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Why are air fryers called air fryers?
(mander.xyz)
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this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
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an air fryer is just a smaller (read: less efficient) convection oven, which is itself basically just an oven with a big fan. it circulates the air and gets a crispier and more even bake than a regular oven.
i think the “air fryer” term is just a marketing fad right now? the moving air is a little similar to the way hot oil would cook, but you’re absolutely right about them not really “frying” anything lmao
With a connection oven you're heating a volume of air to then heat the food inside. It is more efficient to hear the smaller volume of air in an air fryer than in a large connection oven.
They are similar to convection ovens, but there are critical differences that result in a very different outcome from a convection oven.
A convection oven circulates hot air around the food to maintain an even cooking temperature.
An air fry uses a much stronger flow of hot air, and the air is not circulated but instead evacuated from the cooking chamber, taking steam away with it. The removal of steam allows the food to fry and become crispy, and is much more effective (read: more efficient) than a convection oven.
You’re actually kind of correct though, as air fryers have exploded in popularity, now any standard toaster oven with a convection feature is deceptively being marketed as “air fryers”, when they actually are not air fryers but instead just standard convection ovens.