I love my air fryer! As long as the foods I place inside my air fryer are not too wet or too gooey, they will come out crispy, cooked, and ready to eat.
But what about objects themselves? There are plenty of food items I can place in the oven, but can you put dishes or plates in an air fryer?
It may surprise you to hear this, but there are some plates that can sit inside the air fryer. And there also is kitchenware that is safe for the air fryer as well. Make sure you double check the labels to ensure it is an air fryer safe dish.
Read on to learn more about what you can put in the air fryer!
What Type of Plate Can Go in the Air Fryer?
The size of the plate and the material the plate is made of are the two key factors that influence if a plate can go in the air fryer or not.
Never put plastic plates or paper plates inside the air fryer. I will talk more about what happens when you put plastic or paper in the air fryer in the section below.
There are four types of materials that can be placed in the air fryer:
- Ceramic
- Glass
- Stoneware
- Pyrex
- Metal
- Silicone
As you probably noticed, these materials are also oven-safe. Most oven-safe dishes, pans, and bowls are air fryer safe as well. But the item must be small enough to fit comfortably in the air fryer.
The plates should not be so large that the air from the air fryer cannot go past the metal tray and into the bottom of the basket. No matter what you place in the air fryer, there should be enough room for the air to flow.
Which Dishware and Tools Can I Place Inside the Air Fryer?
As you now know, you cannot place any type of dish into the air fryer. Plastic and paper-plastic plates are absolutely forbidden. It is also not a good idea to put parchment paper into the air fryer.
Because of the high temperatures the air fryer requires cooking the food, plastic will melt and paper will burn.
But it is fine to use foil in the air fryer. You can put foil in the air fryer as long as the foil does not cover the metal tray completely. There must be a small area for the air to push through and underneath the metal tray.
If you’re making a kebab and you want to cook food while it is on a stick, use wooden sticks or bamboo sticks.
Which Things Should You Never Place in the Air Fryer?
So, you already know that it is not a good idea to place plastic or paper inside the air fryer basket. But what are some other things you should never put in the air fryer?
It is not safe to put metal kebab sticks in the air fryer. Use wooden kebab sticks. When adding wooden kebab sticks in the air fryer, the wooden sticks should not be completely dry.
Soak the wooden sticks in water for 5 or 10 minutes. If you do not soak the wooden sticks, the sticks could burn.
Here’s a list of other food and objects you should never put in the air fryer.
- Wet battered foods – if you place wet battered foods in the air fryer, the air will blow around the batter and cause the batter to stick to everything except the food itself. Plus, the batter can fly and stick to the vents.
- Metal skewers.
- Paper objects.
- Plastic objects.
- Thick frozen foods – Do not put thick frozen beef patties or salmon patties in the air fryer. Any frozen food in the air fryer should be small, like chicken nuggets, French fries, pizza bagels, etc. If the food product you want to cook is thick, allow it to thaw on the counter for about half an hour, or you can cut the food in half.
- No more than two tablespoons of oil – The air fryer’s main purpose is to reduce the amount of oil in the cooking process, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use some oil now and then. However, if you add too much oil to the air fryer, the oil will splatter and coat itself in the vents on the top of the air fryer, much like wet batter.
- So much food you can’t see the bottom of the metal tray – In order for the air to flow, you cannot cover the metal tray with food. Cook a handful of French fries or jalapeno poppers at once. If you find you can’t cook the correct amount of food in a single batch and you need to cook two or three batches, buy an XL air fryer.
How to Clean Your Air Fryer Vents
When we clean our air fryers, we’re mostly focused on the metal tray and the basket. We forget about the top of the air fryer until our food cooks unevenly. The air vents need to be cleaned out every so often.
You will know if the air fryer vents need to be cleaned out when the air in the air fryer is no longer as strong as it once was. Plus, you'll be able to smell old food coming from the vents, even if you have cooked nothing.
If you do not clean the main air fryer part, you will eat month-old food every time you cook something in the air fryer basket.
Here is how you can clean your vents:
- Unplug the air fryer, as you do not want to be electrocuted.
- Remove the basket and metal tray.
- Wipe off any residue on the inner chamber. You may have to use your nails or a scrubbing brush if it’s been a while since you last cleaned it. Wipe away any moisture from the sponge or brush.
- Now, place the appliance in your lap and turn it upside down. Use a flashlight to check the vents. Look for any grime or burnt oil sticking to the vent walls.
- Take a thin scrubbing tool, like a toothbrush, and dry scrub the walls of the vents. You may have to cut the bristles so the toothbrush fits in the vents.
Do this once a month to keep your air fryer clean and smell-free!
Conclusion to Putting Plates In Your Air Fryer
There are certain plates and other objects that you can place in the air fryer. Most oven-safe dishware is also air fryer safe. You can place plates made of ceramic, glass, stoneware, silicone, metal, and Pyrex into the air fryer. Any dishes you place in the air fryer cannot cover the entire metal tray.
Air fryers need adequate air flow or else the food will cook unevenly. Never put wet battered foods, a lot of oil, or paper or plastic products into the air fryer.
