Experts caution against using air fryers instead of ovens

 

“Air Fryers vs Ovens”: What’s the Debate?

In recent years air fryers have boomed in popularity. They promise crisp texture, quicker cooking times, less oil, and convenience. Many people use them instead of ovens for many tasks. But experts are warning: while air fryers have definite advantages, they’re not a perfect replacement for ovens. Over-reliance on air fryers can lead to inefficiencies, safety risks, and compromises in cooking quality — depending on what you're cooking, how often, and how you use them.

Let’s break down the pros first, then dig into the cautions, expert concerns, trade‑offs, and best practices.

What Air Fryers Do Well

Understanding strengths helps us see where the cautions come from. Here are things air fryers tend to do well:

Speed / Quicker Preheat: Because of their smaller chambers, air fryers warm up quickly and cook small batches faster than large ovens.

Crispy Finish with Less Oil: Circulating hot air helps crisp food (especially frozen foods, fries, breaded items) using relatively little oil.

Efficiency for Small Portions: If you’re cooking for one or two, or small items, air fryers can be more energy-efficient and convenient.

Less Heat Output to the Room: Using a countertop air fryer tends to heat up the kitchen less than turning on a large oven.

Lower Fat Alternatives to Deep‑Frying: For people who like crisp textures but want to reduce fat / oil, air fryers are often seen as healthier than deep frying.

Given those strengths, many people assume they can phase out use of a conventional oven. But experts caution that this replacement strategy has trade‑offs. Let’s look into those.

Expert Warnings & Cautions

Here are the main concerns experts raise when people use air fryers instead of ovens, especially for many or all cooking tasks.

1. Energy Use & Cost Efficiency

While air fryers are efficient for small amounts of food, the cost and energy savings diminish or disappear for larger batches or for certain types of dishes.

Martin Lewis (Money Saving Expert, U.K.) has cautioned that air fryers may be cheaper than ovens for small jobs — but not always. If you need to cook many items in multiple batches (because the air fryer basket is small), the cumulative energy use can match or exceed what an oven would use. 

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Ovens, especially large ones, are often rated around 2,000 W. Air fryers vary in wattage, but many are around 1,000‑1,600 W. If you run several air fryer batches, the energy cost adds up. 

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Thus, for large‑scale cooking (big roasts, batch baking, large trays), ovens may be more cost‑effective and faster.

2. Capacity & Volume Limitations

Air fryers have smaller cooking capacity:

Because of the size constraints, you often can’t cook large items (like big roasts, whole chickens, large baking trays, big cakes) in them. An oven easily accommodates bigger sizes and larger batches in one go. 

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Overcrowding the basket or tray in an air fryer reduces airflow, which diminishes crispiness, slows down cooking, and can yield uneven results. You may need multiple rounds, which increases time/energy. 

Woman & Home

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3. Quality & Texture / Food Compromise

Some food items fare better in ovens:

Baking, roasting, and some slow‑cooked dishes benefit from the more stable, enveloping heat of an oven, which helps with browning, moisture retention, and even cooking.

Items that require gentle cooking or even heating (large pieces of meat, dense vegetables) might dry out or cook unevenly in air fryers if heat is too intense or if they’re placed too close to heating elements.

4. Health, Safety & Material Concerns

Experts also raise safety cautions and concerns about use.

Fire Risk and Overheating: Some models of air fryers have been recalled. For example, more than 287,000 Insignia air fryers/air fryer ovens were recalled due to overheating issues, parts melting or shattering, and risk of fire. 

EatingWell

Proper Use / Overfilling: Overfilling or blocking airflow can lead to poor performance and even increase risk of overheating or fire. Cleaning buildup (grease, crumbs) in heating elements is also important. 

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Material Quality: Lower‑quality devices may use cheaper plastics or coatings which degrade, risk releasing harmful compounds, or have poor durability. (Some caution around “cheap air fryers” having questionable non-stick coatings.) While direct citations on toxic emissions are less clear, concerns have been raised generally in discussion forums. 

