FOOD NEWS
What Makes An Air Fryer And Convection Oven Different?
By Garth Clingingsmith
Both air fryers and convection ovens use fans to move hot air around the food, transferring heat quickly and effectively for even cooking. However, unlike the air-fryer, convection ovens aren't very trendy and not easy to bring into a home that doesn't have one built-in, so you may be confused about these ovens and how they differ from an air fryer.
Convection ovens have a fan installed in the back wall to cook food more quickly and evenly than "normal" conventional ovens, and are less likely to have hot or cold spots due to their even heat distribution. There's no need to rotate your pans when using these ovens, and you can fill them ovens to the brim with food with no negative effects.
However, some foods don't benefit from the convection’s windy, dry heat, such as lofty cakes or delicate macarons. Meanwhile, air fryers are much smaller than convection ovens and have fans placed closer to their source of heat and on top of the food, which helps to focus the intense heat on a specific area and promote browning.
While the air fryer's small size means that you don't need to preheat for long, it also means you can't cook as much food at once. As with convection ovens, there are some foods you should not make in your air fryer, such as delicate greens, but the air fryer does offer a similar effect as a convection oven in a much more convenient package.