Can I Use a Glass Bowl in an Air Fryer?
Air fryers are a popular kitchen appliance that allow you to cook your favorite foods using hot air instead of oil. This results in a healthier, lower-fat version of your favorite fried foods.
However, with so many different types of cookware available, it can be difficult to know what you can and cannot use in an air fryer. One question that often comes up is whether or not you can put a glass bowl in an air fryer.
We have a detailed guide on which glass bowl is safe to use in an air fryer and precautions to take when using a glass bowl in an air fryer.
The known safe materials for air fryers are oven-proof stoneware, metal, parchment paper, and ceramic-based materials.
Glass-based containers come in different forms and qualities. Not all glass containers can withstand high temperatures. So be careful in using a glass bowl in an air fryer.
So, to answer your question in short, you can use a glass bowl in an air fryer if it is oven safe. Pyrex glass bowls or containers are over-safe, so they can be used in an air fryer. However, caution should be taken as Pyrex glassware may not withstand sudden changes in temperature in an air fryer. So, before you try to cook or warm your food in a glass bowl in an air fryer, check if the glass container is oven safe.
As you can see, there is no straight answer to it. It will essentially depend on two things, firstly, with regard to the quality of the glass bowl, and secondly, on the proper way to use it in an air fryer.
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Is it Safe to Use Glass Bowl in an Air Fryer
The glass bowl is an essential component of a functional kitchen. In addition, cooking in a glass bowl or warming food in a glass bowl has many health benefits.
But when it comes to using a glass bowl in an air fryer, there is no perfect answer. The safety of a glass bowl in an air fryer depends on the quality of the glass bowl used and the proper way of using a glass bowl in an air fryer.
This is mainly because of the way the air fryer functions. The air fryer temperature rises too quickly within a few minutes. This sudden change in temperature may not be good for using an ordinary glass bowl in an air fryer.
The glass bowl that is oven safe can be safely used in an air fryer. Glass bowls made of Pyrex are specifically designed to withstand the high temperature of a conventional oven, so they can be safely used in an air fryer for cooking or warming purposes.
However, precautions should be taken when using a Pyrex bowl in an air fryer. You should never expose your Pyrex cookware to sudden temperature changes. For example, if leftover lasagna is stored in a pyrex blow-in freezer, you should not put the frozen Pyrex bowl directly into an air fryer to warm your food.
A sudden change in temperature to 400°C (thermal shock) can shatter the glass bowl in an air fryer. To know more about type of contaniers that can be safely used in an air fryer, read this article.
Types of Glass Bowls for an in an Air Fryer
Glass bowls are known to be nonconductive and do not absorb the flavors and smell used previously.
You need to know that glass bowls are made up of different forms of glass-based materials that are not equally created.
The most common types of glass bowls are ones with borosilicate glass, lead crystal glass, soda-lime glass, and those that have been enhanced or tampered with.
The glass bowls that can be used in an air fryer are the ones that are made up of borosilicate glass.
Borosilicate Glass Bowls
This type of glass bowl is made up of silica and boron trioxide. They are widely known to have a very low coefficient of thermal expansion.
This means that if you have this type of glass bowl, it can be safely used for air fryers. But, again, this is because it is intended for extreme temperatures.
Pyrex glass bowls were originally made of borosilicate glass. A borosilicate glass bowl can withstand the heat of 515° F. It does not melt when it reaches 3,000°F. They are oven-safe and freezer safe.
Therefore, pyrex glass bowls are safe for air fryers because an air fryer temperature does not go beyond 400°F. Also, borosilicate glass has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, making them resistant to thermal shock. So sudden temperature change will not cause borosilicate glass to break. So cooking in a borosilicate glass bowl in an air fryer and taking it out for cooling will not shatter the glass.
Having said that, I would not recommend reheating leftovers in a glass bowl; it’s best not to transport them directly from the fridge to an air fryer. Instead, let the leftovers reach room temperature in a glass bowl before placing them in an air fryer. Although borosilicate glass bowls are thermal resistant, you would not want to take a risk.
Shop PYREX – borosilicate glass bowl here.
