What Is an Air Fryer Made Of? | Materials Explained

Most air fryers combine a metal cooking basket with a non-stick coating and a plastic or metal outer shell, though exact materials vary by brand and model.

If you’ve ever wondered what an air fryer is made of, the honest answer is: it depends. A typical basket-style air fryer pairs a metal food basket with a non-stick or ceramic coating, a heating element up top, and an outer housing of plastic, metal, or both. Understanding the materials matters for two reasons — what’s safe to put inside, and how long the appliance will last.

The Common Materials in an Air Fryer

Air fryers use a surprisingly consistent set of materials across most brands. The food-contact parts are almost always metal, while the outside shell trades off between plastic for lower cost and metal for durability and looks.

• Basket, tray, or pan: Steel or aluminized steel, usually coated with PTFE (the non-stick coating commonly known as Teflon).
• Heating element: Stainless steel or a nickel-chromium alloy, located above the food.
• Fan assembly: Metal blades driven by a motor, responsible for circulating hot air.
• Outer housing: Plastic, stainless steel, or painted metal — sometimes a mix of both.
• Inner liner: Ceramic, enamel, or a non-stick coating depending on the model.

Philips, one of the largest air fryer makers, publishes a detailed materials breakdown. Its pans, baskets, meshes, baking trays, grilling racks, and pizza plates are made from steel or aluminized steel and mostly coated with PTFE non-stick coating. Some 7000 Series meshes use a ceramic coating instead, and silver accessories like the snack cover, double layer rack, or skewers use stainless steel or chrome-plated steel. The black plastic oil collector is polyamide, a heat-resistant nylon.

That one caveat matters: Philips’ own materials page applies only to model HD9650/90, so details shift between models. The same lesson holds for every brand — check your specific model’s manual before assuming anything.

What’s Safe to Put Inside

Not everything oven-safe belongs in an air fryer, even if it won’t melt. The circulating fan changes the rules.

Lightweight items like parchment paper alone can blow into the heating element. Plastic can melt onto the basket, and non-tempered glass can shatter from thermal shock. Paper and cardboard are out unless the manufacturer explicitly permits them — and even then, they need to be secured against the airflow, not just loosely placed.

Oven-safe containers can work when the manufacturer allows them, but airflow clearance must stay intact. Blocking circulation around the food defeats the entire cooking method. For air fryer accessories, the safest approach is the manufacturer’s own approval. Instant Pot, Bosch, and Philips all publish model-specific manuals that list allowed materials and temperature limits — check yours before experimenting.

Before using any accessory, confirm it’s labeled oven-safe or explicitly approved for your specific model. If the manual doesn’t mention it, treat it as unapproved.

Do Materials Affect Performance or Longevity?

Yes, and the differences are worth knowing before you buy. The coating on the basket gets the most wear since it touches food and withstands repeated heating and cleaning cycles daily.

PTFE non-stick coatings are the industry standard because they release food easily and clean up fast. They can degrade if overheated or scraped with metal utensils, which exposes the bare steel underneath. Ceramic coatings resist higher temperatures better and are free of PTFE, but they tend to lose their non-stick properties faster over time. Stainless steel baskets avoid coatings entirely but require more oil or careful preheating to prevent sticking.

The outer housing matters less for cooking and more for durability. A plastic shell keeps the price down and runs cooler to the touch, but scratches easily. A stainless steel or painted metal body feels sturdier and resists fingerprints and smudges better. Heating tubes made of stainless steel or nickel-chromium alloy do the same job across models — the difference shows up in how quickly the air fryer reaches temperature.

If you’re shopping specifically for an air fryer with a metal basket and an all-metal exterior, our roundup of the best all-metal air fryers tests which models actually deliver on that promise.

Materials Breakdown by Part

Here’s the quick reference for what’s inside a typical air fryer, based on manufacturer documentation and common construction across major brands:

There is no single universal construction for all air fryers. The materials depend on the brand, the model, and the accessory type. What holds across the board: the cooking surfaces are metal with a coating, the heating element is a metal alloy, and the outer shell is where manufacturers cut costs or add premium feel.

The practical takeaway is to treat your manual as the final authority. Check the materials and temperature limits for your exact model before using any accessory, avoid lightweight paper or plastic near the fan, and preserve airflow around the food. Do that, and the materials — whatever combination your model uses — will cook reliably for years.