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You may have heard people talk about air fryers and air fryer ovens and wondered if they are the same thing.
But the terms are not interchangeable. Read on to find out what the differences are and which type of air fryer is suitable for you.
What is an air fryer oven?
An air fryer oven is a type of air fryer, such as a single tray model or a double tray model.
But it does not have the well-known shape or construction of the air fryer. Instead – and as the name suggests – it’s a mini countertop oven. It is complete with all the features you would expect from an oven: a fold-down door with glass viewing panel, space for multiple cooking racks and internal lighting.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Why would you want to use a countertop oven instead of a built-in oven? The answer is that because it has a smaller internal cavity and a powerful fan to circulate hot air, it is still faster and cheaper to cook in.
You can see all our top recommendations in our roundup of the best air fryer ovens we’ve tested.
Benefits of air fryer ovens
The main advantage of air fryer ovens is the amount of cooking space they provide. They are much larger than regular air fryers, with a capacity of approximately 10QT/10 liters to 25QT/25 liters.
The largest model we tested is from HySapientia and has a huge capacity of 26QT/24 liters.
Their size allows you to ditch your built-in oven for even more cooking tasks. Very few conventional air fryers have room for a 12-inch frozen pizza, but an air fryer does. You can also roast a whole chicken, or a piece of meat and potatoes at the same time. There is also plenty of room for baking large cakes.
Another big advantage is that they are multifunctional, although the cooking modes, apart from air frying, vary from model to model. Nearly all models have a dedicated toast setting for bread, bagels and more, meaning you can ditch your dedicated toaster when the countertop mess becomes overwhelming. You can also roast, bake and grill in it.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Several have a rotisserie setting (and come with a spit), such as the Cosori air fryer oven, the HySapientia and the Breville Halo rotisserie air fryer oven.
Alex Greenwood / Foundry
Alex Greenwood / Foundry
Alex Greenwood / Foundry
Some even double as microwaves, including the Drew&Cole microwave-air fryer combo.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
They typically come with all the cooking accessories you need, such as cooking racks, air fryer baskets, and crumb trays, although some models may have additional accessories that you can purchase separately.
Disadvantages of air fryer ovens
An air fryer oven is not as economical to cook in as a smaller model with one drawer. If you use it regularly to grill one chicken fillet, you won’t save the same amount of electricity. Likewise, if you use it to toast bread, it will be more expensive to use than a dedicated toaster.
The most obvious disadvantage of an air fryer oven compared to a conventional air fryer is the amount of counter space it requires. It is the largest type of air fryer: usually larger and deeper than a double-drawer air fryer, and just as wide.
They are also usually more difficult to clean than conventional air fryers. This is because not the entire cooking area is covered with a non-stick coating, as is the case with cooking drawers in the Airfryer.
Should you buy a two-drawer air fryer or an air fryer oven?
If you’re looking for a large capacity air fryer, you have two main options: a double tray air fryer or an air fryer oven. Their prices will be about the same. The right type for you depends on how you are likely to use it.
Buy an air fryer oven to:
- Prepare large roasts
- Make rotisserie chicken
- Bake full size cakes
- Toast bread and bagels
- Prepare large frozen pizzas
Buy a two-drawer model to:
- Prepare two separate dishes at the same time using two different cooking methods
- Save energy by only cooking in one drawer
Our roundup of the best dual-drawer air fryers includes our top recommendations.
However, there is one two-drawer model that has many of the benefits of an air fryer oven: the 10-quart Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer – in the US this model is the Foodi FlexBasket and has a slightly smaller capacity of 7QT.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The FlexDrawer is an air fryer with two drawers and one crucial difference: you can remove the dividing wall between the cooking spaces to create one large cooking ‘mega zone’. We even baked a cake with it.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Read our FlexDrawer review to learn more or check out our review of the best Ninja air fryers to see how it compares to other models.