Soda-Lime Glass Bowls
This is arguably one of the most widely used glass materials nowadays. It currently constitutes 90% of the commercially used glass.
Soda-lime glass is used in various industries. This includes the type of glassware used in the kitchen, mixing, and glass bowls.
This material is non-toxic and impermeable and has been observed not to leach heavy metals, which can cause some health hazard risks.
It can be concluded that soda-lime glass bowls are generally safe for serving and holding food and beverages. However, the issue is whether using it in the air fryer is safe.
The answer is no, and the reason is that it has more than double the expansion and contraction rate when compared to borosilicate.
Unfortunately, Corningware company, which made pyrex bowls out of borosilicate glass, now makes pyrex bowls out of Soda-lime glass. So can you use pyrex bowls made of soda-lime glass in an air fryer?
No, you cannot use a pyrex bowl made of soda-lime glass in an air fryer, as it will likely crack or shatter into pieces.
Exposing Soda-lime glass bowls to sudden high temperatures will quickly expand or contract, causing them to break or shatter.
However, tempered soda-lime glass bowls are made up of materials that are known to be three times stronger than the usual soda-lime glass bowls and other non-tempered ones.
Borosilicate PYREX® vs. Soda-Lime pyrex®: Which glass bowl is an air fryer safe?
So how do you know the PYREX bowl in your kitchen is made of Borosilicate or Soda-Lime?
Glass blow made of Borosilicate glass
Originally Corning made PYREX (upper case) out of Borosilicate glass. So if your PYREX cookware has uppercase PYREX written on them, those glass bowls are safe to use in an air fryer.
Glass blow made of Soda-Lime glass
If your glass bowl is labeled with pyrex (lowercase), it is made of Soda-Lime Glass, which is unsafe to use in an air fryer.
You can still purchase PYREX made of Borosilicate glass because France still makes them using Borosilicate glass, and they have much higher resistance to thermal shock than the American version of PYREX or pyrex bowl.
You should also avoid using wax paper and paper plates in an air fryer as well because they are not fire proof.
Can you put Corning ware in an air fryer?
Corning ware is the manufacturer of PYREX glassware. Originally, they manufactured PYREX using Borosilicate glass. But later made pyrex from Soda-lime glass.
PYREX (upper case), made from Borosilicate glass, is over-safe, thermal resistant, and can be used safely in an air fryer.
However, pyrex (lowercase), made from Soda-Lime glass, is not air fryer safe. A sudden change in temperature may break or shatter the glass in an air fryer.
Does a Glass bowl work well in an Air fryer?
It depends. The air fryer works on the principle of high team and airflow. Proper airflow while cooking will cook your food equally and make them crispy to mimic deep frying.
An air fryer has a cooking tray with holes to ensure proper hot air circulation. So if you are using a glass bowl to air fry potato fries or Casava chips, it won’t work. They won’t come out crispy.
Putting a glass bowl in an air fryer will block the airflow from the bottom so that food won’t have enough air circulation to crisp.
On the other hand, if you are air frying lasagna, making a casserole, or baking cake in an air fryer, a glass bowl would work as it needs a closed container to cook.
How to safely use Glass Bowl in an Air fryer?
Now that you know, not all glass bowls are safe to use in an air fryer; still, caution should be taken when using Pyrex glass bowls in an air fryer to prevent shattering or breaking. After all, it is made of glass.
Avoid Sudden Temperature Change
As mentioned earlier, sudden temperature changes can cause a glass bowl to break. Although PYREX, made of Borosilicate glass, is thermal shock resistant, it does not hurt to be extra careful to save you from the headache of cooking again in case glass breaks or shatters.
You want to avoid reheating frozen food stored in a pyrex bowl directly in an air fryer. A sudden temperature change from freezing condition to 400°F increases the risk of glass breaking or shattering in an air fryer.
Let the food come to room temperature and then warm or cook in an air fryer.
Avoid Glass that looks physically compromised
Everything has a lifespan, including your glass bowl. So check them out very carefully. If you see a crack, color change, or unevenness in the glass surface, do not use them in your air fryer or oven. If used, they will not withstand high temperatures or the thermal shock of taking out of the air fryer, cooling on a countertop, and breaking or shattering.
