Can You Use A Convection Oven As An Air Fryer? [2023]
It is only recently that air fryers were introduced in the market as modern cooking appliances. Compared to them, ovens have been in use for a long time. There are many differentiating factors between these two appliances, but one factor that places them at parity is their working mechanism.
Both an air fryer and an oven work through a convection mechanism. Therefore, the food cooked in an air fryer also has a similar taste and texture to that of a convection oven, so can a convection oven be used as an air fryer? We will discuss this in detail. You can check our picks for the best air fryer oven combo.
Can You Use A Convection Oven As An Air Fryer? [2023]
Yes, you can use a convection oven as an air fryer to make your favorite air-fried food. Both employ the convection cooking mechanism and blow hot air around food with the help of a high-speed fan. Plus, you can expect the same cooking result in an oven as you get in the air fryer.
The similarity in the working principle of an air fryer and convection oven makes it quite obvious how you can air fry your favorite recipe in a convection oven!
How To Air Fry Food In Your Convection Oven
Ovens have various knobs and buttons to enter settings into the machine for cooking different recipes. Among these settings, you might find a button labeled “convection.” This is a built-in function by most manufacturers for making a convection oven multi-purpose.
For those who don’t know, “convection” is just another name for air frying. So, if you don’t want to replace your convection oven with an air fryer, you can choose the convection mode and use your full-size oven to make large quantities of air-fried food.
How To Use An Oven For Air Frying
Most ovens come with air fry settings. But, if this mode is absent in your oven, you can still use it for air frying. The following tips from our experts will help you obtain crispy air-fried food in an oven.
Preparing Food Before Cooking
Contingent to what you’re air frying, you might need to prep food before cooking it in a convection oven to get the desired browning and crispy exterior.
If you are air-frying veggies, cut them into small palatable sizes because the smaller ones bring better cooking results. Cut them into any shape you like (spears, cubes, or medallions) and coat them with a tiny amount of oil to crisp up the skin better.
Adding a small amount of oil also prevents the food from over-drying. This is because convection ovens come with a moisture exhaust system, sometimes eliminating extra moisture from the food.
And this dry surface is quite undesirable, especially when cooking protein that needs to retain moisture for a palatable taste.
Use Proper Utensils In The Oven
Using proper utensils in an oven makes a lot of difference regarding the taste and texture of the food cooked in it. Air fryers come with a perforated basket allowing proper airflow around the food.
You must create the same environment in an oven. Use oven-safe cookware like a perforated basket, tray, or cooling rack for unrestricted airflow on all sides of the food.
PRO TIP
Food drippings and crumbs might mess up the oven’s floor when using perforated or meshed racks. To avoid food dripping or crumb mess, use parchment paper or put aluminum foil beneath the oven rack on the crumbs to catch the mess, making post-frying cleaning easy.
Also, dark-colored low-rim ovenware tends to direct and absorb more heat than high-sided reflective pans, resulting in even browning.
Don’t Overstuff The Basket
To get perfectly air-fried crispy food in your oven, ensure proper space among food items. Never overstuff the oven basket or pan with delicacies, as it can restrict the airflow resulting in an undercooked, soggy, and non-crispy texture.
Arrange the food in the basket evenly, leaving plenty of space between each piece. Space between food items such as French Fries or chicken wings allows the air to reach all the sides, cavities, and corners of the food, creating a golden crunchy texture.
Modify The Cook Settings To Suit The Oven
Smaller space and faster airflow inside an air fryer result in speedier cooking as the heat is more intense. An oven needs a longer timer and a higher temperature to cook the same air fryer recipe because of its spacious cooking chamber.
A rule of thumb for using an air fryer recipe in an oven is to increase the temperature by 25F to 50F. You must also cook for roughly 20% longer in an oven.
Another option is to enter the settings mentioned in the recipe and check the cooking progress at regular intervals to avoid over-browning. Side by side, use a meat probe to check the internal temperature of the food. Stop the cooking process when it reaches the desired temperature.
Flip Or Shake The Food
This is the same rule you follow when using a countertop air fryer.
Use oven mittens to hold the racks from both sides and give a good shake to the contents of the oven halfway through cooking. This way, all sides and corners of your veggies or wings will be exposed to hot air and receive even heat and browning.
If you cannot shake the food, as in the case of steaks, fish, rotisserie chicken, or similar items, use tongs and spatulas to flip the sides of the food. You can also add a little oil when shaking the food, promoting crispiness.
When shaking or flipping food, don’t leave the oven door open for too long, as it can cause heat loss from its chamber.
Benefits of Using a Convection Oven for Air Frying
Below are some recognizable benefits of using a convection oven as an air fryer. You can also see our detailed comparison post on the difference between an air fryer and a convection oven.
