Basket Vs Oven: Is There A Difference Between These Air Fryers?

Basket and oven air fryers have the same main purposes: to reduce the reliance on oil and cut down cooking time in the kitchen. To do this, they both employ high-output fans that evenly distribute hot air in their cooking chambers. This is the secret behind an air fryer's genius: It doesn't fry the food. Instead, hot air browns and crisps it up to give air-fried foods a feel similar to that of traditional French fries with as little as two tablespoons of oil. Given these benefits, one can say that both appliances are revolutionary gadgets.

That said, you can't mistake a basket air fryer for an air fryer oven. They're visually dissimilar, but their differences extend beyond their exteriors. Their cooking capacities, cooking times, functionalities, and ease of maintenance vary, so if you're wondering whether there's a difference between a basket air fryer and an air fryer oven, the answer is a resounding yes, and there are several.

The first-ever basket air fryer was introduced onto the market in 2010. The air fryer's inventor, Fred van der Weij, was inspired by the need for crispy fries without excess oil, thus the creation of this egg-shaped kitchen essential. It's like a compact convection oven in that it has a heating element (on top) with a fan (just below) that blows hot air in a confined space. The gadget earns its name from the basket-like wire that holds the food while it cooks. This feature allows heat from the top to contact the food from all angles, including the sides and bottom.

As a result, rapid air circulation at close range gives your air-fried chicken wings that delightfully crispy texture. Although nowadays, the basket air fryer takes on different shapes such as pod, cylinder, rectangle, and trendy triangular prism designs, all of them are countertop-friendly, preventing them from taking up too much space in your kitchen. Plus, it has a removable basket or drawer that lets you slide it and dump your food out once it's ready.

An air fryer oven combines the concepts of an air fryer and a convection oven. It often looks exactly like a convection oven but smaller, and it operates like one but with added air fryer features. All types of convection ovens contain a fan, either on the back wall or above to circulate hot air evenly in the chamber. But unlike a regular convection oven with a heating element on the bottom and away from the fan, an air fryer oven has its heating element right behind the fan to circulate fresh hot air.

Further setting the air fryer ovens apart is its higher fan speed, which gives foods like French fries and onion rings a crispier touch. And since it comes with a mesh tray, heat can reach the food from all angles and cook it uniformly, all while further ensuring it has a crispy texture.

An air fryer oven has a large cooking capacity, typically ranging from 12 to 34 liters. The spacious vacuum lets you cook large food items such as chickens and turkeys, so you'll be set for your holiday roasts. You can also use it to cook large quantities of food; for instance, you can prepare a sweet potato casserole, spring quiche, and possibly some lasagna simultaneously. This is excellent if you're cooking for a family of over six people or are planning on hosting guests since you can likely put together a feast in one go. Unfortunately, this also means the gadget takes up more counter space and may not be the best option for a tiny kitchen.

For such kitchens, a regular basket air fryer is ideal. The difference with these smaller appliances is that they can span from a mere 2 to 10 liters, with the smaller sizes letting you cook for one or two people, and larger sizes, such as the 5-liter basket, catering to a family of at least four. Naturally, they take up less room than an air fryer oven and thus are great if you have limited counter space. Just be ready to cook in batches if you're itching to serve one of your favorite air fryer treats to a larger group of people.

The compact nature of a basket air fryer allows hot air to reach the food almost immediately and leaves very little time and space for heat to escape during this transfer. Such swiftness and efficiency results in a relatively short cooking time. Whatever cooking time and temperature a recipe calls for in a conventional oven can be reduced by about 20% and 25 degrees Fahrenheit in a basket air fryer, respectively.

The air fryer oven calls for similar types of adjustments, but its spacious environment requires a relatively longer cooking time for your food to be ready. With increased space for the air to move around, the circulating heat has the potential to lose more energy and impact the food at a relatively slower rate. However, the good news is that the air fryer oven makes up for lost time by cooking larger portions simultaneously.

An air fryer has several functions — sometimes up to 10. These can include grill, reheat, slow cook, pizza, toast, and trumpet, and could give you more versatility in the kitchen. One day, you can air fry stuffed chicken breast, the next day, you can bake them. More important, however, is the fact that this reduces the number of appliances you need to buy. In a single purchase, you can potentially do away with the need for a toaster, a regular convection oven, and a slow cooker, leaving more room for this capacious gadget.

Air fryer ovens, on the other hand, can have only one function: Air frying. This can seem like a complete downside, but the advantage is that the gadget can fulfill its intended purpose efficiently. That said, having one setting can often leave you with limited options when preparing your food, and can mean acquiring more gadgets to achieve versatility.

The removable basket in a basket air fryer makes cleaning it a breeze. Once you're done cooking and the basket has cooled down, you can slide it out and immerse it in dishwashing water with your other dirty dishes before washing it gently with a sponge. Cleaning the rest of the appliance is simple as long as you keep in mind what not to use when cleaning stuck-on foods from your air fryer. Just unplug it and use a damp cloth to wipe along the walls of its interior and exterior. If the heating element has accumulated a bit of fat, wipe it too, and use a non-abrasive brush to remove any bits of food stuck to it.

The similar construction of an air fryer oven to a convectional one means it entails the lengthy clean-up the latter calls for. There's no removable basket, only wire racks and meshes, and its interior walls are subject to days — if not weeks — of grease and dirt. To clean them, you must reach into those elusive corners and stretch to get a good scrub in. This can be tedious work, but perhaps these 16 hacks for cleaning your oven will help you get the job done.