Can You Put Metal or Stainless Steel in an Air Fryer?
Can you put metal in an air fryer? Often yes, for a heat-safe metal pan or dish that fits with room around it. Your own manual decides. The manuals we read treat metal and glass as the expected materials, but they rule out metal tools left inside and warn about extras they don't recommend.
updated November 2, 2026 · 2 min read
The short answer
Often yes, for a heat-safe metal pan or dish with room around it. Cosori, Breville and Cuisinart ask for extra care with containers that aren't metal or glass, which suggests metal is expected. Metal tools inside are ruled out, foil rules differ, and several brands warn against third-party extras. Our Place is stricter, so check your manual.
What's on this page
An air fryer is a small oven with a fan and a heating element, so it treats metal differently from a microwave. We run no kitchen tests, so this page reports what the manuals say.
Can I use a metal pan or dish?
Often, yes. Cosori says to use heat-safe containers and to be extremely careful with containers that aren't metal or glass. Breville and Cuisinart use similar words. Breville adds that sealed or airtight containers don't belong in the oven, because a covered pan can build up pressure.
No manual names approved pan brands, so “heat-safe” is your call from the pan's own label.
Our Place is stricter. One page says to use only food or accessories Our Place supplies, and a later page mentions heat-proof metal or glass. On a Wonder Oven, ask Our Place about the dish you have in mind.
Leave room around the pan. Cosori warns that heaped food may touch the coils.
What about metal tools?
Take tongs out before you start. Cosori, Breville and Our Place rule out leaving metal tools inside. Cosori and Ninja also say no to metal scouring pads, because bits can break off and touch electrical parts. Use the soft tools your manual names.
Can I use foil?
Rules differ. Cosori's TurboBlaze manual says foil in the basket, except on the plate, may make cleanup easier. Breville, Cuisinart and Our Place say not to cover the crumb tray or any part of the appliance with it. Our Place allows food on a sheet of foil, but warns that foil touching the heater tube can melt onto it. Cuisinart rules out metal foil packages. Go by your own booklet. For paper and silicone, see air fryer liners.
Can I add a stainless rack or insert?
A rack from another seller is an extra, and brands warn about those. Cosori says not to use third-party parts. Instant says not to use anything it hasn't authorized. Cuisinart and Ninja have similar lines. We found no brand that approves a third-party insert for a given model.
A rack also doesn't change what your basket is made of. Racks and inserts goes through what they do and don't solve.
Is my basket already metal?
Possibly. Cosori's TurboBlaze manual says aluminum with a nonstick coating. That doesn't make metal tools fine on it. See what a basket is made of, and how to clean a stainless air fryer for tools.
Before adding a pan, search your manual for “metal”, “foil” and “accessories”. For glass dishes, read glass in an air fryer.
Common questions
Can you put stainless steel in an air fryer?
A stainless pan or dish counts as a metal container. The manuals expect metal or glass, as long as it's heat-safe and fits. A stainless rack from another seller is different: Cosori, Breville, Instant, Cuisinart and Ninja all warn about extras they don't recommend.
Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer?
Only as your manual allows. Cosori's TurboBlaze manual says foil in the basket, but not on the plate, may make cleanup easier. Breville, Cuisinart and Our Place say not to cover the crumb tray or any part of the appliance with it. Keep foil away from the heating element.
Can I use metal tools on an air fryer basket?
Not on a coated one, going by the manuals that cover it. Cosori says to avoid metal utensils on its basket and plate. Instant says not to use metal cleaning tools on its coated tray. Take tongs out before you start the unit.
You might also like
- Stainless inserts and racksA stainless steel air fryer tray or rack changes what food sits on, not the air fryer. See what brand manuals say about add-on accessories.
- Can You Put Glass or Ceramic Dishes in an Air Fryer?Pyrex says no for its glass. Several air fryer manuals mention oven-safe dishes. See what each brand says about glass and ceramic dishes.
- Air fryer linersThinking about a silicone air fryer liner? Here is what brands’ manuals say about silicone, parchment and foil, and what nobody has settled.
- What Is a Nonstick Air Fryer Basket Made Of?What is a nonstick air fryer basket made of? Usually metal with a coating on top. See what Cosori, Typhur, Ninja and Our Place say about theirs.
- Clean a stainless air fryerHow to clean a stainless steel air fryer: the basket, the inside and the outside, what to do about stuck-on grease, and which tools to skip.
Where this comes from
- 1Cosori, TurboBlaze CAF-DC601-KUS user manual, pp. 4, 5 and 17
- 2Breville, BOV900 instruction book, pp. 3, 4 and 30
- 3Cuisinart, TOA-70 Series booklet, p. 2, important safeguards (copy on ManualsLib)
- 4Our Place, Wonder Oven user manual, pp. 3, 4 and 9 (copy hosted by QVC)
- 5Instant, Vortex and Vortex Plus 6 quart user manual, pp. 5 and 25 (copy on ManualsLib)
- 6Ninja, AF141C owner’s manual, p. 2 (copy on ManualsLib)
Stainless Steel Air Fryer Editorial Team
We are the team behind Stainless Steel Air Fryer. We read what the companies say and explain it in plain English. We don’t run lab tests, and we say so when we couldn’t find something out.