5 Reasons Why You Better Choose Air Fryer Over Conventional Oven

Can we all agree that air fryers are becoming the queen of kitchen gadgets nowadays? There are so many reasons why people turn to choose the air fryer instead of other kitchen appliances such as the conventional oven. Even though the conventional oven has already become such a best friend for all of us in the kitchen for years. But the birth of the air fryer changes it all. It changes our ways of cooking and prepares our meals. And with the speed of the air fryer's popularity, the use of conventional ovens seems to be left behind.

Some people still use the conventional oven of course, for some occasions. But for daily meal preparation, the air fryer seems to be everyone's first option. Then what makes it better to choose air fryer over conventional oven?

Below are five reasons why you better choose an air fryer over a conventional oven. More about how it works, and why it is better than the conventional oven. 

1. It's Healthier

The conventional oven works with several heating elements. Usually, it is placed in the bottom and top of the oven and some models have another heating element on the back too. The cooking process depends on the heating element. So for example, if the heating element doesn't work, the food will be cooked slower. If one part doesn't work, it will cause uneven cooking or burning on one side of the food. Sometimes we need to flip and rearrange the food to make sure that we cook the food evenly. Some recipes also require two sessions with different temperature settings. With a conventional oven, you need to put on oils, butter, or different types of grease to the food to make it work. 

On the other hand, an air fryer using a heating element and a fan that will circulate the hot air inside. This guarantees even and faster cooking to maintain the nutrition in the food. The best part of an air fryer is the hot air will cook the food in the same way you do with hot oil. So with the air fryer, you will need only a minimal amount of oil or no oil at all. What's better than the sound of a promising healthier life ahead?

2. It's Versatile

Some people think that air fryers can only fry food. This is one among many misconceptions. An air fryer can do so much more than that. It can fry, broil, grill, roast, bake, and even dehydrate your fruits and vegetables. The most advanced air fryers are capable of doing most cooking tasks you usually do on your conventional oven. And even the simpler version and more basic type of air fryer still do more than just air frying. 

In short, you can do almost all the cooking tasks you can do with your oven using an air fryer, but with so much more benefit such as lower calories, less fat, extra crispiness, and overall healthier meals. 

3. Size and Space Saving

One of the most obvious reasons why an air fryer is superior compared to a conventional oven is the size. Conventional ovens are usually huge in size. They are so large you cannot put them on the countertop. You have to put it in the bottom or you have to build a whole built-in oven on your counter that will make you bend to put the food in and take them out when they're done. This is very impractical, especially if you live in a small space with a small house. 

The air fryers come in a very compact design and are small in size. It is possible for you to put them on your kitchen top. You can even take your air fryer on a trip on your van or airstream because of how small they are, just like a mini slow cooker does. This is also a perfect kitchen appliance to get for students who live in a boarding house with small spaces. And if you need to prepare meals in larger quantities for the whole family, you can get a bigger air fryer. Some models come in extra-large sizes and they will allow you to prepare bigger meals or different kinds of meals all at once. And guess what? They are still smaller than your conventional oven. 

4. Easy to Use and Clean

With a conventional oven, you will need to learn to understand how it works with different kinds of food and recipes. You also have to adjust the temperature every time. The air fryer is far more effective in this area. Usually, air fryers come with settings and presets you can use easily. This is very useful especially if you are a beginner. The air fryer is proven to be foolproof so you don't have to worry about making a mistake. All you have to do is just prepare the food and hit one preset button and it will do the job for you. Some manufacturer also provides you with recipe books you can follow if you are a beginner. 

The air fryer also comes with different function buttons and settings such as the pause button. This is very helpful so you can check the food progress in the middle of the cooking process without having to stop the whole operation. You can close it back and it will continue cooking without making you adjust the temperature settings. 

The design of the air fryer also makes it easier to clean. An air fryer usually comes with a basket. You can put the food in the basket and the basket will prevent all the food juices from the interior of the air fryer. Once the cooking process is finished, you can easily remove the basket. It may leave a little dirt or a product of condensation on the top part but you can clean it easily with a damp cloth. The other accessories such as the racks, pan, and skewers are removable and dishwasher safe. So you can clean them easily in the dishwasher. The interior of the unit itself is usually made out of stainless steel material that is rust-free and easy to clean. 

