Home chefs continually seek advice on what baking dishes are safe to use in their air fryers. Aluminum foil and parchment paper are great, but they won't hold a cake or bake a casserole. Take solace in knowing you can put your favorite casserole dish in your air fryer safely as long as it's marked for oven use.
There are many types of bakeware that can be classified as a casserole dish, but all possess several distinct properties making them suitable for your air fryer. Whether they're ceramic, glass baking dishes, or earthenware, all can be considered casserole dishes.
Jump to:
- What Makes a Casserole Dish?
- How Do You Know if a Casserole Dish is Oven Safe?
- Glass Casserole Dishes in the Air Fryer
- Stoneware, Earthenware, and Ceramic in the Air Fryer
- Polymer and Teflon in the Air Fryer
- Aluminum in the Air Fryer
- Silicone in the Air Fryer
- Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, and Cast Iron in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Tips for Cooking with a Casserole Baking Dish
- A Flawless Finale
What Makes a Casserole Dish?
A casserole dish is a piece of oven-safe dishware designed for withstanding high temperatures for an extended period of time. Fortunately, if they're safe for oven use, then they're also perfect for air frying.
They are made from a variety of materials:
- borosilicate glass
- soda-lime glass
- earthenware
- stoneware
- ceramic ware
- stainless steel
- carbon steel
- cast iron
- aluminum
- Teflon
- polymer
- silicone
Casserole dishes are useful in preventing food from drying out and facilitating a crispy crust, which seals in food's natural flavors. They're also most useful for adding structural support when baking.
Oven-safe dishes often have large handles making them easy to remove from a traditional oven. However, what's convenient for oven use can pose as an obstacle when air frying. One of the biggest hurdles to using an oven-safe dish in the air fryer is finding one that fits.
This is often easier with oven-style air fryers, but there are still many viable options for the basket-style air fryer.
How Do You Know if a Casserole Dish is Oven Safe?
Obviously, some casserole dishes are better suited for higher temperatures than others, but all of the ones mentioned above are generally safe with average oven temperatures.
One thing to be mindful of, however, is any handles or knobs that might be on your baking dish. Some of them can incorporate rubber or plastic, which would not be able to withstand the higher heat of an air fryer.
Glass Casserole Dishes in the Air Fryer
The most common ovenproof dish is glass, but glass dishes are also the biggest area of concern for fear that the high heat causes them to break.
As a general rule of thumb, if your glass baking dishes are made from oven-safe glass, then they're equally suitable for the air fryer. The nice thing about cooking recipes in glassware is that glass won't leach chemicals into your food.
How Can You Tell if Glassware is Oven Safe?
Most casserole dishes are made from tempered glass, but not all glass dishes are safe for oven use. Oven-safe glass is usually marked on the bottom of your glass cookware in words or with the oven-safe symbol.
Although, ovenware is not always marked on the bottom. For example, I have a bowl and lid combo where the 'oven safe' disclaimer is marked on the lid and not the glass bowl.
Without the lid, it just appears as an ordinary glass bowl. So if in doubt, it's always best to err on the side of caution.
It's a good idea to check the packaging before throwing it away, as even some glass baking dishes that are marked for oven use are not designed for excessively high heat.
Your manufacturer label or instructions often include a range of temperature degrees to stay within and will inform you to avoid high temperatures if necessary.
Borosilicate vs Soda Lime
You'll find a lot of conflicting information on the internet about using soda lime glass in your air fryer. There is a false misconception that using soda-lime glass when air fryer cooking is dangerous, but this really isn't the case at all.
While it is true that borosilicate is of much better quality, most glass baking wares in the United States are actually made from tempered soda lime and are considered oven-safe.
However, tempered soda lime bakeware cannot handle drastic temperature fluctuations as well as borosilicate. That said, it's always a good idea to make sure your air fryer is preheated before inserting glass bakeware made from tempered soda lime.
Stoneware, Earthenware, and Ceramic in the Air Fryer
If you have stoneware, earthenware, or a ceramic baking dish that is oven safe, then it can also be used in your air fryer. Most of them have been fire blasted at high temperatures and have a glaze, matte, or glossy finish making them durable enough to sustain the high heat.
