Can an air fryer be used as an alternative to an oven?

Air fryers can replace ovens to some extent, especially when cooking in small batches. It utilizes rapid circulation of hot air to heat food, which can quickly reach the high temperature required by the oven, and the heating speed is usually much faster than the oven. This means that when baking small portions of food, an air fryer can provide an oven like effect, such as baking cakes, vegetables, chicken wings, etc. Moreover, due to its smaller size, the air fryer is more energy-efficient than traditional ovens and more suitable for quick cooking, especially for single or small amounts of food.
However, the capacity of air fryers is usually small and the cooking capacity is limited. If it is an occasion that requires a large amount of cooking, an oven may be more suitable. Moreover, the oven can provide a more uniform distribution of heat over a large area, making it suitable for cooking foods that require longer cooking times, such as grilling large chunks of meat or baking large amounts of bread. Therefore, although air fryers can replace ovens for many small batch and fast cooking tasks, ovens are still a more suitable choice for large-scale and certain specific cooking needs.