Can an air fryer replace an oven?

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Deciding whether to buy an air fryer? Want to know more about the air fryer vs oven debate? Or wondering can an air fryer replace an oven? Then you’re in the right place! In this article we’re going to deep dive into the differences between an air fryer and an oven. Helping you decide which is best for you!

What is an air fryer?

An air fryer is a medium sized electrical kitchen appliance, that uses dry hot air to cook food.

What is an oven?

Ovens are very large kitchen appliances that use gas or electricity to disperse heat throughout a large cooking chamber. 

What’s the difference between an air fryer and an oven?

There are many differences between an air fryer and a fan oven. The obvious being that an air fryer is significantly smaller than a conventional oven. 

And because the air fryer is a much smaller and more concentrated cooking space, it usually results in faster cooking times. And certainly reduces the amount of time needed to preheat it. If you decide to purchase an air fryer with 2 drawers, you can also cook multiple things at once, at two different temperatures. Which can be super handy.

An electric oven on the other hand, is a much larger appliance. So if you often cook large quantities of food, or just larger food in general (like pizza or a pastry sheet bake), an oven would be a great shout.

You can also mimic ‘bakery style’ cooking methods in an oven, by adding a pizza stone or throwing in some water before you bake to create steam. Which you can’t really do when air frying.

So! Can an air fryer replace an oven? Let’s take a deeper look…

How does an air fryer work?

Air fryers work by having a heating element above the drawer(s), accompanied by a pretty powerful fan. It’s the combination of the two that blows hot, dry air around the food, and cooks it. Often with satisfyingly crispy results!

Can I use an air fryer as an oven?

Yes! An air fryer is essentially a mini fan oven. But you do need to make sure you don’t treat it like an oven! As it’s smaller, it cooks faster, and doesn’t need as high a temperature as you would need in an oven.

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What is better, an air fryer or an oven?

This is entirely dependent on your current circumstances. And the answer will be different for everyone! To find out what is most suited to you, you need to ask yourself a few questions…

What questions should you ask yourself?

• Who do you live with? Is it just you and your partner? Do you have small children or young adults in the house? The answer to this will tell you roughly how much you need to cook at one time. For an average family of 3 or 4, an air fryer would be a great fit. Have 5 or more people in your household? It might be more energy efficient to stick with your oven.
• What will you be cooking? What do you make most often? Do you regularly eat foods that are typically oven baked? Or are you more of a ‘stove top’ kind of person? Weigh up if you will actually get the most out of an air fryer should you purchase one. Or whether you have all you need in your oven and stove top.
• Do you need to cook more than one thing at a time? If so, do they require different timings and temperatures? This is a pivotal question, as multi temperatures is something only an air fryer can do! If you answered yes, a dual drawer model might be best for you.
• Is timing an issue? Are you always running around like a crazy Mum or Dad who has zero time to do ALL THE THINGS?! Then an air fryer might be a good fit for you, as it helps to reduce cooking times.
• Do you need to cook large quantities in one go? Do you regularly batch cook in big quantities? The oven would be the obvious choice. But if you only make meals for 2-3 people? An air fryer could save you money in the long run.
• Short on space? If you already have an oven but very little worktop space, it may not be wise to sacrifice what little you have to own an air fryer. Don’t own an oven and have a tiny kitchen? Or live in student accommodation? Then an air fryer might be your saving grace!

In summary…

If you are looking at buying an air fryer, you will need to weigh up the pros and cons, to discover what is best suited to your needs. And ultimately, to answer the question – can an air fryer replace an oven in your lifestyle?

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What can an air fryer do that an oven can’t?

There are a few handy air fryer advantages. For one, they speed up cooking times and lower temperatures, which can potentially save you money on your energy bill. 

Due to the hot dry air and small space, they are also (in my experience) far superior at achieving crispier results faster. 

And my personal favourite? Dual drawer air fryers have the capability of cooking things at 2 different temperatures… at the same time! This has been a game changer for me personally.

Do you need an air fryer if you have an oven?

I mean, no. You obviously don’t NEED an air fryer. That’s the same as asking whether you need a microwave or not – There’s always an alternative way of achieving the end result.

It’s more of a personal choice. If you think that owning an air fryer will benefit your life in some (or lots of) ways, then you should totally get one! If the negatives outweigh the positives? Save your money for something else that’s more important to you.

Can cooking with an air fryer save you money?

Because they are a smaller appliance compared to an oven, yes, air fryers can save you money on your energy bills. Air fryers usually require lower temperatures and shorter cooking times. Which uses less energy.

However, there are a couple of potential caveats to this…

One – If you need to cook a large quantity of food, you may have to cook in batches. Which will take longer, and could result in using more energy overall when compared with your oven.

Two – If you don’t learn how to use your air fryer properly, you can end up overcooking or burning ingredients. And even damaging your air fryer! Both of which will obviously cost you more money in the long run.

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Air fryer baking vs oven baking

Obviously size is a factor here. It depends what you’re baking as to which will work best. Can an air fryer replace an oven when baking?

Many people believe that you can’t even bake in an air fryer, which is utter nonsense! I regularly bake air fryer cake, and have even experimented to create unusual treats like air fryer Creme Egg croissants! (Which are amazing by the way!!)

Obviously if you are making a large batch of something, or a very large item, your oven will be more energy efficient. But where an air fryer shines in baking, is being able to bake smaller quantities without the need to heat a huge oven!

For example, I often have a bag of air fryer cookies in the freezer. Meaning I can cook a small amount, very quickly and in a much more energy efficient way.

Air fryer v oven

So, can an air fryer replace an oven? The verdict is… it depends! As we’ve covered in this post, there are a lot of different reasons that people would want an air fryer. And lots of different things that people might want to cook in them.

The key thing is to choose what works best for you, and your lifestyle!

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Have your say!

Did you find this post useful? Thought of something I may have missed? Let me know! Get in touch via social media – on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com. I’d love your feedback!

The products I use

• This is the Ninja AF400UK Dual Zone air fryer that I use.
• I often use these perforated air fryer liners. Especially when baking things like air fryer cookies.