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I bought one recently. It’s a game changer for me. It’s really just an oven that solves the main problem with ovens: being slow to heat / under powered. It’s re

I bought one recently. It’s a game changer for me. It’s really just an oven that solves the main problem with ovens: being slow to heat / under powered. It’s really mind boggling that these took so long to hit the market!

ilyt 4y ago
Main problem with ovens is really that the "typical" size is just bad. I never used full size of it, I don't think I even used half the size of it, and it just makes it heat slower. Double ovens are a thing but you rarely see apartments outfitted with those and if you already have an oven, air-fryer makes more sense than replacing single oven with double oven.
- ip26 4y ago
  Toaster ovens are not new. Great for cooking a half pound of fish filet, for example.
hyencomper 4y ago
Have you tried a toaster oven. It heats up almost instantly, and makes great toast so you don't really need a toaster either.
- surfpel 4y ago
  Toaster ovens are too low power and don’t have enough convection still, at least for my use case. I roasted chicken just last night, and got a beautiful golden crust with a thoroughly cooked interior… you can’t do that with a typical toaster oven! My air fryer has a toaster oven form factor[1]. The fan is much more powerful however and it has extra heating elements. Otherwise it literally is a toaster oven with convection, even says so in the name! Conceptually all of these are very similar, it’s just the balance of heating power and fan speed that make the difference, though marginal it may be from an engineering design standpoint. Typical air fryers have a basket design[2] that helps with splatter control, but they are otherwise again the same. 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXM33MD/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXM33MD/ 2 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R6KMBQT/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R6KMBQT/
- orev 4y ago
  The typical comment about toaster ovens is that they’re bad at making toast and they’re bad at being an oven. Just learn to use the oven that’s already installed in the kitchen.
  - dagw 4y ago
    I lived several years in a tiny apartment without an oven in the kitchen. I learnt to make just about everything (up to and including a soufflé) in a toaster oven after a while.
  - Mistletoe 4y ago
    My toaster oven uses way less electricity and doesn't heat up my house like my big oven though. When I make cookies they are done in 12 minutes to perfection and it plugs into a normal 120v outlet. I doubt my big 240v oven with the thick cables for lots of amps is even preheated by then.
ClassyJacket 4y ago
I've thought this many times. There's nothing about an air fryer that they couldn't have made them in the 50s. How did they take so long to exist??
- adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
  they existed with the name convection oven since 1945
twic 4y ago
That sounds like a halogen oven to me [1]. Those have been around for quite a while - although apparently only since the late '80s [2]. You can cook a good variety of things in them [3]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_oven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_oven [2] http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Spec%20Sheets/TH%20SP%20IR%20Thorn%20240-550T10R-Wires.htm http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Spec%20Sheets/TH%20SP%20IR%20Thorn... [3] https://dengarden.com/appliances/Halogen-Oven-A-Review https://dengarden.com/appliances/Halogen-Oven-A-Review
poloniculmov 4y ago
What kind of oven is underpowered? Most ovens for sale in the EU go upto 250C-300C. Sure, it takes 15 minutes to reach the max temperature, but that's to reduce energy use and the ovens I've seen have a setting for fast preheating.
- dragonwriter 4y ago
  > Sure, it takes 15 minutes to reach the max temperature, but that's to reduce energy use An oven that takes longer to get to temperature is wasting energy, not using less, because of greater waste from losses to the surrounding environment.
- TheCapeGreek 4y ago
  I think it's less about being underpowered temperature wise and more in the results. You have to fiddle with a few more settings to get the results you want with an oven, especially when trying to make things crispy (or at least I do). Air fryer simplifies it down. I know nothing of the technologies involved but I suspect the air fryer makes things easier because it's easier to get the desired effects in a small heating area (the basket) than the oven.
  - Kye 4y ago
    My impression is an air fryer is an otherwise ordinary convection oven with better splatter containment for use with a basket. It's interesting how little changes like that can lead to such huge benefits.
    - dragonwriter 4y ago
      Air Fryer recipes can apparently be used unmodified in a standard convection oven with an air frying basket, so that seems to be the case.
    - Ekaros 4y ago
      Both use convection. But the difference is the circulation. Convection oven pushes it over the food where as air fryers push it on the top of food. Later being much more effective. It does actually make a difference.
Mistletoe 4y ago
They didn't take so long to hit the market, they are just convection ovens with a rebrand and marketing.
- surfpel 4y ago
  Thanks kind-of the point, except standard convection ovens are weaker. See my other comments for details...

