Air fryers and microwave ovens are two different useful and popular kitchen appliances. We use both of these appliances for cooking food. Both of them have their own benefits. In this article, I will differentiate between an air fryer and a microwave oven. Also, you will know the advantages and disadvantages of both the appliances. After reading this, you will understand how these appliances work and which one will be better for you.
How does an air fryer work?
The air fryer does not actually fry. In an air fryer, there is a heating element that is the heat source. The heating element can produce a temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. There are air circulation fans that create hot air circulation throughout the cooking basket. This hot air is the main reason for the cooking uniformity of an air fryer.
Therefore instead of drenching the food in unhealthy oil, you can cook the food in hot circulated air using a little or no oil. This is the working principle of an air fryer in brief.
How does a microwave oven work?
In a microwave oven, the foods are cooked by microwaves. There is a wave generation tube called the magnetron. The waves produced by the tube are reflected within the interior of the oven. The wave is then absorbed by the food. The water molecules inside the food are then vibrated when the wave passes them.
Thus the microwave energy is converted into heat energy when the wave goes through the food. This is in short the working principle of a microwave oven. Therefore a microwave oven is only used for heating up the food. It is not suitable for versatile cooking.
Differences between an air fryer and a microwave oven
- The air fryer uses hot circulated year to cook food. On the other hand, a microwave oven uses waves instead of hot air.
- An air fryer has a heating element as a heat source. The microwave oven has a wave tube that generates waves.
- The air fryer can produce crispy crust outside of the food. On the other hand, the microwave is only suitable for heating up the food.
- An air fryer is suitable for versatile cooking. The microwave oven is not suitable for versatile cooking.
- An air fryer is comparatively expensive than a microwave oven.
- The microwave oven doesn’t cook. It only heats up the food. On the other hand, an air fryer can cook, bake and roast.
- Microwave ovens consume considerably less energy than the air fryers.
Is an air fryer healthier than a microwave?
An air fryer is undoubtedly a healthy cooking appliance. It cooks with the help of hot circulated air. Therefore without needing drenching oil it can cook almost all kinds of foods. Although foods cooked in an air fryer can be toxic in some cases it is mostly a healthy option than cooking in a deep fryer.
On the other hand, the microwave oven does not cook food. It is mostly used for reheating foods. Therefore the kind of food you can cook in an air fryer is not similar to the kind of food you cook in a microwave oven.
Can the air fryer replace the microwave oven?
No. A microwave oven cannot fully replace an air fryer. An air fryer is more of a cooking appliance. On the other hand, we use a microwave oven mostly for reheating the foods. Although some of the air fryers can reheat fries, pizza, baked food, meats, and different other foods, they cannot reheat as well as a microwave oven. Therefore if reheating is your need then microwave oven would be the better choice.
Does an air fryer use raditation or microwave?
An air fryer does not use any kind of radiation or wave. The working principle of an air fryer does not necessitate the use of any of these.
An air fryer is based on a heating element and air circulation fan. It is actually an advanced convection oven that circulates heat more smartly than a convection oven. Therefore air fryer is free from waves and radiation.
Air fryer or microwave oven – which one is better?
An air fryer is undoubtedly a better option. An air fryer can fry, bake, roast, rotisserie, and sometimes dehydrate, grill, and broil. On the other hand, the microwave oven is normally used for heating up the food. It does not have a versatile cooking option. But if your purposes only food reheating then spending more money on air fryer will not be wise.