Can Air Fryers replace convection ovens, microwaves, and OTG? With this new form factor of Air Fryer Ovens - I’m going to say YES they can (ofcourse there is always a caveat).
BEST AIR FRYER OVENS 2023
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Agaro
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Inalsa
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First let’s talk about when air fryer ovens cannot replace convection ovens, microwaves, and OTG
If you are a regular or professional baker - you may still prefer an OTG for the texture and finish it gives.
If you have a large family - to cook / heat larger quantities, you may still prefer an OTG / convection oven / microwave, based on what you are cooking.
In all other instances, especially for small to medium families and hobby bakers, I’m going to go as far as saying - this device will replace a microwave, convection oven, and an OTG. If you already have a convection microwave that is up for replacement, you can consider going with an Air Fryer Oven instead.
This is different from my take on it 2 years ago - as it’s amazing how much change the air fryer category has changed in the last 2 years since I’ve been tracking it. So many more brands, so many more form factors, more capabilities.
BEST AIR FRYER OVENS 2023
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Agaro
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Inalsa
This video will focus on air fryer ovens - which have a form factor like a regular OTG but much more super charged. As we go through the comparison, you will see majority of the capabilities are available in all models compared - so my recommendations will be based on the ones that give you best value for money and minor differences in capabilities.
BEST AIR FRYER OVENS 2023
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Agaro
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Inalsa
The first thing you will want to consider is size: While OTGs have sizes from 16L and upwards, air fryer ovens can be smaller - 12L to about 30L. For reference, upto in a 25L-30L air fryer oven can cook a 12” pizza. I’ve bucketed the air fryer ovens in two major size categories - 12 - 16L - which have slightly smaller dimensions and 25-30L which have larger dimensions and are ideal for larger quantity cooking. Both of these are ideal for families upto 4 people. Like I said earlier, if you do need a larger size for large quantity cooking, you will need to go with an OTG.
If you are a person that prefers digital displays, not all models come with that. As you can see on the screen, there are quite a few models of air fryer ovens like Agaro Regal, Agaro Royal, Hamilton beach, Geek AiroCook Iris Plus, Agaro Regal, and Wonderchef Crimson Edge which come with knobs - which have a charm of its own if you like that. Remember - air fryer ovens with digital display are typically priced higher.
The next thing to consider is temperature and timer support. Majority of recipes can be cooked in less than 200 degree celsius - which is what most air fryer ovens cover. If you do need a higher temperature range upto 230 degrees, you will need to consider one of the larger sizes of air fryer ovens - upwards of 14L which support 220-230 degree celsius. Among the brands compared, larger sized air fryer ovens from Agaro, Inalsa, Geek, Tesora, Wonderchef and Hamilton beach support temperatures upto 230 degree. Timer determines the cooking time - majority of models support upto 60 min with an exception of Agaro Elite, Royal and Regency that support upto 90 min and Inalsa Aero Smart claims to support upto 24 hours - which is required for dehydration.
BEST AIR FRYER OVENS 2023
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Agaro
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Inalsa
The next key thing to consider is the type of functions the air fryer oven can do - As you see on the screen, all air fryer ovens can reheat, toast, roast, bake, and rotisserie chicken. Dehydrate is the one where there is a difference - and amongst the models compared - some of the lower priced models like Agaro Regency, Agaro Regal, Geek Airocook do not support dehydrate. In my opinion - this is one of the least used functions - and can be skipped if you think you will not dehydrate. Remember, you will be paying extra if you get an air fryer oven with all of the capabilities :)
All air fryer ovens give accessories with it - which includes one or more of a Frying Basket, Bake Tray, Removable Crumb Tray, Panhandle, Wire Rack, Rotisserie Fetch Tool, Rotisserie Skewer and fork Rotisserie, Round Basket, Skewers, Mitts. Make sure to check the accessory list for the specific product you are buying, if this is important for you.
Wattage is the other key aspect to consider - higher wattage means faster cooking - but also higher power consumption. 1700W-1800W is the most common wattage in air fryer ovens. This wattage is higher than similar sized OTGs. Coupled with higher wattage and air circulation type of cooking, air fryers are able to cook dishes faster than in a conventional OTG. The only two outliers that have a lower wattage are Inalsa Aero Crisp and Hamilton beach at 1500W and 1400W respectively.
Coming to the number of presets - if this is important for you, then agaro royal has the highest number of presets. I don’t give too much importance to presets as you can pretty much adjust temperature and time settings in an air fryer oven to achieve the results you get from a preset. In general - we would follow the recipe we are following for temperature and time recommendations.
Pricing for air fryer ovens varies from about 8K to 16K for the larger sizes. Air fryer ovens with larger sizes, digital display, and dehydration capability cost higher. Warranty in general is 2 years with the exception of Geek and Tesora giving 1 year warranty.
BEST AIR FRYER OVENS 2023
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Agaro
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Inalsa
Based on all of these, let’s get into my recommendations for the best air fryer ovens in India
My first recommendation is the one that gives the best value for money with just enough capabilities. It’s the Agaro Regency which is available at a price of ₹8,399 with a 2 year warranty. It is a 12L air fryer oven - ideal for small families. At 1800W, this digital display air fryer oven has 9 presets, supports upto 200 degree celsius temperature and has a 90 min timer. It does all the key capabilities an air fryer oven performs - except dehydrate - which like i said is fine as not many people will tend to use this anyway. It has a stainless steel interior and comes with a number of accessories like a Rotating Basket, a Handle Tool , a Rotisserie Fork, a Skewer Rack, 2 Mesh Racks, a Drip Tray, a Frying Basket, 2 Gloves and a Recipe Book.
My next recommendation is the Inalsa Aero Smart. Available at a slightly higher price of 9.9k, this air fryer oven supports a higher temperature of 220 degree celsius, and has a timer of upto 24 hours. It offers a 2 year warranty, supports fast cooking with 1700W, is a digital air fryer oven with 14 presets. It has all the key capabilities on air fryer oven offers, including dehydration. This also comes with a range of accessories like a Baking, crumb, grill Tray, a Rotisserie Fork Set, 4 Skewer Rods, a Crisper Basket, one Hand Glove, and a recipe book
In the larger sizes, I recommend the Agaro Regal - which comes with an analog display or Agaro Regal Plus which comes with a digital display. Both are 23L air fryer ovens, support upto 220 degree celsius temperature and have a 60 min timer. From a capability point of view, Regal does not have dehydrate and Regal plus does. REgal has 7 presets while regal plus has 16.
BEST AIR FRYER OVENS 2023
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Agaro
- Best air fryer oven for small - medium family Inalsa
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