[Answer] Should I buy an oven or an air fryer?

Should I buy an oven or an air fryer?is a question that makes many housewives hesitate when they want to upgrade their kitchen. Both devices are great assistants, helping cooking become faster and healthier. To find out which is the most perfect choice for your family, let'sLocknLockdetailed comparison below.

1. Learn about the oven

The oven is a familiar kitchen appliance, specially designed to cook food using heat emitted from electricity, creating attractive grilled dishes.

1.1. Structure

A standard oven has a box-shaped design and is made up of the following main parts:

• Cooling:These are the core components that generate heat. They can be designed in a straight or curved shape, installed above and close to the furnace floor below to ensure heat is radiated from both sides.
• Convection fan:Usually located in the center of the oven cavity. The function of this fan is to blow hot air evenly throughout the oven space, helping the heat cover the entire surface of the food.

Close-up of the oven's internal structure

1.2. Originaloperating theory

The oven operates on the principle of heat transfer by resistance. When the oven is energized, the resistance bars (usually2 to 4 bars(Depending on the model) will be heated and radiate heat, directly cooking food from the outside in.

1.3. Fertilizer type

The market today offers a wide variety of ovens for users to choose from:

• Built-in oven:This type of oven is installed in the kitchen cabinet, bringing neatness and luxury. This type of oven is often large in size and has a very stable temperature, allowing for better and larger quantities of food to be baked.
• Barrel oven:With a rectangular independent design, this is a popular type and easy to find in electronics supermarkets. Its advantage is that it can be placed anywhere in the kitchen.
• Glass oven:The oven is made of transparent glass that can withstand heat well. All the oven control buttons are integrated right on the lid.

Barrel ovens are popular in every Vietnamese family kitchen.

1.4. Advantages point

• Using an oven helps you completely avoid grease splattering while cooking, keeping the kitchen clean.
• The glass door design allows you to observe the condition of the food during the cooking process.
• Baking time is shortened and the special timer feature allows users to do other tasks while cooking, saving time effectively.
• The oven is easy to clean and does not emit smoke or toxic gases that are harmful to health. These advantages make the oven a strong candidate when considering Should I buy an oven or an air fryer? for many families.

1.5. Weakness point

• You should wait for the oven to cool completely before you can start cleaning, especially with glass ovens as they are likely to break if exposed to cold water immediately after cooking.
• The furnace's mobility is limited due to its large size and the requirement for a fixed location near a power source.
• Food baked in an electric oven often does not have the characteristic aroma as when baked in a traditional charcoal oven.

2. Findunderstandabout air fryer

Air fryers, also known as vacuum fryers, are usually designed in a compact and beautiful oval shape. The pot comes with a removable frying tray, with a mesh layer underneath to help excess oil from the food drip down.

2.1. Structure create

The structure of an oil-free fryer includes:

• The pot shell is usually made of PP or ABS plastic with high gloss, durability and effective dirt resistance.
• The main function of the pot lid is to cover tightly and securely when the pot is started.
• The handle is designed right on the body of the pot, helping users to conveniently pull the frying tray and frying basket in and out with the push of a button.
• The Mayso wire acts as a resistance device, which is responsible for converting electrical energy into heat energy to generate heat.
• The control panel or knob allows the user to set the temperature (from80 - 200 degrees Celsius) and desired cooking time.
• The heating element is located at the top inside the pot. When started, the Mayso wire heats up and the fan will blow this hot air in a convection circulation to cook the food.
• The frying tray and pot basket are the parts that directly contain food. The surface is coated with a non-stick layer and can be removed for simple cleaning.

The pot shell is made of high-quality plastic, durable and easy to clean.

2.2. Originreasonactivities

The air fryer cooks food by heating the heating element (heating wire). Then, the fan below will blow this hot air to circulate evenly and quickly across the surface of the food, helping the food to cook in just a few seconds.15 - 30 minuteswithout using grease.

