Oven Vs Air Fryer Time

Our Findings: It Depends

So will an air fryer actually save you any money? It depends.

Using the example of our chicken breast, we found that if you only cook for one person, you’d save around £34.32 per year by switching to an air fryer four times a week.

However, if you’re cooking for a family and your four meals a week look more like our fish fingers and chips example, it will take longer to see any savings. According to Which? experts, you would have to cook 476 roast chickens before you made back enough money to pay off that original £100 purchase. However, you would also save 182 hours of waiting time if you use the air fryer.

Find out how ovens and air fryers compare to other appliances in Oven, air fryer, slow cooker or hob? Comparing the cheapest ways to cook.

Can You Run An Air Fryer As A Microwave

Larsen does not recommend converting recipes that call for cooking solely in the microwave since the methods are completely different and you won’t achieve the same results. For instance, you cannot steam in the air fryer, since it uses dry heat and will make the food crispy.

However, Larsen does recommend using an air fryer for reheating a variety of foods like pizza, potatoes, meatloaf, and more. The air fryer gives the food a crispier exterior than a microwave and moist interior. Set the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 5 minutes, then check. Cook longer if needed, stopping to check every few minutes.

Quick tip: Since most air fryers are basically small convection ovens, it’s easy to convert convection oven recipes. Larsen recommends using the same temperature but reducing the cook time by about 20% since air fryers are small and circulate heat faster.

Convection Oven Vs Air Fryer

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details.

Learn the key differences between a convection oven and an air fryer. What is the difference between convection oven vs. air fryer?. We love convection cooking because it cooks food faster, more evenly and creates crispy skin on roasted chicken and turkey. But does it make sense to buy an air fryer when you already have a convection oven in your kitchen? This post will provide you with the most important details and major differences as well as pros and cons about convection ovens vs. air fryers. Even though both kitchen appliances are related there are some interesting distinctions between these two types of ovens.

• Common Questions

Read Also: Double Oven Electric Slide In Range

Advantages Of Using An Air Fryer

The main advantage of using an air fryer is that it can be faster than cooking in an oven. Additionally, air fryers can be healthier than deep frying food because they use less oil than a deep fryer.

You also wont have to worry about what to do with the hot oil after cooking. I always struggled with how to dispose of it.

The shorter cook time of your air fryer will free you up to do other things. Youll love how quickly you can put a meal on the table.

Air Fryers Are More Economical Than Fan Ovens

As a result of points one to four, air fryers can cook any given food with lower energy usage than an oven. If you have a smart meter, try doing the same meal in an oven one day and an air fryer the next. You’ll be impressed at how much you save with the latter. And you’ll be even more impressed when energy prices soar over the coming years.

Read Also: How To Cook Beyond Burger In Oven

Benefits Of An Air Fryer

There are some benefits that you receive from an air fryer that you cannot get from a traditional oven. These benefits include that you are frying food in a healthy way without oil. Your food has a crunch of fried food without the unhealthy aspects.

It is easy and safe to use an air fryer. There is no oil popping and potentially burning you. Your food cooks much faster in an air fryer than in a traditional oven. Air fryers are easy to clean. Some of the pieces are dishwasher safe, and they come apart for easy cleaning.

Air Fryer Calculator Oven To Air Fryer Conversion

Oven to air fryer conversion is pretty straight forward for most recipes, but there are a few things you need to know. This post has tips for converting recipes, and an oven to air fryer conversion calculator to help you convert recipes from oven to air fryer .

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my affiliate policy here.

Read Also: Calphalon Quartz Heat Countertop Toaster Oven

How Do You Choose An Air Fryer

There is so much choice, and some can be quite large. Ive looked at a number of reviews and top 10 lists, but so far its been hard to really work out which one is best. Being a single person I only really need a small one, though you can get family sized air fryers too.

I think theyre probably ideal for smaller meals, imagine cooking every element of a roast dinner in your air fryer and having to keep everything warm as you keep popping different things in. Yes its quick but that sounds like a faff. So some of the hype might be over egging the air fryer benefits, but they really do look cool, save on bills and cook things really quickly.

Im going to be going into some actually shops to take a look and see what I like the look of and also doing some polls to find out what Air Fryer my friends recommend as literally everyone is talking about them. It looks like you can get a small one for around £60-£80, which is cheaper than I thought and certainly comparable to the price of a microwave.

Tips To Convert Oven To Air Fryer

Here are some general tips to convert oven to air fryer temps and times:

• Preheat your air fryer for maximum crispiness and even cooking.
• Add oil when needed for certain raw foods.
• Avoid stacking food when you can. Use only a single layer of food to get crispy results.
• Use our recipe search feature to find your favorites and follow our easy directions instead!