Kitchen Advising

5. Energy / Environmental Impact Beyond Usage

Frequent use of many devices adds up: manufacturing, disposal, and materials used in air fryers are environmental costs. Critics argue that if you already have a functioning oven (especially convection oven), buying and using another appliance may be a less sustainable choice. 

Kitchen Advising

Also, some air fryers require more electricity per minute than ovens when cooking certain volume of food, because achieving crispness often involves high heat or short bursts of high intensity. If usage is always small, maybe fine; but many users adopt them for many tasks, increasing cumulative load. 

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Trade‑offs: When Air Fryers Are Less Appropriate Than Ovens

Putting the cautions in context: there are specific situations where ovens are clearly preferable.

Situation Why Oven Tends to Be Better

Large meals (roasts, baking trays, multiple items at once) Ovens can cook larger quantities in one go; air fryers often need multiple batches, which takes more time and energy.

Baking (cakes, breads, pastries) Ovens provide more stable temperature, gentle radiant heat, and more space. Air fryers may bake, but usually with limitations (size, depth, crust development).

Slow‑roasted or braised dishes Longer, lower temperature cooking benefits from oven’s consistent environment.

Multi‑function use (grill, broil, bake, roast) Ovens (especially with convection options) are more versatile.

When texture and moisture retention matter (e.g. thick meats, fish, vegetables) Ovens allow better control of humidity, positioning, and slower temperature ramping.

How Experts Suggest We Use Both — “Not Instead, But In Balance”

What many experts recommend is not entirely abandoning the oven, but learning how to use each appliance optimally. Here’s what they suggest:

Calculate Energy Cost / Wattage

— Before choosing which appliance to use, check the wattage, estimate energy usage for the duration you’ll cook, multiply by your electricity rate. Martin Lewis recommends doing this to decide whether a meal is more economical in an oven or air fryer. 

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Match the Appliance to the Task

— Use air fryer for small batches, snacks, frozen foods, reheating, or for crispy finish when you don’t need much capacity.

— Use oven for larger quantities, baking, roasting, dishes requiring gentle heating, or when you want to cook multiple items at once.

Don’t Overfill / Ensure Airflow

— Make sure that food isn’t crowding the basket; leave space so air circulates. Overcrowded baskets reduce crispness and increase cooking time. 

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Clean Regularly & Maintain Safety

— Grease buildup, food residue, dirty heating elements increase risk of smoke, fire, reduced performance. Experts recommend light cleaning after every use, and deep cleaning regularly. 

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— Follow safety instructions (leave space around device, don’t cover vents, avoid plugging into overloaded extension cords). 

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Adjust Cooking Times / Temperatures

— Because air fryers cook faster and more intensely near the heating element, you often need to reduce temperature (by ~10‑20°C / 25‑50°F) and check food earlier. Recipes designed for ovens need adaptation. 

Cookology

Choose Quality Appliances

— Buy air fryers with good safety certifications, good build quality, reliable fans, good non‑stick surfaces. Cheaper models may have higher risk. 

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Specific Cases / Examples of Where Things Go Wrong

To illustrate, here are real or hypothetical examples where using an air fryer in place of an oven leads to problems.

Batch‑cooking root vegetables for a large family: If you try to roast a full tray of potatoes, carrots, etc., in an air fryer basket, you’ll either overload (poor airflow → soggy / uneven) or have to do several batches. Multiple rounds reduce the time advantage, maybe even costing more energy/hassle than using an oven with a convection setting.

Baking cakes / bread: Trying to bake a tall cake in an air fryer may result in crust overcooking, center undercooking, shape limitations. Ovens are better for stable surrounding heat.

Cooking for multiple people / dinner events: If you need to cook meats, side dishes, vegetables simultaneously, the oven allows layering and multiple racks; air fryer is usually single basket, limited space.

Safety issue from prolonged, frequent use: If an air fryer is used day after day without cleaning, with grease buildup, or overheating, there’s risk of damage, fire hazards, or reduction of appliance lifespan.

