Overheard my neighbor say air fryers are just tiny convection ovens, so I tested that theory with a pork roast

My neighbor Bob in Austin swore my 6 quart air fryer couldn't roast a 3 pound pork shoulder like his big convection oven. I ran both at 325 degrees for 90 minutes, same rub and everything, and honestly the air fryer came out juicier with better crust, even if the timing was trickier. Turns out being "just" a smaller oven means less preheating and more even heat in my tiny kitchen. Has anyone else done a side by side test like this, or am I the only weirdo with two appliances running at once?

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_dixon491mo ago

Oh man, I gotta jump in here because Bob's got it half right, but not quite. Air fryers are basically small convection ovens, sure, but the fan is way stronger in most of them, so it's not really a fair fight. Your pork roast test sounds like the air fryer won on speed and crust, which tracks, but that drier turkey breast thing just proves the little guys need different timing than a big oven.

stone.lisa1mo ago

Borrowed my sister's air fryer last Thanksgiving to see if it could beat my grandma's roasted turkey recipe, and it did the dark meat better but the breast came out drier than a saltine. She never lets me forget that I ran both appliances on the same outlet and blew a breaker mid-dinner, which was way more chaotic than your science experiment. Point is, these little ovens have their own personality and it's totally worth the weird looks from neighbors who think you're running a two-appliance cooking show.