Since they don’t technically fry… Or do they? They’re basically mini electric ovens. What’s the difference between an air fryer and an electric oven, other than size and energy consumption?
Since they don’t technically fry… Or do they? They’re basically mini electric ovens. What’s the difference between an air fryer and an electric oven, other than size and energy consumption?
They are similar to convection ovens, but there are critical differences that result in a very different outcome from a convection oven.
A convection oven circulates hot air around the food to maintain an even cooking temperature.
An air fry uses a much stronger flow of hot air, and the air is not circulated but instead evacuated from the cooking chamber, taking steam away with it. The removal of steam allows the food to fry and become crispy, and is much more effective (read: more efficient) than a convection oven.
You’re actually kind of correct though, as air fryers have exploded in popularity, now any standard toaster oven with a convection feature is deceptively being marketed as “air fryers”, when they actually are not air fryers but instead just standard convection ovens.