Use an Oven-safe Glass bowl only
Glass bowls come in wide varieties. Not all of them are safe to use in an air fryer. Use only an over-safe glass bowl in an air fryer. When purchasing, look at the over-safe symbol on the box or at the bottom of a glass bowl or plate.
Handle them Carefully
When taking out a glass bowl from an air fryer, please do not rush to take it out from the basket. A sudden temperature drop by removing a glass bowl from an air fryer and cooling it on the countertop may shatter the glass bowl.
Instead, leave the glass bowl in an air fryer basket and remove the basket from the air fryer. Let the air fryer basket with the glass bowl stay on the countertop for 10 minutes, and then remove the glass bowl.
Alternatively, remove the glass bowl from the air fryer and keep it on oven mitts rather than the countertop to avoid sudden temperature drops causing thermal shock.
How to Choose Air fryer Safe Glass bowl?
When purchasing a glass bowl for an air fryer, you need to make sure that the glass bowl is made from Borosilicate glass and oven-safe.
PYREX glassware made of borosilicate glass is the best choice for an air fryer. If a box or glassware is labeled with uppercase PYREX, they are made of Borosilicate glass.
However, newer Corningware pyrex (lower case) glassware is made of Soda-Lime glass, which is unsafe to use in an air fryer.
Make sure to look for an oven-safe symbol and temperature range of the glass bowl you are purchasing to use in an air fryer. And always stay below the stated temperature range while using a glass bowl in an air fryer.
FAQs
Can you put Glass Pyrex in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can use Glass Pyrex made of Borosilicate glass in an air fryer. In addition, it is included in some other types of glass bowls deemed oven-safe.
It has been certified as oven-safe cookware for baking, cooking, and reheating leftovers.
It is a special type of glassware specifically manufactured in pre-heated conventional and convection ovens, microwaves, and at the same time, air fryers too.
This product is known to be oven-safe in temperatures up to 425°F. Do note that there have been some reports that its glasses shatter when there is direct contact with heat elements.
What type of containers can you use in an Air Fryer?
Any oven-safe container can be safely used in an air fryer. For example, you can use steel, metal, aluminum, and silicon container in an air fryer.
You want to choose PYREX made of Borosilicate glass for the glass bowl to use in an air fryer.
Can you put the Ceramic bowl in an Air Fryer?
Like glass bowls, there are different ceramic bowls that the materials may distinguish it is made of and their quality.
The type of ceramic bowls that can be put in an air fryer are the ones labeled oven-safe. These are usually good-quality ceramic containers that are heat-resistant too.
Other ceramic products can be used in the oven, microwaves, and air fryers. These include ceramic plates, ramekins, and other ceramic bakeware like pie or flan dishes and loaf pans.
Can you put a bowl in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can put a bowl in an air fryer as long as it fits, and, more importantly, it is considered oven-safe.
Remember, you cannot just put any regular bowl inside an oven or air fryer. Fortunately, there are many oven-safe bowls that you can choose from.
Some of these that are safe to use are bowls made with stainless steel, silicon, copper, stoneware, and some types of porcelain and PYREX made of borosilicate glass bowls. Also, you can use aluminum foil and parchment paper in an air fryer to save you time on cleaning the basket after cooking.
What can you not put in an Air Fryer?
As much as many types of bowls and other cookware containers can be used in an air fryer, there are also a number of those you should never use.
You should not try using those not labeled oven-safe because they are not meant to be used in ovens or air fryers.
Some notable bowls you should avoid are glass bowls made of regular soda-lime glass and those with lead crystal glass.
Other containers you should also prevent using are made with wood or bamboo, melamine, plastic, and paper plate.
Conclusion – Can I use a glass bowl in an air fryer?
Air fryers are convenient to use and inexpensive, and they promote good health and wellness.
They are mini ovens that use convection heat to make your meals crispy, juicy, and tasty. However, just like an oven, you should be mindful of using it.
This is because there is also a risk when using one, especially if you put something unnecessary. When it comes to glass bowls, always use those that are oven-safe and made of Borosilicate glass.
