AIR FRYER VS. CONVECTION OVEN: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Air frying and convection baking are both popular choices for creating meals that are evenly cooked and full of flavor. But how does an air fryer or convection oven work? And what’s the difference?
What is a Convection Oven?
Convection ovens use a fan to evenly and continuously circulate hot air around your food allowing for faster, more even results. In the past, convection cooking was limited to industrial settings like restaurants where a lot of items are cooked together and doors are always opening and closing. That kind of cooking needs forced air to circulate and maintain heat, and a vent to make sure the oven doesn’t get too humid. Since then, the convection setting has been engineered into ovens so that home cooks can also take advantage of the many benefits.
When Should You Use a Convection Oven?
Foods cook faster in a convection oven making them great for multi-rack baking or roasting meats and veggies. This is especially helpful during the holidays or entertaining when busy kitchens have a lot to deliver! If you’re trying to achieve lots of perfect tasting cookies with a firm edge and a soft middle, convection is the way to go.
When you should use the convection setting:
- Multi-rack baking and cooking
- Poultry and sausages
- Roasted meats
- Pizzas
- Casseroles, baked pasta, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables
- Croutons, crunchy cookies like biscotti, dry toast
- Biscuits and scones, other types of bread that need a bit of a crust
When you should not use the convection setting:
Since convection uses a fan to circulate air around the food, you'll want to protect any delicate mixtures or foods that start out as batters by using the regular oven setting instead.
- Delicate foods, batters or cheesecakes
- Custards, soufflés or cakes
What is an Air Fryer Oven?
An air frying oven uses hot air to rapidly circulate around food to create a crispy layer. This produces the same great tasting results as traditional deep frying, but with little to no oil. The high-powered fan circulates the super-heated air around the food at a high speed and cooks the ingredients to a perfect crunchy finish.
When Should You Use an Air Fryer Oven?
You can use the air fry setting on your oven for most traditional deep-fried foods. Some of the best air fryer oven recipes include:
- Frozen foods such as French fries, mozzarella sticks or pizza rolls
- Chicken wings, tenders or nuggets
- Vegetables such as zucchini, brussel sprouts or cauliflower
The bottom line
Both air frying and convection baking produce great tasting results, and with the Frigidaire Gallery 30" Front Control Electric Range with Total Convection, you can enjoy the best of both features. With air fry and convection settings, you can evenly bake multiple sheets of chocolate chip cookies or air fry chicken wings and zucchini fries for tonight’s dinner. Either way, both of these cooking settings can help you quickly put together a tasty meal for your family.