1. Which is more suitable for home use, an air fryer or an oven? Air fryers are more suitable for home use than ovens.

2. The main reasons are as follows: (1) The air fryer works faster than the oven; (2) The air fryer is easier to clean than the oven; (3) The food made in the air fryer Healthier than the oven. In addition, the oven is not useless. In terms of temperature control, capacity, and functions, it is more suitable for professional baking than the air fryer.

What is the difference between an air fryer and an oven:

There is a difference between an air fryer and an oven. Most of the air fryers that can be baked in the oven can be baked, and the food made by air frying can be more delicious with a little oil. The air fryer has many functions that the oven does not have.

I have air fryers and ovens, two kitchen appliances that focus on baking functions, and I have more than one of them, so the difference between them is summarized as follows:

1. The difference in working principles.

From my personal experience, the air fryer is like a super-enhanced mini oven with powerful rotating hot air. As we all know, the heating principle of an oven is to bake food in a sealed space through the heat generated by the upper and lower heating tubes. An oven with a hot air function will accelerate the air flow in the oven through the rotation of the fan, allowing the food to be cooked. The baking proceeds more evenly.

The air fryer makes this kind of enclosed baking space smaller (the volume of a conventional fryer is about 1.5-3 liters), and it heats quickly through the baking device on the top, and at the same time has high power. The fan creates a 360-degree rapid circulation of air heat flow inside the basket. Because the inner part of the frying basket has special patterns, the flowing hot air can form a vortex heat flow, contacting the surface of the food in all directions and 360 degrees, quickly taking away the water vapor generated by heating, thus forming a golden and crispy texture on the surface. Surface layer to achieve a fried appearance and texture.

In contrast, there is no such fast vortex heat flow inside the oven, and because of the larger space, when baking the same food, especially meat, the temperature and time required are longer than that of the oven. The fryer is taller and takes longer, and the surface is less crispy.

2. The problem of oil fumes and whether cleaning is convenient.

Before there was a fryer at home, I used to bake chicken wings and meat skewers in the oven. Every time I baked chicken wings and meat skewers, there was a big smell or even smoke in the kitchen, and the subsequent cleanup work was very laborious. . Because the grease is baked out, it will splatter everywhere in the oven cavity. It must be cleaned immediately. Over time, the entire oven interior will be dark.

In comparison, the air frying basket is much more environmentally friendly. The basket and drawer can be separated and can also be washed directly, making it easy to clean. Whether it's grilled chicken wings, grilled ribs or rendered lard, I've never seen that kind of white smoke when using it. When it came to refining lard, three large pots were made in succession within more than an hour. There was only a faint aroma of lard in the kitchen, but there was no such choking smoke.

Here is a video of me using a fryer to make lard. I just need to cut the fat pork into small pieces and put it in the fryer, and then wait. After 30 minutes, you can see the inside. The fat meat turns into small dried meat, and the bottom is the very clear lard that is baked. When it solidifies, it will turn into snow-white lard, which we can use to make puff pastry.

Use the air fryer to refine lard and fry it clear in half an hour.

Of course, using the fryer correctly is also important. 200 degrees is considered a critical point for grease. If the temperature is higher than this for a long time, the grease will carbonize and naturally produce a lot of smoke. I once saw someone roasting a piece of fatty pork belly in a fryer at 210 degrees. After roasting it for 40 minutes, a lot of smoke suddenly came out of the pot, and then I saw that the surface of the pork belly inside had been burnt and turned black.

There are also baked French fries. The French fries are cut half thinner than chopsticks and smeared with a lot of oil. They are also baked in a fryer at high temperature for a long time. You don’t notice them until they start to smoke. The thin fries had turned into char. Therefore, when using a fryer, try not to bake at extremely high temperatures for a long time, as this will only cause the food to char.

3. Differences in the amount of oil used for cooking food.

Both ovens and fryers can squeeze out the fat from meat, but the process will be much slower with an oven, and the oil extraction effect is not as obvious. Especially for operations such as rendering fat meat, especially lard. When you want to grill meat, especially fatty meat, the air fryer is much better at forcing out the fat. This is very intuitive if you watch the lard video above. Once the fat is put into the pot, it will be saved in 30 minutes. This golden lard. There are also baked chicken legs, chicken wings, ribs, etc. In the same time, the same amount of food can be baked in a fryer and an oven, and the oil squeezed out is more and more convenient than the air fryer.

Transparent lard squeezed out of the fryer

4. Impact on dietary health.

Everyone knows this without me saying it, because the air fryer itself is branded as low-fat and healthy. It will filter out the fat in food, and naturally the human body will absorb much less. However, one thing to note is that there is no need to add oil when cooking foods that contain oil. However, for foods that do not contain oil, such as vegetables, you need to lightly oil the surface, otherwise the grilled texture will not be delicious.

To make vegetarian dishes, you need to apply some oil and use a fryer to make them delicious

There is no need to add oil to meat dishes, because the fryer will force out the fat~

Things like pork ribs and chicken wings are marinated in advance or cooked with vegetables. For example, if you use an air fryer to make vegetarian dishes like cauliflower and king oyster mushrooms, you have to add some oil and seasonings and mix well before cooking in the pan, which will save a lot of trouble. Baked pastries, such as pretzels and cupcakes, can also be made in an air fryer. But because the fryer dries faster than the oven, the baking time must be shorter in the oven.

Common small cakes or biscuits can also be made in a fryer

5. The advantages and disadvantages of air fryers and ovens.

The oven is large and can make large toasts and bake multiple chiffon cakes at the same time. The disadvantage is that it is slow to bake the pastry or squeeze out the grease when grilling meat, especially when the fat is splashed after grilling. Clean up.

The advantage of the fryer is that it is light and easy to move, and it is quick to heat and easy to clean. The disadvantage is that the amount of food produced each time is limited. If you are a meat lover who likes cooking with less fumes and easy cleaning, then a fryer is more suitable for you. If you like to bake toast or have business needs for private cakes, it is recommended to choose an oven of 30 liters or more.

A fryer of about 2.5L is just right for a family of three, but it is a bit small for a family with a larger family. A fryer with an oversized capacity will slow down the heating time. Instead of choosing a fryer with a capacity of more than 5L, it is more practical to choose an oven.

For those who like to make delicious food, you can flexibly divide the tasks between the fryer and the oven. One is used for cooking and the other is used for baking Western-style pastries. This will avoid the embarrassment of meat and Western-style pastries getting mixed up. Because no appliance is perfect, it will have advantages and disadvantages.

However, when it comes to frying food, fryers and ovens are still much more convenient than traditional frying methods. At least they won’t waste such a large pot of oil. The second is its use in baking. Taking pretzels as an example, the ones made in the fryer are drier and have a harder texture than those made in the oven. And for some chiffon cakes, puffs, or macarons that require very precise temperature requirements that cannot allow rapid air flow during baking, the fryer really cannot replace the oven.