No, an air fryer and an oven work on completely different principles.
An oven operates by using electromagnetic radiation while an air fryer uses air currents to heat or cook food. Talking about an oven, a conventional oven is different from an air fryer. An oven works by providing circulating heat and electromagnetic currents.
In contrast to that, a microwave oven might be a replacement for an air fryer. They function quite similarly, yet are different too!
So, if an oven is a conventional one, it works similarly as the hot air is concentrated in a much smaller chamber by the air fryer, making it faster for small amounts of food.
In this blog, I’ll discuss various types of ovens, their working principles, and their similarities to an air fryer. Along with that, we’ll get to know either an oven can replace an air fryer or not.
What is an Air Fryer?
Air fryers are electronic kitchen appliances that cook food quickly with little or no oil.
They primarily fry, hence the mention of oil, but they also perform other tasks. Their heating elements are located at the unit’s top, along with a large, rotating fan. They are also pre-heated before use, which contributes to their faster cooking.
Pre-heating sets the tone, and when food is introduced, they immediately cook it. Food is introduced into the device through a perforated tray located inside the basket. The tray’s perforation improves hot air circulation.
Why do air fryers cook more quickly than ovens?
The reason air fryers cook faster than ovens is due to their smaller size.
Air fryers do not require the heating of a large appliance, such as a full-sized oven. Most air fryer models are designed for small to medium-volume cooking. Because of the small area-to-volume ratio, the heat-rotating fan can easily distribute a large amount of heat all around the cooker.
Because ovens are larger and hold more food, the heating coil takes longer to distribute cooking heat throughout the appliance than an air fryer.
Are Air Fryers Similar To Hot Ovens?
It’s not simply a hot oven, either. It may simulate deep-fat frying by heating dishes with little oil coating since it circulates tremendous heat throughout the chamber.
It cooks food more uniformly than an oven while ensuring that all extra oil and fat fall to the bottom of the pan, making it superior to an oven in this regard.
Overall, it can be compared to a fryer and a combination oven on steroids. Those who believe it is merely a substitute for a standard oven are simply missing out.
According to my understanding, an air fryer is a contained space with high heat that continuously circulates hot air around the food being cooked.
You achieve the crisp deep-fried effect without the calories and taste of deep-fried oil!
What Kind Of Foods Can You Cook In An Air Fryer?
You may prepare foods that call for baking in the oven in your air fryer.
A single batch of chicken wings, zucchini fries, or other fried favorites can be easily prepared in an air fryer, which can also be used for convection baking in your kitchen.
However, in terms of volume, an air fryer cannot take the place of a regular oven.
Only dishes with loose toppings may be prepared in the air fryer; all other dishes must be baked (i.e., cheese, pepperoni).
If you prefer the top to be crispy and golden, you can afterward reheat the identical meals in the air fryer.
How Is The Food Cooked In An Air Fryer?
There is a slight difference in the foods that are cooked in an oven than in an air fryer.
In general, the air fryer operates similarly to a convection oven, but the air is typically forced through more quickly. This will assist the surface to dry up and become hotter more quickly, resulting in a crispy surface. The same result will probably cause cake, cookies, or other baked goods to go bad.
Reduce the recommended temperature by 25°F to 50°F and shorten the cooking time by around 20% because the heat in an air fryer is more intense than in a conventional oven.
The goal of an air fryer is to cook food as crisply as possible without using oil. Both the skin of the chicken and the potato should get crisper when cooked in the air fryer. If you want something softer, like a pot roast, the oven is better.
Is Buying An Air Fryer Worth It?
Yes, having an air fryer will facilitate you to prepare healthy meals in no time and you won’t regret buying it.
I’ll make it clear to you by mentioning my personal experience. I have a Dawlance air fryer. I utilize it as opposed to a deep fryer. Even though there are only 4 people in my home, I am happy that I bought a huge 5 qt air fryer.
I use my air fryer for a variety of foods, including frozen fries, bacon, egg rolls, and several kinds of sausage.
I also frequently utilize the “roast” and “dehydrate” features.
I detest having to heat the kitchen and oven to prepare a tiny meatloaf for two or a quarter slab of ribs. I frequently combine my “quick pot” with the air fryer.
The meatloaf prepared in the air fryer is perfectly juicy and beautifully browned when I cooked it last night in the instant pot and then browned it in the air fryer for 6 minutes at “roast” (350 degrees).
The majority of my tiny kitchen appliances, in my experience, function best when used in tandem with other items. Buy a bigger size than you think you’ll need and believe me, it will be useful.
Are There Any Advantages Of Using An Air Fryer Over A Microwave?
Yes, you may find an air fryer much more advantageous than using a microwave in many regards.
