put Inside

Materials: What's Safe and What Isn't

Safe to use

Stainless steel and aluminium. Metal baking tins, ramekins, small pans — fine, as long as they fit without touching the heating element at the top. Leave at least an inch of clearance. No plastic handles.

Ceramic and stoneware. Safe if oven-safe and rated above 400°F. Check the base — if it says "oven safe to 350°F," it'll be fine for baking but push it with high-temp cooking. Avoid pieces with decorative glazes that aren't food-safe.

Glass — with conditions. Oven-safe borosilicate glass (Pyrex, for example) can go in an air fryer. Standard glass, thin glass, or anything not explicitly rated as oven-safe should stay out. Thermal shock from rapid temperature change can crack it.

Silicone. Food-grade silicone bakeware works well in air fryers. Silicone is flexible, handles high heat, and cleans easily. Make sure it's actual food-grade silicone — not cheap rubber that melts.

Parchment paper — with conditions. Parchment paper won't burn at air fryer temperatures. The problem is that it's lightweight and can fly up into the heating element if there's no food holding it down. Always place food on parchment before putting it in; never put parchment in during preheat. Perforated parchment rounds are safer than flat sheets.

Aluminium foil — with conditions. Foil is safe in the basket when used correctly: not blocking all the airflow holes, not loose, and not touching the heating element. Don't use it to line the entire basket base — you lose the airflow that makes the appliance work. See the aluminium foil in air fryer guide for more detail.

Not safe to use

Plastic. Any plastic not rated for high heat will warp or melt. That includes plastic bowls, plastic-handled utensils, plastic lids, and any container that isn't explicitly labelled oven-safe. Melted plastic contaminates food and is difficult to clean out of a machine.

Paper plates and paper towels. Combustion risk. Paper can ignite at air fryer temperatures, especially if it contacts the heating element. Never use them.

Styrofoam / polystyrene. Melts immediately. No.

Wax paper. Not the same as parchment. Wax paper has a wax coating that melts and can smoke or burn. Parchment has a silicone coating that doesn't. They're labelled differently — check before you use it.

Wet batter. Not a material hazard, but worth including here: liquid batter drips through the basket before it sets, making a mess that can smoke or burn on the heating element. Use dry coatings (breadcrumbs, panko) for anything you want crumbed.

Food Safety Temperatures

The only way to confirm meat is safe to eat is an internal temperature reading. Colour and texture aren't reliable — chicken can look cooked on the outside and still be dangerously underdone inside.

These temperatures come from the USDA. They're not suggestions.

Source: USDA Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart

Get a meat thermometer. A good instant-read thermometer — the Thermapen ONE or the ThermoPop 2 — costs less than a single delivery order and removes all guesswork. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat, away from bone. If the number is at or above the target, you're done.

Fire and Smoke Hazards

Grease and fatty foods

Air fryers can smoke when cooking fatty foods like bacon, sausages, or skin-on duck. The fat renders out, drips to the bottom of the machine, and can smoke or occasionally spit. It's rarely a serious hazard, but it's unpleasant and can set off smoke alarms.

Two things help: adding a small amount of water to the drip drawer beneath the basket (check your manual — not all models support this), and cleaning the drawer after every cook so you're not adding heat to accumulated grease.

If your air fryer starts smoking heavily: turn it off, let it cool before opening fully, and identify what's burning. Usually it's grease in the drawer or on the heating element. Don't assume the machine is malfunctioning — check the obvious first.

Food contacting the heating element

The heating element is the coil or bar at the top of the air fryer interior. It gets very hot. Food that reaches it — a flying piece of parchment, a tall baked good, a kebab skewer that's too long — can burn, smoke, or cause a problem. Check that food fits with clearance before cooking. Poke through your basket before the first cook if you're unsure of the height.

Flammable materials near the appliance

An air fryer's rear vent expels hot air during cooking. Keep at least 5 inches of clearance behind and above the machine. Don't push it against a wall, store it under a cabinet, or put it under an overhead cupboard door you've left open. This sounds obvious but it's one of the most common installation mistakes.

Common Mistakes That Create Safety Risks

• Washing the heating element under water. The heating element should never be submerged. Clean it by wiping with a barely damp cloth when the machine is fully cool and unplugged.
• Stacking food in multiple layers. Beyond affecting cooking quality, food piled on top of itself can fall against the heating element or trap steam in ways that create uneven hot spots. Single layer, always.
• Leaving the air fryer unattended for long cooks. 45-minute baked potatoes or whole chicken cuts should be checked periodically. An air fryer isn't a slow cooker — it runs hot, and things can go wrong faster than in a conventional oven.
• Using a damaged basket. If the non-stick coating on your basket is badly flaking or chipping, replace it. Flaking coating means particles can end up in food. Most manufacturers sell replacement baskets as spare parts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides

• Can You Put Aluminium Foil in an Air Fryer?
• Air Fryer Beginner's Guide
• Air Fryer Cooking Times Chart