Meanwhile, with a conventional oven, sometimes, we find it hard to clean because it is big. Some ovens still have their heating element exposed instead of covered and it makes it trickier to clean and you will need extra effort to clean them perfectly. 

5. Save Energies

The faster it cooks the less time it is operating and this means less energy usage. The second thing is, an air fryer doesn't spread heat while it's working. It doesn't make your kitchen and some parts of your house hot. You don't have to turn on the AC and set it to the lowest temperature to keep your house cool. It will save a little more energy. 

On the other hand, the conventional oven often spreads heat throughout its exterior causing your kitchen and maybe some part of your house to feel hot. In this case, you have to turn on the AC and set it to the lowest temperature to make the room cooler. If you do it every day, you'll waste more energy for sure. Unless you can stand the heat and not turn on the AC at all. 

Those were five reasons why you should choose the air fryer instead of a conventional oven. Of course, there are also some drawbacks with the air fryer, just like any other kitchen appliance. But you know, you need to sacrifice something to get something else, right? So in this case, it depends on your priorities. 

The Differences Between Air Fryer and Conventional Oven

Capacities

One of the major drawbacks people admit to deal with air fryers is their capacity. People have problems with the small basket and it makes them have to cook one meal in several batches if they have to make it for the whole family. And cooking different meals at the same time is impossible. 

First of all, air fryers are originally invented to cook a smaller quantity of food. It is designed specifically to be compact and practical especially for the people who only cook for themselves. But now, with the air fryer gaining its popularity, manufacturers already spot these problems and they started to produce air fryers in larger quantities. 

So now you have a wide array of sizes you can choose from. You can start with the smallest one if you prepare food for yourself. You can buy the medium one if you cook for two people or more. Some of these models have dividers on the basket so you can cook two different foods at the same time. And if you have a big family, you can buy the extra-large ones with racks, dividers, and you can even cook up to three different foods in one go. So you can make various food at one go!

Meanwhile, the conventional oven usually comes in relatively big sizes. This is perfect if you have to cook large meals for the whole family on a daily basis. The disadvantages is you will need spacious room in your kitchen to fit the oven so this might not be a good choice if you have small kitchen space. 

Quality

The second thing people complain about the air fryer is its quality. Some people are upset because some products don't last long and break down very easily. The other issues are the cheap plastic materials. Before buying any air fryer, you can try to read as many reviews as possible. And then, you can try to contact the customer service to get to know if they are helpful. After that, you can check if they give you any warranty and how you can claim it just in case you have problems with the products. You may also want to pay attention to the materials. Make sure that the materials they use are durable, easy to clean, food-grade, and BPA-free. 

Meanwhile, because we are already familiar with conventional ovens, we can already trust them and their quality. Especially with some popular brands that have been proving their capabilities of producing products that last for years, but this too is just a matter of manufacturer. Some conventional ovens also broke down very easily and didn’t last as long as you expect them to be. 

Healthiness

Air fryers with bigger models can do just as much as the conventional oven because it eliminates one of the air fryer major problems which is the quantity. Some of these products are marketed as a convection oven or mini oven. This what makes air fryer noted as an advanced device for cooking.

However, there are some distinct differences between the air fryer and the convection oven. Yes, they are very similar in terms of the way they work, but with a convection oven, you still need to use some oils. So in terms of healthiness, the air fryer still sits in number one.

Our Summary

An air fryer is one compact device that can be really helpful in the future. For all its ease of use and versatility, this cooking appliance has taken the spotlight of becoming one of the best things to have on your kitchen countertop. There are many kinds of air fryers in size and style that follow your preference. From its cooking presets, design shape and quantity as one remarkable check.

The quantity of air fryers starts from serving from 2 to 5 people at once to 10 people at one go. However, the bigger the quantity goes the same for the dimensions. Therefore you need to be precise before purchasing one. Prioritize on how much food you prepare daily first and all the features will follow all along. Now, it is better to choose an air fryer rather than conventional oven for its health issue since air fryers need less oil to take your food cooked. Then, the size and versatility is also way faster than the conventional oven can do.

Even if conventional ovens can cook food more evenly yet it does not make things as crispy as air fryers can do, magically without tons of calories from oil included. So, what's the wait? You might go check and see which air fryer types best for your home after this.