Because microwaves stir up the water molecules and cause friction that generates heat, they are excellent for defrosting and reheating leftovers.
They don’t do a good job of producing the Maillard reaction, which gives food the distinct flavor and aroma of browned food, so I gave up trying to cook much of anything in them.
On the other hand, an air fryer is essentially a condensed oven that produces the Maillard reaction exactly as it would in a regular oven or deep fat fryer.
I frequently make fried chicken, fried fish, and fried okra in my air fryer, and while nothing can perfectly replicate the flavor of food cooked in a true deep-fat fryer, I think the air fryer is worth the convenience because it requires much less work.
Food cooked in an air fryer has an oven-baked flavor.
I also possess an air fryer, which I frequently use for convenience and health reasons. In terms of flavor, the items resemble oven-fried food more than oven-baked food. The results are good if the food is doused with oil, not crammed into the basket, and mixed evenly.
It is necessary to distribute food frequently enough for numerous meals (fries, breaded items).
Most dishes take less than 20 minutes to prepare and taste nice, although not quite as wonderful as those that have been deep-fried or pan-fried.
The exteriors are typically crispier than meals from an oven and require a lot less oil than traditional frying.
Do Air Fryers And Convection Ovens Differ In Any Way?
Even though I am not an expert on the differences, I’ll provide the following judgment based on my personal experience using my counter-top oven/air fryer.
My countertop oven features two levels for the cooking rack and several settings for toasting, baking, and air-frying.
To catch any fat that may spill over during the cooking process, air frying is done in a wire basket suspended above a pan. This enables the hot air to move over, underneath, and around the objects being air-fried. The oven’s bottom element is the only one that is on.
Either a baking sheet or a baking pan without a wire rack is used for baking. Only the bottom element produces heat, and the majority of cooking is done using the pan’s bottom.
Simply said, using the “convection” setting causes the hot air to circulate more effectively, hastening the baking process.
What Are Some Of The Best Microwaves Regarding Capacity?
Microwaves were of common use before the air fryers came into trend. But afterward, air fryers took their place due to being more efficient in many aspects. Still, microwaves have not been outdated in an absolute way.
A lot of kitchens still have them as many people feel comfortable with them. For this reason, I’ve compiled here a list of the best microwaves along with their capacities so you may have an idea if you’re planning to buy one;
| Types of Microwaves | Capacity (CU.FT) |
| Small Countertop Microwave | 0.5 – 0.9 |
| Over-the-range Microwave | 0.8 – 2.1 |
| Built-in Microwave | 1.0 – 2.2 |
| Standard and Large Microwave | 1.0 – 2.2 |
Air Fryer Vs. Oven; Which One’s Healthier?
Given the longer preheat time, they are typically less expensive to run because they are smaller than full-size ovens. Just make sure there is space between the meals and that there is a grate underneath to allow air to circulate.
Everything relies on the ingredients you use and the preparation method. Due to the amount of oil used in deep fryers and how long the food is cooked in the oil, air fryers are “healthier” than deep fryers.
Both should be equal in terms of health. The extra oil used in regular deep frying or even pan frying has detrimental health impacts. Both of these alternatives lack that. Otherwise, it is up to you what you decide to prepare, not the gadget.
For instance, baking too much cake can make your oven highly unhealthy, not because the oven is harmful, but rather because the oven is a cake oven.
Therefore, you’ve to consider several factors before using an oven and an air fryer. They have their advantages as well as disadvantages.
That greatly affects how much fat is contained in each dish. However, the computations are different from a typical over.
The amount of oil used in any cooking technique is often quite small. That significantly reduces the fat content. When you aim for the desired result, there is a difference.
Even though traditional ovens take longer, they may cook meals that are thicker and more thoroughly. Air fryers cook food quickly and work best with small portions.
Here is given a video introducing an amazing microwave. It possesses the features of all the notable kitchen gadgets such as an air fryer, microwave, and oven. This ‘All-in-one’ kind of machine will save your space as well.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, I’d like to say that,
- An oven can’t replace an air fryer, nor can an air fryer replace a microwave.
- The principles and SOPs of an air fryer are extremely different from those of an oven. Although it’s been observed that a conventional oven is quite similar to an air fryer.
- A conventional oven uses conventional current to heat or cook food, while an air fryer uses equal and dynamic circulation of heat produced by electric current.
- Using an air fryer is much healthier and less toxic than using an oven, but both of them have distinctive features that really can’t replace one another.
- All in all, a microwave works contrastingly to an air fryer, and an air fryer can not replace a microwave. Some people keep the opinion that life has been the same with a microwave even before an air fryer wasn’t in use normally.
- So it’s taken as a gimmick too!