Air fryers have taken over store shelves and TV commercials in a very less time. The rise of air fryers can be easily attributed to their promise of healthier, crispier fried foods. But are you ready to make some extra space in your kitchen for some appliance that’s just a downsized version of a convection oven that you might already have? So the question arises: what makes an air fryer any different than a convection oven? An air fryer is basically a self-contained convection oven with a powerful fan. Let’s take a look at the main differences between air fryers and convection ovens.

What is an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a self-contained convection oven that cooks food by circulating hot air around the unit with a powerful fan. The best thing about air fryers is that they can approach the crispiness of fried foods while using far less oil than a convection oven does. They are a popular alternative to deep frying but are healthier and there’s no risk of oily mess. Additionally, most of the air fryers preheat in 3 to 5 minutes compared to 20 to 30 minutes an oven requires

What is a Convection Oven?

A convection oven is a full-size fryer which looks more like a traditional oven but with capabilities limited to frying, baking, roasting, and so on. But convection ovens work really fast compared to the conventional ovens. A fan in the oven circulates hot air around the food, resulting in crispier, delicious cooked foods. The circulating hot air creates a crust of crispiness on the outside of food, just like an air fryer does. They are significantly larger than air fryers, making them ideal for cooking in larger quantities.

Difference between Air Fryer and Convection Oven

Basics

– An air fryer is a counter top kitchen appliance and essentially a small convection oven that produces healthy, delicate fried foods and many of the foods you might roast or bake with less fuss. Instead of quarts of oil, it takes usually a small amount and still achieves beautifully crisp results. It’s basically a downsized version of a convection oven with a powerful fan and the air circulates much faster than in a convection oven. The fan in a convection oven keeps the air relatively dry which helps to create the crispiness on the food surfaces while the inside stays moist.

Working

– While both air fryers and a full-size convection oven are principally the same because they both use a fan to move hot air around inside the chamber to create even heating, air fryers circulate the air more rapidly inside the chamber to speed up the cooking process and time. The main thing that differentiates an air fryer from a convection oven is the intensity of the forced fan heat. Depending on the convection oven, it may or may not have as powerful a fan to circulate hot air as it does with an air fryer, which in turn affects the crispiness of the crust.

Cooking Time

– The most noteworthy difference between a counter-top air fryer and a convection oven is that an air fryer cooks significantly faster, 20 to 25% faster to be precise. It also requires less oil as with deep frying and requires less energy, as you would typically set your cooking temperatures between 25°F and 50°F lower than as you would in an oven. Additionally, most of the air fryers preheat in 3 to 5 minutes compared to 20 to 30 minutes an oven requires, this significantly reduces the cooking time of an air fryer.

Size & Capacity

– Size and capacity are the two essential factors that highly affect the choice of your appliance. Air fryers are the downsized version of convection ovens; so needless to say, they are much smaller in size and cannot hold as much food as a full-size convection oven can hold. So if you want to cook a lot of food at a time, it is wise to stick with a convection oven because it’s usually bigger than a typical air fryer. With an air fryer, you have to cook in batches which only add up to the cooking time.

Ease of Use

– Compared to a convection oven, air fryers are really safe and easy to use. And they stay cool to the touch on the outside which makes them safer for young family members to learn how to cook than larger convection ovens. Additionally, it is extremely easy to use – you just have to put the food in air fryer basket, turn on the time and temperature called for, and you’re good to go. Just shake the food a few times while cooking and you get crispy finished foods in no time.

Air Fryer vs. Convection Oven: Comparison Chart

Summary of Air Fryer vs. Convection Oven

In a nutshell, both air fryers and a full-size convection oven are principally the same because they both use a fan to move hot air around inside the unit to create even heating. However, air fryers circulate the air more rapidly inside the chamber to speed up the cooking process and time. Additionally, most of the air fryers preheat in 3 to 5 minutes compared to 20 to 30 minutes an oven requires, this significantly reduces the cooking time of an air fryer. But if you want to cook a lot of food at a time, it is wise to stick with a convection oven because it’s usually bigger than a typical air fryer. An air fryer is just a downsized version of a convection oven which cannot hold as much food as a full-size convection oven. So, if you’re a small family of two, an air fryer is your best bet.

Sharing is caring!