Energy cost miscalculations: Some users assume the air fryer is always “cheaper”, but wattage and usage patterns (how long, how many batches) matter. For example, a high‑wattage air fryer left on for long times or used for large loads can draw as much power as an oven. Martin Lewis’s warnings illustrate that in some cases, it’s more cost effective to use the oven once than multiple air fryer uses. 

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What Experts Say: Quotes & Consensus

Here are some direct insights from experts or trusted sources:

Martin Lewis (UK Money Expert) cautions that while air fryers are cheaper for small jobs, larger or multiple batches may reverse savings. He suggests doing the wattage math. 

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Which? (Consumer Group) notes that when cooking large amounts or batches, ovens may be more economical. 

JOE.co.uk

Electrical Safety First (UK charity) warns about fire risks: overfilling, unsafe cords, failing to follow safety instructions, cleaning requirements. 

Electrical Safety First

Thousands of consumer usage tips & news outlets point out that improper use (crowding, ignoring instruction manual, not cleaning) amplifies risks. 

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Best Practices: When & How Use of Air Fryers Makes Sense, and When to Use Ovens

To get the benefits without the drawbacks, here are recommendations for how to balance use of air fryers and ovens.

Checklist / Decision Guide

Question If “Yes” → Air Fryer Likely Best If “No” → Oven Better Choice

Are you cooking just one or two portions / small items? ✅ Use air fryer ❗Oven may be more efficient for large quantity

Is crisp texture important / frozen foods / snacks? ✅ Air fryer shines ❗Oven can do it but may need longer, more oil, lose crisp

Does your air fryer have enough capacity to cook all items without multiple batches? ✅ Good for air fryer ❗Better to use oven if you’d need multiple batches

Are you baking or roasting large items (roast, whole chicken, cake)? ❗Oven is more suitable ✅ Air fryer only if small version or specially designed basket/capacity

Want to cook multiple dishes simultaneously (side + main + vegetables)? ❗Oven (with racks) is more versatile ❓Air fryer limited to one basket / device at a time

Concerned about energy costs and having to run multiple batches? ❗Do the wattage & energy calculation; oven may be more efficient for full load ✅ Air fryer likely beats oven for small loads

Tips for Optimal Use of Air Fryers

If you do use an air fryer a lot, these tips help avoid the pitfalls:

Clean after each use, and deep clean periodically. Remove grease, food residue, especially around heating elements. 

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Don’t overfill the basket. Leave space so air circulation works properly. 

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Choose a model with good certification, quality build.

Preheat where necessary. Some air fryers need preheating to produce the best crisp results. 

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Reduce temperature / time relative to oven recipes to avoid overcooking or burning the outside.

Ventilation: Ensure appliance has space around, stays cool, cord safe, placed in safe stable area.

When to Use Oven

For large roasts, batch baking, whole baked dishes.

For desserts, bread, cakes that need consistent ambient heat.

When cooking for many people at once.

For anything that requires slow heating or lower temperatures for longer periods.

Risk Summary: Safety, Health, Environmental Risks

To sum up the main risks associated with using air fryers too heavily or improperly instead of ovens:

Fire and burn hazard due to overheating, grease buildup, poor appliance quality.

Increased electricity bills or less savings than expected if used for large tasks in multiple batches.

Possible health or material risks if using low‑quality non‑stick coatings, or appliances that aren’t properly ventilated.

Food quality issues: dryness, uneven cooking, loss of moisture, poorer textures.

Environmental concerns: more electronic waste if using low‑quality devices, more production, disposal issues.

Conclusion

Air fryers are excellent machines: fast, convenient, lower‑oil, great for certain foods, small batches, crisping. But experts caution against treating them as full replacements for ovens. When cooking large meals, baking, roasting, or for volume, ovens often win on capacity, quality, cost efficiency.

If you want to “use your air fryer smartly, not just constantly” — do this:

Evaluate what you’re cooking, how much, how often.

Do the wattage / cost calculation.

Use each tool (air fryer or oven) where it shines.

Maintain your appliances well.

Also, keep an oven around unless you invariably cook only small portions.

In short, the expert advice is: Don’t ditch your oven just because air fryers are trendy. Instead, view the air fryer as a useful supplement to your kitchen, not a complete replacement.