Multi-Functional Convenience
If you have limited counter space and cannot lodge another appliance, use your convection oven for air frying, thanks to its multifunctional features. A convection oven as a stand-alone gadget can lend a helping hand to many of your cooking rituals, including air frying.
Ease of Cleanliness
Though a convection oven occupies wide space and is double the size of an air fryer, it offers more ease of cleanliness than an air fryer. With an air fryer, you have to deep clean all the accessories, like a crisper tray and basket with lots of crevices.
Convection ovens only have an oven pan with a greasing sheet that is easy to wipe with a damp cloth. Cleaning the inside of an oven is also easier as you can reach each corner and crevice with your hand.
Roomy Cooking Space
An air fryer is an ideal go-to appliance for a small family that relies on cooking a limited amount of low-calorie meals and appetizers. But to serve a large gathering buffet, including buckets of chicken wings, pizza, bakery cookies, or hamburgers, an oven is the ultimate choice.
It provides a spacious interior for bulk cooking. You can avoid cooking in batches for large gatherings as you must in an air fryer. Check out our guide about the ideal size of an air fryer for you. However, as a downside, cooking time is longer in an oven.
Crispier Food
Convection oven by fanning hot air ideally provides a more even, crispy texture without overcooking it. It is because the air inside an oven rotates in circles and touches food from all sides, cooking the food from inside while keeping it moist and tender.
The convection setting does not let the moisture linger inside the food, imparting a crispier texture. The sugar inside your food also caramelizes with the help of a dry atmosphere inside the oven.
Saves Electricity
The convection setting in a convection oven circulates the heat around the food more evenly, cooking it from all sides in less time than in any regular oven. Less cooking time means the appliance will run for a shorter time and use less electricity.
No Hot Or Undercooked Spots On The Food
Regular ovens often feature heating elements above or below the cooking space, meaning the food might not get even heat. The food near the heating element might burn.
In contrast, the ingredients placed at a distance from the heating coil might end up having cold or undercooked spots, but that’s not the case with a convection oven. The fan blowing the heat at high speed ensures even cooking.
KitchenHanker.Com Cooking Results
Here is what we found when we tested both kitchen appliances.
Note: We rate each factor from 1 to 5. 1 for poor and 5 for good.
Crispiness at Same Time and Temperature
| Recipe | Appliances | Touch | Visual | Mouthfeel |
| Chicken Bits | Air Fryer Convection Oven | 3 4 | 2 4 | 2 3 |
| Roasted Vegetables | Air Fryer Convection Oven | 3 3 | 5 4 | 4 3 |
| Potatoes Wedge | Air Fryer Convection Oven | 4 5 | 4 4 | 4 4 |
Cooked Until Done
| Recipe | Touch | Visual | Mouthfeel | |
| Chicken Bits | Air Fryer Convection Oven | 5 4 | 3 4 | 4 3 |
| Roasted Vegetables | Air Fryer Convection Oven | 3 3 | 5 4 | 4 3 |
| Potatoes Wedge | Air Fryer Convection Oven | 4 5 | 4 4 | 4 4 |
Pros and Cons of Air Fryer
| PROS | CONS |
| Use less energy than an oven | Small quantities of food |
| Less preheat time | A bit expensive |
| Easy to clean | Extra appliance to store |
| The best alternative of convection oven |
What temperature do you air fry in a convection oven?
Depending on the meal you cook, the cooking temperature in a convection oven for air frying can vary between 300 – 400° F. However, if you are using a dedicated air fryer recipe, you might need to increase the temperature by at least 25F as an oven’s larger space requires a higher cooking temperature.
Can we make air fryer recipes in a convection oven?
Convection ovens come with an air frying setting so people can air fry without an air fryer. Make use of a perforated pan and adjust the cooking temperature to at least 25° less than you would use in an air fryer to enjoy air fryer recipes in ovens.
Does an air fryer cook faster than a convection oven?
No, the air fryer doesn’t cook food faster than the convection oven. In our testing, both appliances took the same time to cook chicken bites and potato wedges.
Does an air fryer cook food crispier than a convection oven?
Chicken bites and potato wedges cooked in the air fryer and convection oven had the same level of crispiness. So, as per our test, both units are the winner.
Wrapping Up!
If your kitchen counter is too messy to accommodate another appliance or you want to experiment with cooking rituals! Don’t look further because convection ovens can replace a standalone air fryer like a pro. However, we realize it’s a matter of personal preference and accessibility of which appliance you choose between air fryers and convection ovens. But to have your cooking needs of air frying covered without getting an air fryer, convection ovens are worth your attention.
- Does Instant Vortex Pro Air Fryer 9-in-1 Live Up To The Hype? - December 3, 2023
- Does Ninja DT201 Foodi Air Fryer Oven Live Up To The Hype? - December 3, 2023
- Is CHEFMAN Multifunctional Digital Air Fryer Worth Buying? [Review] - December 3, 2023