2.3. Fertilizer type

Air fryers are also divided into two main types based on how you interact with them:

• Electronically controlled oil-free fryer:This type is controlled by an electronic panel, usually in the form of a touch or push button, some models incorporate a rotary button for increased convenience.
• Mechanical control air fryer:This type is integrated with a mechanical control panel with a simple knob and lever form.

2.4. Advantages point

• The product has a compact, sophisticated and modern design, helping to save space in the kitchen.
• Oil-free frying technology helps to minimize oil and fat, creating low-fat, healthy dishes.
• The pot can be used immediately after starting up in just about 1 minute, helping to save cooking time significantly.
• The product is integrated with many functions, not only frying but also steaming, grilling, stir-frying or reheating food quickly (depending on the type).
• Many pre-set cooking functions and programs allow for easy operation of multiple modes.

Enjoy fried foods without worrying about taking in too much fat.

2.5. Disadvantages

• The food container of the pot will usually have a smaller capacity than the cavity of the oven.
• When using an air fryer, food may be drier and not as tasty as when fried using the traditional method of deep frying.
• Because of its many outstanding features, the price of the pot is often higher than other common frying utensils.

3. Compare ovensgrilland air fryer

To have an overview and make accurate decisionsShould I buy an oven or an air fryer?, the detailed comparison table below will help you.

Criteria	Griller	Air fryer
Function	Specialized for grilling large foods such as whole chickens and ducks, and is ideal for baking.	Multi-purpose, can fry foods such as chicken wings, potatoes, ribs, and roast whole chicken.
Baking mode	Offers multiple grilling modes: top heat, bottom heat, both top and bottom heat, and rotisserie mode.	There is only one heating mechanism using a heating element (heating wire) from above.
Grilled food quality	Food cooks more evenly, retains moisture and flavor better.	The food is not as delicious as oven-baked food, but the advantage is that it significantly reduces the amount of grease.
Watch the food	Food can be observed cooking through the glass door.	Not observable (except for some special models).
Heating mechanism	Works by transferring heat using resistance to heat food directly from the outside in.	Heat the heating element (heating wire) to create hot air flow.
Ripening technology	Use resistor or halogen technology.	Uses Rapid Air technology (cooks food with high-speed hot air).
Level of electricity saving	Lower power saving due to high power and long operating time.	Higher energy savings due to faster cooking times.
Additional utilities	Features include reverse rotation, grease catchment, convection fan, and oven cavity light (depending on model).	Features include pre-set cooking programs, convection fan, heat-insulated plastic handle, and automatic shut-off when overheated (depending on model).
Toilet	The grill, drip tray, and rotisserie must be removed for separate cleaning and wiping of the oven cavity.	Cleaning is simple and quick, simply remove the baking tray and wipe clean.
Control panel	Variety from knobs, touch to push buttons; some models have English which makes it difficult to use.	Mainly mechanical knob, very easy to use.
Capacity	Fluctuates from 1300 - 2100 W (depending on model).	Fluctuates from 1300 – 2000W.
Capacity	About 12 - 80 liters.	About 2.4 - 12 liters.
Price	From under 1 million to 53 million VND.	About 1 million to 11 million VND.

In short, to answer the question Should I buy an oven or an air fryer?, consider the following cases: Choose an oven if you need:

• Grill large quantities of food, such as a whole chicken/duck, or prepare portions for several people.
• Want to grill food quickly with high power and heat.
• There is a need to bake regularly, because an air fryer will not support baking as conveniently and professionally as an oven.

Choose an air fryer if you need:

• Regularly eat foods that are low in fat to prevent diseases such as obesity and excess fat.
• Move the device to more places in the house.
• Cooking with many other attractive functions such as steaming, frying, grilling, bringing maximum convenience when using.

Not only frying, the pot can also steam, grill, and reheat food.

Conclude post

Hope through the detailed analysis above from LocknLock, you have your own answer about the matterShould I buy an oven or an air fryer?Each device has its own advantages, suitable for different needs and kitchen spaces. Consider carefully to choose the most suitable companion, helping you create delicious and healthy meals for the whole family.