Short Answer: Yes, if you have health concerns in mind.
Right Answer:
Air fryers are specifically designed cooking appliances to serve the sole purpose of healthy cooking. Airfryer can fry food items like French fries with very little oil. Ovens are the most popular cooking appliance that has existed for centuries. Ovens have a diverse range of cooking uses and are much more popular, but it is not designed for healthy cooking. The question is, an air fryer better than an oven is not easy to answer. The answer depends totally on the perspective and needs of potential buyers.
Here we will discuss the different criteria for rating and draw the comparison chart.
Contents
Find out if an air fryer is better than an oven?
We are going to draw a side by comparison of the Airfryer and oven based on different criteria. We will also give points on each standard and sum it in total.
Point Rules
The point rules are
- 1 for advantage
- 0 for disadvantage
- One each if both devices have the same advantage
- 0 each if both devices have the same disadvantage
Comparison Air Fryer vs. Oven Criteria
The Criteria of Comparison will be the following
- Brand and Customer Service
- Size
- Price
- Availability
- Power Consumption
- Cooking Methodologies
- Versatility
- Cleaning
- Safety Features
- Variants
- Easiness
- Sales
- Repair
- Durability
- Healthy Cooking
Air Fryer vs. Oven Comparison Chart
| Criteria | Air Fryer | Oven | Remarks | Air Fryer Points | Oven Points |
| Brand and Customer Service | Major Manufacturers are new companies like Ninja and GoWISE but also some old players like Philips and Cuisinart are there | Most of the Oven Manufacturers are old and well-established companies like Toshiba and Panasonic. | Oven manufacturers might have better customer service compared to Air Fryer because of old and established companies | 0 | 1 |
| Size | 2 Quarts to 18 Quarts Could Serve up to 12 people | 10 liters to 30 Liters Most household ovens can serve up to 10 people | Air fryer compact design provides it in advantage on size | 1 | 0 |
| Price | Range $40- $300 | Range $100- $800 | Airfryer is comparatively cheaper than Ovens | 1 | 0 |
| Availability | N/A | N/A | Both are readily available in online markets | 1 | 1 |
| Power Consumption | 800 watts to 2500 watts Average 1500 Watts | 1000-5000 watt Average 2500 watts | Airfryer consume lower power than an oven. | 1 | 0 |
| Cooking Methodologies | Super-Heated Air Circulation | heating Element to cook evenly | Both have their cooking techniques and does not conquer over other | 1 | 1 |
| Versatility | Mostly used to air fry items without oil | Are used for many purposes | Ovens are more versatile than air fryers | 0 | 1 |
| Cleaning | Non-Stick Removable food basket | Interiors are harder to clean | Airfryer is comparatively easy to clean | 1 | 0 |
| Safety Features | Easy food removable basket | Open and close lid with no easy food extraction | Airfryer is much safer for teenagers | 1 | 0 |
| Variants | N/A | N/A | Both have multiple size and function variants | 1 | 1 |
| Easiness | Airfryer is easy to cook because of its preset functions | A bit tougher because a wide range of variety | Airfryer is more comfortable to operate | 1 | 0 |
| Sales | Airfryer is new to the American market, but the sales are multiplying. | Ovens have existed since centuries, and millions of units are sold every year | Ovens have the upper hand in the number of sales | 0 | 1 |
| Repair | Airfryer is a specialized device and is not repaired frequently | Ovens are generic and could be repaired even at home | Ovens are easier to repair | 0 | 1 |
| Durability | 2-3 years | 3-5 years | Ovens Serves for a longer time | 0 | 1 |
| Healthy Cooking | The air fryer is solely designed for healthy oil-free cooking | Ovens do not serve any health purpose | Air fryers have a vast health advantage over ovens | 1 | 0 |
| Total Points | 10 | 8 |
From the above comparison, it is clear that the air fryer has an advantage over ovens in terms of size, price, cleaning, etc. but ovens have the upper hand in durability, sales, repair, etc. The side by side comparison chart of Airfryer and oven gives us the answer that Air fryer is better than the oven.
The Final decision
Although the comparison is fair and squares, the significant criteria that will affect your decision are Versatility and Health Benefits. Airfryer could be health magic for your family, but ovens are nowhere close to air fryers in these criteria. Even though the generic and affordable air fryers do not serve multiple purposes, the advanced and slightly expensive Airfryer could serve various purposes, including baking, dehydrating, reheating, slow cooking, and even grilling. While the new air fryers are pushing ovens out of business, ovens are nowhere closing air fryers on health benefits.
Today’s customers do not just want to eat tasty but healthy food. As per a research conducted by a private institute, 60% of the American consider fried foods to be a significant element of obesity.
Since Airfryer can do seamless healthy cooking, yes, Airfryer is better than ovens.
Check out our article on air fryer buying guide if you are willing to buy an air fryer (link)