ilyt 4y ago

Main problem with ovens is really that the "typical" size is just bad. I never used full size of it, I don't think I even used half the size of it, and it just makes it heat slower. Double ovens are a thing but you rarely see apartments outfitted with those and if you already have an oven, air-fryer makes more sense than replacing single oven with double oven.

ip26 4y ago
Toaster ovens are not new. Great for cooking a half pound of fish filet, for example.

hyencomper 4y ago

Have you tried a toaster oven. It heats up almost instantly, and makes great toast so you don't really need a toaster either.

surfpel 4y ago
Toaster ovens are too low power and don’t have enough convection still, at least for my use case. I roasted chicken just last night, and got a beautiful golden crust with a thoroughly cooked interior… you can’t do that with a typical toaster oven! My air fryer has a toaster oven form factor[1]. The fan is much more powerful however and it has extra heating elements. Otherwise it literally is a toaster oven with convection, even says so in the name! Conceptually all of these are very similar, it’s just the balance of heating power and fan speed that make the difference, though marginal it may be from an engineering design standpoint. Typical air fryers have a basket design[2] that helps with splatter control, but they are otherwise again the same. 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXM33MD/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXM33MD/ 2 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R6KMBQT/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R6KMBQT/
orev 4y ago
The typical comment about toaster ovens is that they’re bad at making toast and they’re bad at being an oven. Just learn to use the oven that’s already installed in the kitchen.
- dagw 4y ago
  I lived several years in a tiny apartment without an oven in the kitchen. I learnt to make just about everything (up to and including a soufflé) in a toaster oven after a while.
- Mistletoe 4y ago
  My toaster oven uses way less electricity and doesn't heat up my house like my big oven though. When I make cookies they are done in 12 minutes to perfection and it plugs into a normal 120v outlet. I doubt my big 240v oven with the thick cables for lots of amps is even preheated by then.

ClassyJacket 4y ago

I've thought this many times. There's nothing about an air fryer that they couldn't have made them in the 50s. How did they take so long to exist??

adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
they existed with the name convection oven since 1945

twic 4y ago

That sounds like a halogen oven to me [1]. Those have been around for quite a while - although apparently only since the late '80s [2]. You can cook a good variety of things in them [3]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_oven https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_oven [2] http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Spec%20Sheets/TH%20SP%20IR%20Thorn%20240-550T10R-Wires.htm http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Spec%20Sheets/TH%20SP%20IR%20Thorn... [3] https://dengarden.com/appliances/Halogen-Oven-A-Review https://dengarden.com/appliances/Halogen-Oven-A-Review

poloniculmov 4y ago

What kind of oven is underpowered? Most ovens for sale in the EU go upto 250C-300C. Sure, it takes 15 minutes to reach the max temperature, but that's to reduce energy use and the ovens I've seen have a setting for fast preheating.

dragonwriter 4y ago
> Sure, it takes 15 minutes to reach the max temperature, but that's to reduce energy use An oven that takes longer to get to temperature is wasting energy, not using less, because of greater waste from losses to the surrounding environment.
TheCapeGreek 4y ago
I think it's less about being underpowered temperature wise and more in the results. You have to fiddle with a few more settings to get the results you want with an oven, especially when trying to make things crispy (or at least I do). Air fryer simplifies it down. I know nothing of the technologies involved but I suspect the air fryer makes things easier because it's easier to get the desired effects in a small heating area (the basket) than the oven.
- Kye 4y ago
  My impression is an air fryer is an otherwise ordinary convection oven with better splatter containment for use with a basket. It's interesting how little changes like that can lead to such huge benefits.
  - dragonwriter 4y ago
    Air Fryer recipes can apparently be used unmodified in a standard convection oven with an air frying basket, so that seems to be the case.
  - Ekaros 4y ago
    Both use convection. But the difference is the circulation. Convection oven pushes it over the food where as air fryers push it on the top of food. Later being much more effective. It does actually make a difference.

Mistletoe 4y ago

They didn't take so long to hit the market, they are just convection ovens with a rebrand and marketing.

surfpel 4y ago
Thanks kind-of the point, except standard convection ovens are weaker. See my other comments for details...