As you know, a microwave is a popular machine that has appeared in our kitchen for decades, while an air fryer has been recently known for its convenience. Each machine has its different function, design, and price.
If you’re looking for a detailed comparison between an air fryer vs microwave, don’t hesitate to read this article! It will give you the fullest information about how an air fryer and microwave operate to cook food, the main differences between their cooking methods, advantages, and disadvantages when using them.
Do you wonder whether an air fryer or microwave meets your demands? Let’s scroll down to understand which one will be your best partner in the kitchen!
What Is An Air Fryer?
An air fryer is a countertop cooking gadget that employs convection and spreads heat around the food to cook it. You can deep-fry your food by using an air fryer without oil. However, to cook food faster, you should use a small amount of oil or fat to help hot air spread evenly inside the air fryer’s basket.
According to market research, air fryers have become increasingly popular over the past few years; roughly 40% of households in the United States own at least one air fryer. This proves that many people are now fond of using air fryers and consider them a necessary and convenient cooking gadget.
How Do Air Fryers Work?
A heating element inside the air fryers converts electrical energy to produce hot air, and then air fryers use this hot air to circulate heat to cook food. The food can be cooked evenly because the hot air inside air fryers spreads around it and is supported by a fan.
If you want your air fryer to work effectively, setting up all components properly is necessary. Place the food in the basket with little oil (or no oil), set the time and suitable temperature, and wait for the air fryer to cook the food.
With an air fryer, you can air fry a wide variety of foods, including roasted chicken and pork, frozen seafood, baked cakes, homemade french fries, etc.
What Is A Microwave?
Microwave ovens were first produced in 1967, but they only became popular kitchen equipment on the market in the 1970s. At that time, almost all households in the US owned one because this machine could heat food quickly due to electromagnetic radiation.
Nowadays, even when air fryers are common, microwaves are still an essential cooking gadget for every kitchen.
How Do Microwaves Work?
Microwaves operate when the water particles in food vibrate, generating hot air for microwaves to heat the food. This process is known as dielectric heating, a cooking method that uses short wavelengths to reheat the food.
With a microwave, you don’t need to set up separate components because a microwave’s design is simple and complete, so it’s easy for people to use it with an instruction manual.
The Difference Between Microwaves And Air Fryers
Cooking Technique
While air fryers use hot air for cooking food, microwaves utilize electromagnetic radiation for cooking and reheating food.
Temperature Control
Compared to microwaves, air fryers provide better temperature control. You can adjust the temperature to cook different food and guarantee your meals are well-cooked.
Cooking Time
Microwaves take less time to cook and heat food than air fryers. For instance, frozen chicken nuggets can be cooked in an air fryer for around 15 minutes but only 3-5 minutes in a microwave.
Food Quality
Using air fryers to cook food brings a crunchier and more “fried” bite, whereas microwaved food is softer and sometimes soggier.
Health
According to some experts, the air frying method is healthier than microwave cooking since it uses less oil and cooks food more slowly.
Cost
In general, air fryers’ market price is higher than microwaves.
Size
Although an air fryer’s size can differ depending on different brands, they often have a smaller size than a microwave. Most air fryers have a capacity of about 3 quarts, although microwaves can have a capacity of up to 1.26 feet.
While big microwaves might be 1.26 feet or bigger, some smaller types are only 0.8 feet.
Noise
Microwaves are generally silent and ring when the cooking time is done. However, air fryers make a lot of noise.
Ease of Use
In general, air fryers are simple to use. You only need to place food in the basket, set the temperature and timer, and let your air fryer do the rest.
The usage of microwaves is even simpler. All that is required is to put the food in the microwave, set a suitable time, and push the Start button.
Cleaning
Compared to microwaves, air fryers require careful cleaning steps. After using the air fryer, you need to use soap and water to clean the air fryer’s tray and basket, so it can wash away redundant fat, oil, or dirt. With a microwave, a moist towel is enough to clean up the inside.
Power Consumption
Microwaves utilize less energy than air fryers. For instance, a 1500W air fryer requires roughly 1.5 kilowatts of power every hour, but a 1000W microwave only needs 0.1 kilowatts.
Air Fryer Vs. Microwave: Pros and Cons
Air Fryers
Advantages
- Healthier food: Air frying is a healthy cooking technique because it uses little to no oil.
- Easier cleanup: Cleanup is simple because the food comes out crisp with little to no mess.
- More variety: You can cook a large range of items with an air fryer, such as vegetables, fries, frozen meat, seafood, etc.
Disadvantages
- Unevenly cooked food: You may need to check on the food regularly and swirl it around because it doesn’t always cook evenly.
- Noisy: An air fryer may be pretty noisy, so it may not be the best option if you want to cook quietly.
- Expensive: Compared to other kitchen equipment, it is a little pricey.
Microwaves
Advantages
- Easy to use: You can heat or cook food faster than other methods and don’t need to set up the machine.
- Nutritious: Food cooked in the microwave retains more nutrients than food prepared in other ways.
- Energy-efficient: It consumes less energy than other cooking techniques.
- Easy to clean
Disadvantages
- Food poisoning
- Food dehydration
- Electromagnetic fields (EMFs): Microwaves can cause EMFs, which are harmful to human health.
- Interference in electronic equipment: It can lead to electromagnetic interference (EMI), an issue that causes electronics to perform improperly, malfunction, or stop working completely.
Check out: Best Microwave Air Fryer Combo
Conclusion
This comparison between air fryer vs microwave provides all the fundamental and important information of these two cooking machines. Air fryers and microwaves are all convenient and have their own advantages, so you can choose to purchase them depending on your cooking styles and requirements.
You can decide to get both or consider a machine with two functions, “microwave air fryer combo”. We’re that this 2-in-1 machine will help you be better in cooking delicious meals for your family and enhance your experience while using it.