How does the cooking times air fryer vs oven throw down? Worry no more-you’re not alone.
As a chef who’s been experimenting with air fryers for years, I’ve got the inside scoop.
Let’s dive into this kitchen showdown and see which appliance comes out on top.
Air Fryers: The New Kid on the Block
Get ready to master your air fryer with The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners! This guide features quick, healthy recipes and easy tips to help you create delicious meals effortlessly. Let’s dive in!
Air fryers have dominated the talk of kitchens.
These countertop kitchen appliances claim to deliver the promise of crisply fried results minus the guilt associated with deep-frying.
But are they faster than our old friends, the ovens, in terms of cooking time?
The Speed Demon: Air Fryer Cooking Times
In reality, air fryers are fast. Like, really fast.
They cook food 20-30% faster than conventional ovens.
That’s because of their rapid air circulation technology.
Imagine Gordon Ramsay shouting “It’s done!” before you even started preheating your oven.
Oven Cooking: The Slow and Steady Approach
Here, conventional ovens do not end up as runners-up. But they have their utilities in many ways.
They are perfect for bulk quantities. From the good old days to date, we have followed them.
However, when it comes to speed, the conventional oven acts more like the tortoise running in a world of hares.
Cooking Time Showdown: Popular Dishes
Let’s break it down with some real-world examples:
Chicken Wings
Air Fryer: 20-25 minutes
Oven: 35-40 minutes
Roasted Vegetables
Air Fryer: 10-15 minutes
Oven: 20-25 minutes
Cookies
Air Fryer: 5-7 minutes
Oven: 10-12 minutes
See the pattern? The air fryer always wins over the oven in cooking times.
What’s the Catch? Factors Affecting Cooking Times
Before you ditch your oven, let’s talk about some factors that influence these cooking times:
1. Preheating Requirements
Air fryers barely need preheating. They’re ready to go in 2-3 minutes.
Ovens? You are talking about 10 to 15 minutes of preheating time.
Which is enough time to scroll through your whole Instagram feed.
2. Temperature Settings
Air fryers cook much more often at a lower temperature than ovens do.
Choose an oven recipe that would call for 350°F (175°C). It might actually only need something on the order of 325°F (163°C) in an air fryer.
An air fryer produces super-high heat and fast air movement for cooking.
3. Food Quantity and Size
Here’s where ovens might have an edge.
Air fryers tend to have really small capacities compared to ovens.
Feeding a crowd? You might have to cook in batches in the air fryer.
This could end up taking more time overall.
Energy Efficiency: Another Point for Air Fryers
Let’s go to your energy bill here.
Air fryers consume about 50% less energy to do the same thing as traditional ovens do.
This is literally Emeril Lagasse yelling, “BAM! at your energy costs.”
Texture and Taste: The Ultimate Test
Cooking times aren’t everything.
How about the result?
Air fryers cook the outside crispy and inside juicy.
This is quite noticeable with breads, fries, chicken wings. Foods where you prefer the food crisp are a great choice for an air fryer.
When you’re cooking something where the whole interior needs to be evenly cooked, ovens easily take the lead.
Roasts, casseroles spring to mind as the best examples.
The Verdict: It’s Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution
Both air fryers and ovens will call your kitchen their home.
Air fryers win on speed and energy efficiency for smaller portions.
Ovens are still king for larger meals and certain types of dishes.
The trick remains knowing when to cook those meals using each appliance.
Of course, air fryer versus oven cooking times will be somewhat different, so experiment with what works best for you.
Converting Recipes: From Oven to Air Fryer
If you want to try making your favorite oven recipe in your new air fryer, this’s what you should do:
- Lower the temperature around 25 degrees Fahrenheit or 14 degrees Celsius
- Cook 20-30% faster
- Check food frequently to avoid overcooking
- Use a conversion chart for more precise adjustments
George Purton, our air fryer expert, says, “Don’t be afraid to experiment. Every air fryer is a bit different, so you might need to tweak times and temperatures.”
Popular Brands: Philips vs Ninja
There are a few popular air fryer brands that are always under discussion, Philips and Ninja.
Philips is the older company of air fryers, and their reputation is of reliable and consistent products made.
Ninja does several models that are more versatile and not only allow for air frying but can also dehydrate and roast.
Both brands perform well in cooking time comparisons against conventional ovens.
The Health Factor: Air Fryers vs Ovens
Air fryers are perceived as the healthier option when one cooks using an oven. Is this quite true?
While neither method would cause you to serve an unhealthy meal, the air fryer uses very much less oil than the oven.
This means that you’d eat fewer calories from your meal as well.
However, what you will prepare would make your food healthier in any case and irrespective of the method of preparation.
Space Considerations: Countertop vs Built-in
Prior to going and getting yourself an air fryer, let’s consider the space in your kitchen:
- Air fryers are compact but require countertop space
- Ovens are already built into most kitchens
- Some newer ovens come with air frying features
If it’s going to come down to a space issue, the Ninja line has some multi-function air fryers you may wish to look at.
The Future of Cooking: Air Fryers and Smart Technology
Air fryers are getting smart in many ways.
Many air fryers are brought to consumers with built-in Wi-Fi and can be controlled by smartphone applications.
Now imagine cooking time and temperatures while standing in the aisle at a grocery store.
What the Pros Say
Nothing can even stop celebrities, not even famous cooks, from jumping into the fray with air fryer versus oven.
There’s a certain image of Gordon Ramsay flexing his culinary muscles, air fryer in hand, while merrily prepping in some of his latest cooking videos.
Even Emeril Lagasse has jumped on the bandwagon by hawking his own line of air fryer products.
Final Thoughts: Choosing Between Air Fryer and Oven
They take lesser time compared to oven to cook.
They cook faster, consume less power, and yield crispy results with minimum oil.
Still, for mass cooking or for certain kinds of cooking, the oven is the way to go.
The best approach? Use both!
Pair this one with an oven: Very often, an air fryer makes the perfect addition to your armory of kitchen tools, augmenting your oven without ever displacing it.
All of this to make cooking easy and enjoyable for you.
A quick air-fried snack or a slow roasted turkey in your oven-whichever is your choice.