Also Check: Bake Chicken Legs In The Oven

Different Types Of Convection Ovens

There are many different kinds of convection appliances to choose from. If you already have a traditional built-in oven in your kitchen , you may want to buy a countertop convection oven. Otherwise you can choose from free standing convection ovens, built-in models as well as convection oven and range combinations. You can either pick a true convection oven or a 2-in-1 combination of a convection and regular oven. The latter has both, a regular oven as well as a convection setting.

How Can I Convert An Oven Cook Time To An Air Fryer Cook Time

If you look at my bro meals section of Air Fryer Bro, you will see I have cooked a wide variety of frozen food in my air fryer. This has given me real experience converting the oven cook times on food packets to something useable in an air fryer. What I came up with from those experiences was simple.

To change an oven cook time to an air fryer one, take the time required for a traditional oven and halve it. If you take a time for a fan assisted oven, you will need to use about 60% of the cook time. In both cases, cook for halve the time at the same temperature on the oven cooking instructions and take a look at your food. If it looks done, then test a small piece. Be ready to cook for another 5 minutes or so to finish off. If your food is slightly burned or charred, lower the cook time slightly next time.

This is not an exact science, but as you cook the same things several times, you will get an exact feel for the timings you need. This is not a one size fits all situation anyway, as every air fryer has a slightly different cooking strength.

Also Check: Dutch Oven With Glass Lid

How To Convert Recipes To An Air Fryer

Ask anyone whos had an air fryer for a while and theyll all tell you the same thing you can cook almost anything in one!

Air fryers circulate hot air to give food that deep-fried crispiness, without all the oil. You might think this means theyre best used for things that traditionally need deep-frying, but theres a whole world of air fryer recipes out there waiting for you!

If youve just invested in a new air fryer, you might be wondering where to get started. The beauty of an air fryer is that you can cook all your favourite foods in it you just need to know how to adjust the cooking temperature and time.

Weve put together a helpful conversion chart to make adapting recipes nice and easy. Once you know how to convert recipes for your air fryer, you just might never use your oven again

Not picked up an air fryer yet? Check out our rundown on the best air fryers to buy.

This post contains affiliate links. Find out what this means.

Dont Miss: Air Fryer Recipes Fried Chicken

How We Test To Choose The Best Cooking Times For Air Fryer

You could try using it to chop vegetables or to mix a cake batter. You could also try washing it in the dishwasher or using it to heat up food. There are many different ways to test a kitchen tool. It all depends on what you want to use the tool for.

When testing a cooking times for air fryer, it is important to make sure that it is safe to use. You should also check to see if the tool is easy to clean. Additionally, you should test the tool to see if it is durable and will last long. Finally, you should test the cooking times for air fryer to see if it is comfortable to use.

We will test each cooking times for air fryer for one week and then choose the best one.

Recommended Reading: Beef Roast In The Oven

Shake The Basket Or Turn The Food During Cooking

Even if you have the food in a single layer you will want to turn the food halfway through the cooking time. This will ensure both the top and bottom are cooked and crisp, and prevent the top from over browning.

For things like French fries, onion rings, and chicken wings you will want to remove the basket and give it a shake once or twice during the cooking process to make sure everything gets nice and crisp.

°F Version

Read Also: Frozen Chicken Tenders In Air Fryer

Deep Frying And Regular Baking

With actual deep-frying, your food is directly immersed in hot oil. The oil completely surrounds every inch of the food, so it gets uniformly crispy. With ordinary baking, your food gets less crispy, because baking cooks by surrounding your food with hot air and air is not as good a conductor of heat as oil.

You May Like: Make Your Own Pizza Oven

Cooking Times For Air Fryer Chicken

Chicken is one of our favourite things to cook in the air fryer. Not just because its easy, but because there are endless recipe variations and the chicken stays so juicy.

Here are a few commonly searched items. See the printable cheat sheet for a more comprehensive list of chicken options.

Chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 165°F.

Read Also: Oster Digital Rapidcrisp Air Fry Oven

How To Convert A Recipe To Convection Oven

A traditional convection oven will have a shorter cook time and lower temperature than the instructions call for in a recipe created for a standard oven. The general rule of thumb is to cook your recipe at 25°F lower. If your recipe calls for cooking an item at 350°F in a standard oven, cook it at 325°F in a convection oven.

Cook time is generally lower but you will need to keep an eye on your food to determine when it is done. Most people say cook time is about 25% faster in the convection oven.

