Technically speaking, if we wanted to know if putting glass in air fryer works, then we would answer yes and leave it at that.
When are things so simple? In this case, they’re not all that simple because there are certain nuances about using a glass dish in an air fryer.
In the end, it’s going to be up to you to decide if you’re going to use a glass dish or if you just prefer using parchment paper, air fryer liners, silicone bakeware, metal or ceramic baking dishes, etc.
Plus, check out my article talking about what to put under an air fryer if you want to protect your countertops.
Can We Use Glass in an Air Fryer?
If we have glass dishes that specify that they’re oven safe, then you can start from the premise that it’s going to work in an air fryer, as well.
Whenever you’re in doubt about what you can or can’t use in your air fryer, think of what you can or can’t use in an oven. That’s the exact thing I said when I talked about not using wax paper in an air fryer.
The same goes for putting plastic in an air fryer, it’s a no.
Air fryers are basically convection ovens by a different shape, especially if we’re talking about the basket-type. Some toaster ovens with air fryer function even look like most countertop ovens.
Thus, in order to cook food rapidly and crispy, to replace deep frying, these wonderful appliances use circulating hot air. The presence of a fan, something that convection ovens also have, to circulate the hot air and the holes in the basket allow the food to be enveloped by high heat from all sides and angles.
Thus, food is cooked more quickly than in larger ovens, which also makes them energy efficient.
Plus, the big advantage is that we don’t have to use oil or much oil at all. That’s their selling point.
Use oven-safe glass containers
All that means that, technically, we can use glass in an air fryer as long as those dishes mention that they’re oven-safe. Don’t even think about using others that don’t mention that they’re oven safe because they will break.
Fortunately, most glass dishes are oven safe. We might use them primarily for storing food in the fridge but we might also choose to cook in them.
Also, don’t put a glass dish in the freezer unless it mentions that it can go in the freezer.
For example, Pyrex, which is the most popular glass dishes manufacturer around the world, mentions that their products work from oven to freezer and vice versa.
Well, I absolutely don’t recommend taking out a glass container from the freezer and putting it directly in a heat oven because you’ll end up with broken glass and ruined food.
Such temperature shocks are not something I advise when it comes to most cookware.
Pyrex might mention that their containers are thermal shock resistant and they go from the freezer in the oven at a temperature of almost 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) but I wouldn’t have the temerity to do that. Maybe you’ll be willing to test out if the freezer-to-oven thermal shock works without breaking the glass dish.
Should you use glass containers in an air fryer?
There’s definitely a difference between can and should.
Can means that we are able to.
Should means that we might choose not to do it, even if we’re able to, because there are other things we must consider.
What should we consider about glass containers?
Well, when I described how air fryers work, I mentioned that the basket has holes so that hot air can circulate all around the food to cook it quickly and make it crispy.
On the other hand, a glass container is a solid piece of material with thick walls and a thick bottom.
All that thickness will block the hot air so food cooked in a glass container will not turn out as crispy as food cooked on parchment paper or air fryer liners.
Thus, if we’re making meats, veggies, pizza, bagels, sandwiches and any other foods that can be cooked directly in the basket, then there’s no need to use a glass baking dish. We can simply line the basket with parchment paper if we want to avoid making a mess and it will cook our food crispy.
On the other hand, if you don’t care about cooking crispy food, then I can see why a glass dish might actually work.
That can totally be the case if we’re making casseroles, quiche or stews.
You cook the food in the glass container, the basket is completely clean, the food is cooked well. And you can even serve it in the container you cooked it in. That can happen.
Can glass dishes break in an air fryer?
There are plenty of people who use glass containers in air fryers and they don’t break. As long as you buy high-quality cookware, there’s a high chance that no accidents will happen.
The thing is that there’s always a risk that even an oven-safe glass container can break in the oven. It hasn’t happened to me but I also use most of my containers for storing food. I prefer baking in metal trays or Dutch ovens or pans.
There’s also the danger for a glass dish to break in an air fryer because these appliances heat up really fast. That’s why preheat times are much shorter than the preheat times for ovens.
3-5 minutes preheat is enough for most air fryers. Ovens might require 10-15-20 minutes preheat time.
Thus, there’s the concern that a glass dish can possibly break under intense heat so quickly.
If you want to test a dish, just preheat it empty and see if it can withstand the heat. If you put it empty in the basket you also don’t risk ruining your food.
Personally, I just prefer using parchment paper or silicone liners or ceramic/metal baking dishes. Those are better alternatives if your intention is to keep the basket clean and to protect the non-stick coating. Or if you want to cook dishes that can’t be lined directly on the basket.
What cookware can we use?
Foods like French fries, meats, bacon, fish, vegetables, pigs in a blanket, granola bars, fritters, naan, green onion pancakes, wontons, sandwiches, panini, pizza, empanadas, etc. can be cooked directly in the basket.
We can place parchment paper or use a silicone pot if we want to avoid cleaning the basket. But we can also spread out our ingredients directly in the basket if we’re not concerned about cleaning the basket when the food is done.
Silicone bakeware
If we want to make baked eggs, we can use a silicone muffin liner. Of course, we can also use a silicone muffin liner to make muffins.
Silicone cookware is very good for air fryers, just like they can be used in the oven and in the microwave oven.
Beside silicone liners, silicone molds work both in the oven and in the air fryer. Just make sure to check out the max temperature, it’s usually around 450-500 degrees F.
Just like glass dishes can handle a wide range of temperatures so can silicone bakeware.
Oven-safe baking dishes
We can also use oven-safe baking dishes that fit the size of our air fryer basket.
Basically, a 7-inch oven-safe baking dish might be good for a lot of people.
Still, make sure to always measure your basket before buying any dish, whether it’s silicone, metal or glass.
The same goes for liners.
Oven safe baking dishes can be made of glass, ceramic, metal. I love ceramic bakeware.
We can use them to make quiche, casseroles, stews, etc.
Springform pan
This is another bakeware that can be very useful in an air fryer. My guess is that most of you could get a 7-inch springform pan but always make sure which is the right size for your appliance.
Of course, most of us think of cakes when we think of a springform pan. And we can definitely bake cakes in an air fryer.
But we can also use this bakeware to make frittata.
And to bake bread.
Ramekins
These are mini casserole dishes or pot pie baking dishes that allow us to bake individual servings.
They’re made of glazed stoneware, including ceramic or porcelain, and they’re awesome.
Of course, when I think of ramekins I think of crème brûlée, since ramekins are also known as crème brûlée cups.
But some of you might think of making pot pies.
If you’re using them for desserts, you might prefer a smaller size. On the other hand, if you’re making pot pies, you’ll want a bigger size.
We can also use them to make small servings of omelets.
Mini loaf pans
We can use 4 inch loaf pans to bake bread in an air fryer.
As long as the pan fits in your basket, you can use it.
All in all, while we can use glass in air fryer, my personal preference is not to do it, preferring to use parchment paper or silicone liners and all of the other bakeware options that I talked about.
