I would put a load of coals in there and fire it up before I ever used it with food. If there is any kind of weird smoke coming off of it or any oders then I would not use it.
To be honest, if it were me, I would drag that basket to the end of the driveway and chuck it in the trash.
It's not going to be a long term solution because the hot coals are going to burn right through those thin wires.