An air fryer is undoubtedly one of the most talked-about kitchen appliances in recent years. Nobody could resist the promise of enjoying some guilt free deep fried food, and this appliance has made it possible.
Speaking of healthy frying, did you know you can also air fry your food in a convection oven? At this point, you are probably wondering if a convection oven can do this. To clear up the confusion, this post will answer “Is a convection oven the same as an air fryer”.
So let’s dig in—
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Is A Convection Oven The Same As An Air Fryer
Almost everyone has heard of a convection oven. This kitchen appliance is almost as similar as a conventional oven, but with a few differences. A convection oven is equipped with single or multiple fans that circulate air around the food.
The air circulation ensures an even heat distribution over the food. So it heats the food from all sides resulting in an even cook. If you know the mechanism of an air fryer, you can probably relate this with the mechanism.
An air fryer also cooks the food by circulating hot air over the food, cooking it evenly on all sides. So these two mechanisms kind of mirror each other. So you can use your convection oven for all your air fryer recipes.
You can use this oven even as a conventional oven, just turn off the fan and it’ll be a conventional one. The technology of incorporating a conventional oven & an air fryer into one unit has turned out to be super useful for most people.
It has not only saved up some counter space in the kitchen but also made the recipes a lot easier.
Why Using A Convection Oven Is Better Than Using An Air Fryer
By now, you have probably figured out a convection oven works the same way as an air fryer. But using a convection oven is way better than an air fryer for some reasons. Let’s see why—
- An air fryer is smaller in size, which means it can fry only a little food at one time. So you’ll have to try multiple batches if you have a larger family to feed. On the other hand, a convection oven is larger in size. So you won’t have to worry about cooking the food in multiple batches.
- While cooking food, watching it is pretty important to determine the doneness & ensure the perfect cook. Well, with an air fryer, you can’t do that at all. You can take the basket out and check it. But opening the basket will drop the temperature & affect the cooking. With a convection oven, you can easily have a look at the food from the outside & take it out only when it has finished cooking.
- Those who have air fryers know how loud it is. Almost all the air fryers are quite loud during cooking time. Despite having built-in fans, a convection oven doesn’t sound that much loud as an air fryer. So if you prefer serenity in your kitchen, you must choose a convection oven.
- An air fryer is also super tricky to clean, reaching the corners for collecting the drips & crumbles may seem like an impossible task. Plus, the basket is also kind of tough to clean. A convection oven doesn’t have such problems, you can even use a nonstick oven liner to keep it even cleaner.
So you can see using a convection oven is way better than an air fryer. If you already have a convection oven but don’t know how to use it as an air fryer, well don’t worry. For your convenience, we’re including that too! So let’s dig in to know how we can do that—
How To Use An Convection Oven As An Air Fryer
If you are already experienced with using an air fryer, you might have noticed that the air fryers have many preset options to facilitate the cooking process.
You may not avail of such options in your convection oven, which can make the cooking process complicated.
Most of the convection ovens offer temperature, time & fan options for cooking the food, so choosing the right temperature and time may be the trickiest part.
If you have previously cooked such foods in a conventional oven, it will be easier for you to set those.
If you don’t know the right temperature, just find the optimum cooking temperature & time for your desired preparation in the recipe.
For example, cooking a piece of chicken breast should take only 25-30 minutes at 325 to 375F. Just like that, find the temperature for your preparation.
Tips For Air Frying In Convection Oven
- Preheat your convection oven to maintain an optimum cooking temperature
- Always layer the food in a single layer to ensure the best cooking result.
- Make sure to spray the food with cooking oil for a crispy coat.
- Leave space between two pieces of food for even heat distribution.
- Make sure to turn over the food halfway through.
- Don’t overcrowd the oven pan.
- Make sure to spray oil again halfway through
Final Words
So there goes the answer to the question “Is a convection oven the same as an air fryer”. I hope this article well portrays how using a convection oven is so much better than using an air fryer.
So put on your kitchen apron and make some French fries in your convection oven! Happy cooking!