Overheard a guy say air fryers are just tiny convection ovens...

I was at my neighbor's BBQ last Saturday and this dude kept going on about how air fryers are pointless since he already owns a convection oven. He said "it's the same thing, just smaller and louder." I didn't say much but honestly it got me thinking, cause my air fryer makes the crispiest wings in like 20 minutes and my convection oven always leaves them soggy on one side. Is there actually a real difference in how the air moves, or is it mostly the size that changes the results? Has anyone else had this debate with someone and actually converted them?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_alice1mo ago

Did that guy actually try making wings in his convection oven, or was he just talking? My air fryer murders those things in 15 minutes while my old oven baked them into sad, floppy messes every single time.

the_lee1mo ago

Oh man, I gotta jump in here. @the_alice, I was exactly where you were until I figured out the trick. My convection oven used to be the wing killer too, but I started tossing them in a little baking powder and salt before hitting them with the convection setting at 400. They come out crispy on the outside and still juicy inside, took about 40 minutes with a flip halfway. My air fryer is still faster but honestly the oven version holds up a lot better when I'm making a big batch for game day. Your mileage may vary depending on how strong your convection fan is though, some of those older units are weak sauce.