You May Like: Enamel Dutch Oven Made In Usa

Energy Cost Of Gas Vs Electric Ovens

Depending on what type of oven you have, gas or electric, operating cost will vary since natural gas prices and electricity costs vary rather dramatically by state and service provider. While both use a similar amount of energy and have somewhat similar upfront costs, if you own an older oven there’s a good chance it’s less energy-efficient than a newer model.

Modern ovens are more energy-efficient than they used to be. But few, if any, can beat an air fryer.

Nuwave Air Fryer Recipes Easy Yummy & Time

Every time and again, new appliances which pledge to make our lives easier are being introduced into the market. One such appliance is the NuWave air fryer a versatile kitchen cookware designed for making fried food without the added fat. This kitchen gadget oozes quality and convenience at your fingertips.

Using super-heated air, it cooks food to crispy, tender perfection, while leaving a lot less mess at cleanup. Today, were not going to talk much about the NuWave air fryer itself, but rather healthy recipes for NuWave air fryer that still taste crispy, crunchy and delicious. If youre craving the crispiness of fried foods, then get started with these 5 NuWave air fryer recipes that scrape the calories and guilt.

Guidelines

Read Also: Keto Recipes In Air Fryer

Read Also: How To Cook Steak In Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Best Things To Cook In An Air Fryer

Even though an air fryer works great for most foods, here are a few foods that turn out exceptionally well.

• Vegetables: Slightly crispy on the the outside and perfectly tender on the inside, air fried vegetables come out truly cooked to perfection.
• Potatoes: Crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside, air fryers create amazing potato sides.
• Chicken Parts: Juicy and tender meat with the most crispy skin. Although, most air fryers might be too small for a whole chicken.
• Leftovers: While the microwave turns lots of leftovers into a soggy mess, the air fryer brings it back to almost freshly cooked condition.
• Pre-made Frozen Food: Air fryers cook fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, fish sticks or bagel bites, for example, quicker and crisper than an oven ever could.

Did you know that you can even cook steak in the air fryer? This Air Fryer Filet Mignon recipe is going to be your go to when it comes to cooking the perfect steak! Not only is it a quick meal, but also restaurant quality and never dry!

So Air Fryers Cook Faster

That smaller space and powerful fan mean a much quicker pre-heat as little as two minutes in some cases and a faster cook. Theres a bit of trial and error involved in converting traditional oven recipes to air frying many websites suggest reducing the time by 20% and the temperature by 25ºF, but weve gotten great results taking the temperature 30-plus-degrees lower .

Also Check: How To Bake Asparagus In Oven

Cooking Times For Air Fryer Beef

Beef in the air fryer is quick and easy. Cooking in far less time than the oven and resulting in tender, juicy meat.

Here are a few of the most commonly cooked items. For a more comprehensive list see the printable chart at the bottom of the page.

Looking for an easy beef recipe? Try our air fried hamburgers!

What Can You Cook In An Air Fryer Oven

You can cook a wide variety of foods in an air fryer oven. Air fryers are often used to cook meats like pork chops and chicken breasts, and they can also be used to cook frozen packaged foods such as french fries and chicken nuggets.

These countertop appliances often have a number of other functions in addition to air frying, making it possible to bake cake and bread, make toast, cook pizzas, roast vegetables, cook roasts and whole chickens, and dehydrate fruits, vegetables, and meats.

Many people use air fryer ovens as an alternative to a regular oven. Depending on the size and capabilities of your air fryer oven, you may be able to cook anything you would in a regular oven.

Read Also: Built In Convection Microwave Oven

What Are The Two Basic Types Of Air Fryers

I noticed when looking around that there are essentially two types of air fryers available. The basket-type is most common. These air fryers have a removable basket in the lower half. Food gets placed in and cooked in the basket. This type of air fryer sort of resembles a deep fryer and works best for air frying only.

If youre looking for more functionality, look into a multi-function air fryer that resembles a toaster oven and brings more options to the party. That includes rotisserie cooking, grilling, and dehydrating. They hold more food than the basket air fryers, often have preset functions or programming capability, and offer accessories galore.

The unit I tried, the NuWave Brio 14Qt Digital Air Fryer with Probe, is a multi-function air fryer and comes with 100 Presets. So, for example, if I want to make onion rings from frozen, I can. Preset #78 allows me to do that. All I have to do is place the frozen onion rings in the machine, turn it on, push the PRESET button, hold the UP ARROW until it reads 78, and then push the START/PAUSE button. The machine does the rest. It knows to air fry the onion rings for 8 minutes at 400°F. The Preset Guide recommends how much to cook at one time, 12 ounces in this case, and notes that minor adjustments may be necessary to achieve your desired results.