Nowadays, there’s a myriad of kitchen appliances that can be used to prepare some of the best mouth-watering meals. Some appliances are quite conventional yet extremely effective, like the microwave. Others are comparatively new to our kitchens, like the super-versatile air fryer. With such a diverse host of cooking appliances at our disposal, deciding which one to employ in cooking your meals can be quite overwhelming. In this informational post, we’ll be looking at the notable differences between air fryers vs microwaves to figure out which is more efficient.
Air Fryer vs Microwave: The Differences
Apart from the noteworthy difference in design and aesthetics, there are other major differences between air fryers and microwaves that you should be aware of before deciding on which of the two utensils you should use. This section of the post attempts to shed light on these differences.
Heating Method
The main difference between air fryers and microwaves lies in their heating method. Simply put, air fryers make use of convection heating in their operation where convection currents are used to heat and circulate air, hence the name air fryer. Quite an innovative kitchen appliance!
Air fryers are equipped with a built-in heating coil that heats up first. After the heating of the coil, the air fryer’s onboard fan starts spinning, blowing the heat produced by the coil across the food inside the frying basket, cooking it evenly. An air fryer’s cooking time is usually long.
Microwaves, on the other hand, heat and cook the food by employing electromagnetic radiation within the microwave frequency range. How does that happen? Well, microwaves generated by your microwave vibrate the water molecules in the food, and those vibrations create heat.
Considering that each device introduces a different technology for cooking, it makes sense that they’d also introduce their unique set of problems. And each appliance does an excellent job of addressing and overcoming the other appliance’s problems, making it beneficial to own both.
For instance, air fryers tend to take a long time to cook the food, but the end result is a flavored, crispy meal that will leave you craving for more. On the other hand, microwaves cook food a lot faster than air fryers, but the end result isn’t as flavored or as crispy as that of air fryers.
Energy Efficiency
Unlike microwaves, air fryers require quite a bit of time in order to reach the desired temperature for cooking. However, the heating doesn’t run for very long, which makes air fryers fairly efficient when it comes to power consumption, running on somewhere between 1200 and 1500 watts.
It’s also worth pointing out that because time and temperature are adjustable constituents on air fryers, you won’t really notice any difference between a 1200-watt unit and a 1500-watt unit. But you should know that air fryers are considerably less energy-efficient than microwave ovens.
Microwave ovens will consume around 1200 watts for a duration of about 30 minutes, so they’re a lot more energy-efficient than air fryers. That’s not all, though! When kept on standby mode, a microwave will only consume between 2 to 7 watts, which is a fairly negligible amount of energy.
Pinpointing the most energy-efficient air fryer or microwave can be pretty daunting for someone who champions low energy consumption. For a microwave, you should look into the Panasonic NN-SN966S. If you’re looking for an air fryer, on the other hand, check out the Ninja AF101.
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Cooking Capacity
The size of your cooking appliance and its cooking capacity are two of the most vital aspects to take into consideration when shopping for either an air fryer or a microwave. They’re especially vital if you usually cook for a lot of people and the last thing you want is a limiting appliance.
If you take any air fryer and compare it with any microwave oven, it’s bright as day that air fryers are more compact and lightweight than microwaves. However, they don’t offer as much cooking capacity as microwaves do. So, you have a choice to make, large capacity, or compactness?
Another thing you need to take into consideration is kitchen placement. Most air fryers can offer a countertop placement, which further gives them the edge in terms of compactness. Moreover, due to their compact size and lightweight construction, air fryers are extremely easy to store.
That being said, you can still find several compact microwaves. The Black+Decker EM720CB7 is a prime example. The unit measures at 17.3×13.0x10.2 inches, which is pretty compact for a microwave. It’s also very budget-friendly and runs only on 700 watts, so it’s quite efficient.
Does that mean that you should completely disregard air fryers when it comes to bulk cooking? Not necessarily! Even though air fryers are smaller than microwaves, there are units that flaunt deep chambers, allowing for bulk cooking. The Dash DFAF455GBRD01 is a good example.
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- HEALTHIER FRIED FOOD: Enjoy guilt free...
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Health/Hygiene
Compared to conventional ovens, both air fryers and microwaves offer much healthier cooking. These appliances extract the juices out of the food trying to cook, allowing for frying or cooking without the need to add oils, eliminating any health problems associated with excess oils.
Sometimes you’ll be required to add oil, but it’ll be an extremely small amount compared to the amount of oil that you’re required to add in order to cook foods with the aid of a deep fryer or a conventional oven. Less oil doesn’t just equate to healthier food, but also better hygiene.
Now that we’ve established that cooking food using air fryers and microwaves is a lot healthier than cooking it with a deep fryer or a conventional oven, it’s time to learn which of the two units is healthier and more hygienic. In short, air fryers are a lot healthier than microwave ovens.
While microwaves may require you to add a small amount of oil, air fryers don’t require oil at all, since things like frying, baking, or any of the operations that air fryers are capable of doing don’t rely on oil whatsoever. Air fryers are also capable of retraining more nutrients than microwaves.
If you’re looking for an air fryer that’s extremely easy to clean, you must seriously check out the COSORI CP258-AF. The unit features a detachable, non-stick air basket that’s dishwasher-safe for your convenience. The basket is commodious as well, spanning 9.49×9.49×3.98 inches.
On the other hand, if you’re in the market for an easy-to-clean microwave oven, it doesn’t really get any better than the Toshiba EM131A5C-BS. Just a few wipes using a damp, clean piece of cloth and this microwave’s interior will be squeaky clean. An excellent microwave, overall.
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Air Fryer vs Microwave: Which to Use?
There are foods that you can prepare in an air fryer that can’t be prepared in a microwave, and vice versa. For example, meat shouldn’t be cooked in a microwave. So, if you’re trying to make chicken, bacon, steak, or even fish, an air fryer will be a better choice than a microwave.
Cooking meats using an air fryer is remarkably easy, and like we already mentioned, you won’t need to add as much oil as you’d typically add if you were to cook using a deep fryer or a frying pan. Lightly coat the food, put it in the fryer’s basket, and just await a meal that’s full of flavor.
Okay, so when should you use a microwave oven? Air fryers won’t enable you to melt butter for baking or heat up hot water for making the hot drink of your preference, but microwaves will. In addition, a microwave oven can be used for a wide range of other activities than cooking.
For example, some microwaves feature steam-powered disinfectant trays that you can use for baby bottles to get rid of lingering bacteria. Another task a microwave could do that an air fryer couldn’t is preparing frozen meals. These are important factors to consider before choosing.
Air Fryer vs Microwave: Conclusion
Both air fryers and microwaves offer a superb deal of functionality, which leads to the conclusion that all homes can benefit from having both devices. Most homes already have microwaves and air fryers aren’t at all expensive, so investing in one won’t really put a dent in your wallet.
Can you substitute air fryers for microwaves or vice versa? Not really. As we already mentioned, air fryers are capable of preparing foods that microwaves can’t, and microwaves are able to pull off tasks that air fryers can’t. And let’s not forget the difference in speed, capacity, and flavor.
Both cooking appliances excel in specific areas and do a remarkable job of capitalizing on each other’s functionalities, which further proves that any kitchen can benefit from having both. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know and we’d be happy to address your concerns.