However, it's always a good idea to double-check their temperature ratings since these types of cookware can sustain anywhere from 350°-600° F (177°-316° C).
The nice thing about this type of cookware is that they are readily available in smaller sizes, making them easier to fit in your air fryer. A small ceramic bowl or Remiken is the perfect size for a basket-style air fryer.
Polymer and Teflon in the Air Fryer
Littonware, Teflon, and other heavy-duty polymer cookware are generally made for traditional ovens and are, therefore, durable enough for your air fryer.
Although it is no longer in production, you can still find Littonware readily available. It's some of my favorite pieces of bakeware because it's so lightweight and easy to clean. Plus, it comes with a lid to help seal in moisture.
Teflon is a popular choice also, but some people are concerned with the possible derogatory health effects associated with Teflon. However, since many air fryer baskets are also made with Teflon, it shouldn't be too alarming.
Aluminum in the Air Fryer
Whether you're using an aluminum baking dish or disposable aluminum baking tins, both are safe to use in your air fryer. However, avoid cooking overly acidic foods with aluminum since aluminum and acid create a chemical reaction.
Otherwise, your food may end up with a metallic taste.
For any recipes that call for vinegar, lemon, or tomatoes, instead of using aluminum bakeware, air fry with glass or some other dish that's non-toxic.
Silicone in the Air Fryer
In the 1990s, silicone became a popular choice to use as a baking dish and is prized for its ability to withstand high temperatures. It works exceptionally well in air fryers.
A silicone baking dish makes the perfect cake pan and one of the most convenient tools for your air fryer recipes. They even come in flat liners, which are perfect for your favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Silicone bakeware is both easy to use and easy to clean, and they don't absorb cooking odors.
Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, and Cast Iron in the Air Fryer
Stainless steel, carbon steel, and cast iron are some of the best bakeware for air fryers. These metal wares can easily withstand high temperatures associated with air fryers, and they're non-toxic, but they are more challenging to clean.
These casserole dishes won't likely be marked with the 'safe for oven use' wording because they're specifically designed for baking and other high-temperature cooking.
Cast iron is by far my favorite bakeware because it's the least expensive and the easiest to find in smaller sizes. Not only does cast iron perform well with very high temperatures, but it also reduces cooking time since it retains heat exceptionally well.
Air Fryer Tips for Cooking with a Casserole Baking Dish
Since an air fryer is really a small convection oven, it's designed to cook food with hot circulating air. Inserting a baking pan can obstruct the hot air and result in unevenly cooked food. So when you're using a recipe that calls for some sort of bakeware, there are some things you should know.
Air Fryers Cook Faster
A baking recipe in an air fryer will cook faster than one done in a regular oven because of the smaller space and concentrated airflow. So you will need to reduce the cooking time and the temperature accordingly.
Best Sized Bakeware for Your Air Fryer
If you have a traditional basket air fryer, then the best size dish will be in the neighborhood of 5-8". If you have a toaster oven air fryer, then you can fit 8-12" pretty easily.
Additionally, the more shallow the pan, the faster the food will cook.
Most importantly, double-check and make sure no part of your dish comes into contact with the heating element.
Depending on what you're cooking, you may find it better to use other materials altogether, like parchment paper or tin foil.
The Size and Shape of Your Air Fryer
It's really important to know the size of your air fryer. You can have two different air fryers labeled with the same capacity but still have different interior sizes.
While a glass dish might fit in one air fryer, it won't necessarily fit in another even if they're the same size air fryer.
It's also a good idea to try to avoid large handles if you can help it. A steel bowl or glass dish with too large of handles might prevent it from fitting into your air fryer.
If you don't have any cookware that can fit in your air fryer, you can always buy an air fryer bucket accessory. It slips right into your air fryer and has a top carry handle for lifting out, which makes all of your baking tasks super easy.
A Flawless Finale
Now that you know it's completely safe to place your casserole baking ware in your air fryer, try some of your favorite cooked foods and recipes. You'll have plenty of tasty foods for the whole family.
Once you've tried all of your favorite food, then try some of our favorite cooked recipes in your air fryer:
Leave a Reply