Can you put Aluminium Foil Trays in air fryer

Foil trays which could be part of a ready meal and bought as a set in-store, can sit inside an air fryer providing its fits with room on either sides, and can be lifted out with ease.

You can put any kind of foil tray in an air fryer, including store-bought re-usable trays, which are designed to use multiple times. Why not save ready meal foil trays which can be used multiple times before throwing away. In no way will the air fryer burn or damage foil trays, which can help keep air fryers clean.

I believe there's never a bad time to use a foil tray in your air fryer, because its all a matter of keeping your air fryer as clean as you can, for as long as possible, right?

Well, in many ways that is true of course, yet any air fryer-compatible foil tray will serve to contain a variety of food items, which need to be cooked together as instructed to - and thus, ensure none of the juices, marinade and sauces spill over.

Loaded chips to French fries and chicken wings which are topped with a thick sauce and melting cheese, will benefit when cooked in a foil tray - to keep all the ingredients confined to the tray - and therefore the ingredients remain on top of the chips and wings, where they belong.

Italian ready meals which come in foil trays are an example of food items which can be safely air fried, with no cause for concern.

You can put any kind of foil tray in an air fryer, which doesn't really need to be approved as oven-safe, and if it is, it would be air fryer-safe of as well.

Continue to use oven-approved foil trays bought in the shop as normal, plus any foil trays already used once, to re-use again and again until the tray shows signs of deterioration -  to which its time to finally throw the tray away. In fact, you can line an old tray which isn't in great shape in a sheet aluminium foil - all in an effort to extend the foil trays use - whilst doing your bit for the environment when reusing foil trays.

When to use foil trays will be any ready meal designed to be oven-cooked in the tray, but can be air fried instead. When not to use a foil tray, is only when the tray itself is too big for the width of your air fryer basket.

In addition, when air frying a meat pie example, which comes in a tin foil tray, the pie itself would need to be taken out of the tray so the pastry can cook directly.

So far I've successfully air fried ready meals in a foil tray dozens of times in the last few years, plus I've made homemade roast potatoes, plus saucy chicken breasts and wings, loaded chips/fries - and random dishes like saucy beef and ale meatballs.

WARNING: Foil trays are an extremely lightweight item, and will be prone to blowing about in an air fryer if it isn't weighed down, thus never preheat the foil tray unless its pinned down - like with use of a heavy steel butter knife or spoon.

Can put food-approved trays in air fryer

You're in luck, because foil trays tend to be fully compatible with all kinds of cooking, and thus can be safely placed in any cooking appliance, including an air fryer.

With those foil trays that come in a set of 4-6, and bought in major supermarkets, can be used to cook food in. You must ensure the width of the trays will fit inside your air fryer before spending money on incompatible foil trays.

Foil trays designed for use with food will be baking tray-like in design, which means you can air fry dishes which consist of a certain measure of sauces and marinades.

Lower the edges are, the harder it is to contain meals which have a lot of cooking sauce.

Rarely do foil trays have a temperature limitation, but its worth checking on the packaging.

Foil trays aren't prone to adhering to food like sheets of foil are, which means most store-bought foil trays, can be used over again, until they're a little worst for wear.

Cook Ready Meal-filled foil trays

If it isn't made in plastic you can be sure an occasional ready meal will be made in foil, which is safe to go in your oven, and thus certainly suitable to go in your air fryer.

Ready meals barely feature instructions for meals that come in foil trays for an air fryer, so its just a matter of positioning the ready meal in your air fryer - setting the time and temperature - and air fry until the ready meal is fully cooked.

Of all the years I have air fried ready meals featuring a foil tray - like pasta dishes - never has the air fryer caused issues. Unfortunately, the food sticks to the inner tray once in a while, but that isn't anything to do with air frying.

I once air fried a frozen toad in the hole which came in a foil tray. And while the toad in the hole cooking directions instructed to loosen the sides of the foil tray before cooking - I felt it was best to pull the frozen toad in the hole out of the tray to line the foil tray with parchment paper - which stopped the Yorkshire Pudding batter from sticking.

So you see, with a little preparation, you can use foil trays in imaginative ways, all in an effort to stop food sticking, and/or keeping the foil trays clean so they can be reused.

Put any foil tray in your air fryer and cook as instructed to for the original oven cooking instructions. You won't have any safety issues to contend with providing you air fry the foil  tray whilst it remains flat on the bottom of the air fryer basket.

Re-wash used food trays

You will want to use foil trays whenever you get the opportunity to cook ready meals which must be air fried in one.

Why else its important to use foil trays is so you can extend the life of your air fryer, by which you can avoid air frying food directly in the basket, which can deteriorate the air fryer sooner than you think.

With food burning and scotching the inside of a foil tray - which can be disposable and/or reusable - the tray will take the full brunt of any damage caused by cooking.

You don't have to go out especially to buy reusable foil trays, when ready meal foil trays can gradually be saved for reuse multiple times, until its time to finally throw it out. You will have the foil tray to hand, thus only you will know its compatible with your air fryer.

Do clean old ready meal foil trays as best as you can until all baked on food is fully washed away. If food marks remain, then it will be a good idea to dispose of the foil tray on this occasion.

When to use foil trays

When you can't be bothered to clean your air fryer basket - which can be hard work at times - it would be a good idea to utilise a foil tray.

Ready meal foil trays will give you no option but its certainly convenient to not search for a foil tray in the cupboard. Yet, any reusable foil trays you must dig out will be well worth your time, when certain food items are guaranteed to mark the basket.

Marks and stains I might add may be caused by baked on fat and grease which has been baking onto the basket for hours, in case of a joint of beef or pork.

And remember, the older your air fryer is, the harder it becomes to clean over time.

When its not suitable to line your air fryer in foil and/or parchment paper, the foil tray will ensure access fat, grease and cooking juices don't spill over the edges, and thus resting directly inside the air fryer basket and outer container.

Other than air frying meals which consist of sauces which must be contained in a tray, a foil tray can come in useful for cooking items like skewers, which can be strung across the elevated edges, so the meat and vegetables air fry with all sides exposed.

Alternative option is to use of metal baking trays which can deteriorate quickly if used often, whilst an air fryer-safe silicone basket can be hard to clean, and a real pain to maintain in due course.

Summary

If its made in foil and designed to be cooked with, you can be sure the foil tray, dishes and bowls can all be safely air fried.

Foil trays sold in-stores can be used in the oven, which means they can be re-purposed for use in an air fryer, with NO POSSIBLE CHANCE OF FIRE. Foil trays will get hot, thus its vital to handle with a tea towel when removing foil trays out of the air fryer.

Oven ready meals regularly come in foil trays which tends to be a softer, more bendy aluminium tray, which continues to be air fryer-safe.

When buying foil trays sold in stores, do make sure you take the width and know the measurements of you internal air fryer basket. Foil trays are safe for air frying but they must sit flat - you don't want foil trays to come into contact with the heating element.

Other than foil trays you can buy, you can re-use ready meal trays and any food item which is sold in a foil tray, like a quiche.

When to use a foil tray in an air fryer would be when the ready meal comes in a tray, plus when you want to contain a dish which consists of a sauce and perhaps cheese which is designed to melt over the food cooked in the tray.

Foil trays will contain these kinds of saucy loaded meals where the food is confined to the tray only. If any food item is decanted onto a foil lining for example, its likely the sauce and cheese will spoil as it drains away.

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