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I'm still in the camp that air fryers are stupid. A convection oven does literally the same thing. Also, portable air fryers make such small servings that they

I'm still in the camp that air fryers are stupid. A convection oven does literally the same thing. Also, portable air fryers make such small servings that they're useless for people with families. What the hell I going to do with three chicken wings?

peteforde 1y ago
You're technically right that an air fryer is a type of small convection oven, but dismissing them as "stupid" ignores why they're so popular. The point isn't that they reinvent physics, it's that they package convection in a way that's faster, uses way less electricity, is easier to clean, and perfectly sized for 1-2 people. Most folks aren't cooking for a big family every meal. I often just want to make fries, roast veggies, or crisp up leftovers. My Cosori lets me do that without heating the entire kitchen (and way faster, too). I also simply don't have a convention oven. I rent my place, and it's not like I can just swap out the white goods. Yes, the smallest ones are limited in capacity, but that's not the whole category. Larger models handle whole chickens. The proof is in the market: people buy them in droves because they make food hot/crispy really quickly. A conventional oven can do the same thing, but it's like saying a desktop computer makes laptops "stupid". Technically true, but it ignores convenience, size, and efficiency, which are the reasons air fryers took off. Anecdotally, most air fryers are owned by people who used to believe that they didn't need an air fryer. Have you actually had one in your life?
- deleted 1y ago
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- com2kid 1y ago
  The only thing I use my oven for is pies for holidays and to brown large trays of meats for parties when my grill isn't available. My wife cooks sausages in the oven but I think that is just plain wrong. That is however her singular usage of our oven. Fwiw we don't cook much western food, and we eat almost no prepackaged food. An air fryer would serve us 0 use. We do however use our instapot all the time!
  - peteforde 1y ago
    I respect that. We're both operating with radically different goals and end results. If you're cooking primarily from a food culture that evolved without ovens then it's clear you don't need an air fryer OR a convection oven. I would however suggest that this makes you poorly qualified to deem an entirely category of popular tools "stupid" just because you don't happen to use them.
ThrowawayTestr 1y ago
Ovens take time to preheat.
dragonwriter 1y ago
> I'm still in the camp that air fryers are stupid. A convection oven does literally the same thing. Air fryers are convection ovens, just with higher capacity fans relative to their own size compared to typical convection ovens (large convection ovens are sometimes coming with "air fryer" modes that replicate this, now.) OTOH, aside from the utiltiy of having an additional smaller oven—which is not negligible, for many people’s cooking patterns—plenty of existing ranges include conventional rather than convection ovens, and adding an air fryer is a lot cheaper than replacing the range. > Also, portable air fryers make such small servings that they're useless for people with families. I have a family, and a countertop (I assume that’s what you mean by “portable”) air fryer/toaster oven, and I don't find that to be the case. We get a lot of use out of it.

peteforde 1y ago

You're technically right that an air fryer is a type of small convection oven, but dismissing them as "stupid" ignores why they're so popular. The point isn't that they reinvent physics, it's that they package convection in a way that's faster, uses way less electricity, is easier to clean, and perfectly sized for 1-2 people. Most folks aren't cooking for a big family every meal. I often just want to make fries, roast veggies, or crisp up leftovers. My Cosori lets me do that without heating the entire kitchen (and way faster, too). I also simply don't have a convention oven. I rent my place, and it's not like I can just swap out the white goods. Yes, the smallest ones are limited in capacity, but that's not the whole category. Larger models handle whole chickens. The proof is in the market: people buy them in droves because they make food hot/crispy really quickly. A conventional oven can do the same thing, but it's like saying a desktop computer makes laptops "stupid". Technically true, but it ignores convenience, size, and efficiency, which are the reasons air fryers took off. Anecdotally, most air fryers are owned by people who used to believe that they didn't need an air fryer. Have you actually had one in your life?

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
com2kid 1y ago
The only thing I use my oven for is pies for holidays and to brown large trays of meats for parties when my grill isn't available. My wife cooks sausages in the oven but I think that is just plain wrong. That is however her singular usage of our oven. Fwiw we don't cook much western food, and we eat almost no prepackaged food. An air fryer would serve us 0 use. We do however use our instapot all the time!
- peteforde 1y ago
  I respect that. We're both operating with radically different goals and end results. If you're cooking primarily from a food culture that evolved without ovens then it's clear you don't need an air fryer OR a convection oven. I would however suggest that this makes you poorly qualified to deem an entirely category of popular tools "stupid" just because you don't happen to use them.

ThrowawayTestr 1y ago

Ovens take time to preheat.

dragonwriter 1y ago

> I'm still in the camp that air fryers are stupid. A convection oven does literally the same thing. Air fryers are convection ovens, just with higher capacity fans relative to their own size compared to typical convection ovens (large convection ovens are sometimes coming with "air fryer" modes that replicate this, now.) OTOH, aside from the utiltiy of having an additional smaller oven—which is not negligible, for many people’s cooking patterns—plenty of existing ranges include conventional rather than convection ovens, and adding an air fryer is a lot cheaper than replacing the range. > Also, portable air fryers make such small servings that they're useless for people with families. I have a family, and a countertop (I assume that’s what you mean by “portable”) air fryer/toaster oven, and I don't find that to be the case. We get a lot of use out of it.