Best Kitchen Reviews Healthy Meal Ideas And Best Product Reviews
Could fried or baked food be part of your regular meals? You may have used the Air Flyer or Convection Oven but do not know their differences. Therefore, this article will compare the differences between the Convection Oven and Air Flyer for the easier choice.
Contents
Quick Overview of Air Fryer and Convection Oven
Generally, the two appliances are similar. This is because hot air is circulated to create even heating of food.
In a convection oven, the heat rises and falls naturally due to uneven temperatures. The heating element comprises of a coil of wire on both the top and bottom section. The electric current flows through the coil. In turn, this current is converted into the radiant heat. When cooking, the heat rises and the back fan blows air around for even temperature circulation.
Some people complain about baking soft goods with convection ovens. This is due to extreme hot air on the surface of the products, which causes them to collapse.
On the side of air flyer, the hot air is circulated much faster. This makes it a better option for baked products.
Ideally, the heating element is above the food. Therefore, the hot air is not directly circulated around the food. When baking, the heat is pulled up by the fan, leading to zero direct heat source on the food.
You will notice that the heat is distributed on the outside of the chamber. After rising from the open bottom, it evenly heats the baked goods.
Air Fryer vs. Convection Oven (Detailed comparison)
The two kitchen appliances may seem similar, but there are differences between them.
At first, one might argue that they do the same job. The even air circulation ensures the food is well cooked. On the contrary, there are some differences which might help you decide your choice. To help come up with a better understanding, we shall consider the most important factors.
Features
One of the best convection ovens is Breville BOV800XL that distributes the heat evenly. If you want to experiment with a variety of dishes, this appliance can work for you. Amazingly, convection ovens adjust the temperature automatically after placing the food in them.
In case you have visitors, the convection oven can be a great advantage. This is because the ovens are usually large and therefore great for bigger courses. The ample space is important to a great cooking experience.
When cooking the air circulation is evenly distributed whether to the edges or middle of the food. This reduces the disappointment of having undercooked food.
When considering the air flyers, Phillips air flyer is among the best model. Unlike in convection oven where you use some oil, with air flyer this is not necessary.
With most air flyers, there are baskets for placing the food you want to cook. You may be concerned about where to put your air flyer after use. The good news is that you can place it on the kitchen counter. This is because the size and shape are compact enough to fit on the kitchen counter.
As a result, they are kept safe while occupying less space.
When choosing between the air flyer and convection oven, it is important to consider the temperature aspect. This will help you to prepare the best meals in the right kitchen appliance.
The air flyers reach higher temperatures when compared to convection ovens. They are therefore more suitable for delicate meals like desserts. The convection oven may not achieve great results as it’s hard on such dishes.
The counter-top placement on-air flyers make them more convenient. However, some convection ovens like toaster ovens also have countertop too.
Healthiness
It is always said that our health should be our priority. The food prepared by these two devices is very healthy. They both apply the same technique that involves hot air circulation. There are fans within the devices that produce and distribute the hot air evenly.
Let us compare the two to get the lead in terms of healthiness.
- You will notice that most of the air flyers will not require you to add some oil. However, when using a convection oven, you may be required to add some oil for moisture. Therefore when considering this aspect, air flyers tend to be healthier than convection ovens.
- When cooking food, it is important to ensure the nutrients are well preserved from loss. In this case, the air flyers reach higher temperatures. This shortens the cooking process. As a result, the food does not dry and therefore preserves the healthy ingredients. If you consider convection oven, the cooking process tends to be slow. The useful nutrients can get lost in the process.
- Cooking with less or no oil is a better alternative. This is a big advantage especially for people allergic to oil products. Food with preserved nutrients is great for your body health. With these factors in mind, the air flyer is considered healthier than a convection oven.
Size and Capacity
The size and cooling capacity are the greatest factors ant buyer could consider when purchasing the devices.
The size is important since it has to fit in the kitchen space. You can have disappointing moments with kitchen appliances that keep blocking your movement. This experience can go to the extreme of breaking the equipment or damaging them. You have your cooking needs in mind, so it is easier to choose the right capacity.
With these aspects in mind let us compare the air flyer versus convection ovens.
- Generally, convection ovens are bigger than air flyers. You will notice that their placement is not countertop. When preparing the meal you will have to bend to place the food into it, check the cooking process and remove the food. This makes it uncomfortable for many people. On the other side, air flyers are smaller and compact in size. You will not have issues when fitting in the kitchen space. They easily fit on kitchen counters and you can access them easily. Therefore their storage becomes easier reducing the chances of damage.
- It is evident that the bigger the size, the bigger the cooking capacity. Therefore the convection oven offers more capacity compared to air flyers. This could be your best choice for a big family or a hotel set up. This is because the device allows you to cook more food at once. Moreover, you have an advantage of placing bigger pieces of food without necessarily slicing them.
- When looking at the air flyer, they have a smaller cooking capacity due to their shape. This should not worry you much. Most of the air flyers have deep chambers. Therefore you can still put considerable sizes of food. However, this device cannot be used to prepare big pieces like roasting lamb legs.
Maintenance and Reliability
When buying kitchen devices, you could consider the maintenance aspect.
You will enjoy spending money on maintenance every time the device breaks down. In the kitchen some disturbances like food dripping, oil spattering or some stains are common. You should, therefore, consider the cleaning aspect when buying any device.
An air flyer can be a better option for people who do not often clean the devices. The non-stick pan makes it very easy to clean. The device has interior and exterior materials that are also easy to clean. The smaller size will take you less time cleaning it.
The convection oven has more maintenance challenges than air flyer. When cleaning, you will experience difficulty in cleaning all the areas. You may not successfully get rid of all the stains and oil dripping. Therefore you may be required to use stronger detergents for better cleaning results.
On the matters of reliability what matters are the materials, quality among other factors. The warranty will play a major role in this. The stainless steel materials tend to be more reliable than other materials.
Air Fryer vs. Convection Oven (Pros and Cons)
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Conclusion
Cooking can be fun especially when preparing great meals for a family. However, the big question should always be, is the food healthy?
Therefore I give more credit to air fryer compared to the convection oven. This is because it is easier to clean, very portable and above all prepares healthy meals. This is a great factor since we live in a world full of lifestyle complications like obesity. This can result in more serious diseases like diabetes or health complications.
Always strive to live healthy by choosing the right device to enjoy the benefits.
