The Right Way To Use Your Oven's Air Fryer Setting For Better Meals

Air fryers may just be the next step in the evolution of the home kitchen. Not only are they so popular there's really no need to have a microwave anymore, but conventional oven manufacturers have also started selling products with built-in air fryers as a way to compete — and it's working. Being able to turn your oven into one big air fryer means no more confusion over whether to make your cinnamon rolls in the air fryer or oven. Your oven also has a lot more space for big batches of party wings and crispy fries when you're feeding a crowd.

Of course, there is a slight learning curve when it comes to taking full advantage of this innovative oven setting. For instance, you need to account for longer preheating times. While you can sometimes get away with skipping the preheating cycle in a smaller appliance, it's a crucial step to getting the best results from the air fryer setting on a conventional oven. Countertop air fryers heat so quickly they reach the ideal cooking temperature in no time, while the larger space inside your oven needs more time to achieve the same thing.

Additionally, when the timer goes off, don't expect your food to be fully finished, especially if you're using a recipe tailored to a countertop air fryer. Smaller air fryers cook food rapidly because the heat is more concentrated, while food in an oven air fryer will likely require a few extra minutes before it gets beautifully crisp.

Other than paying attention to preheating and cooking times, there are a few other things you can do to ensure your air-fried Parmesan-crusted salmon bites (with broccoli and crispy potatoes cooked at the same time) turn out perfectly crunchy on the outside and tender inside. First and foremost, it's vital the convection heat that air fryers use has space to circulate evenly around all sides of your food, including the bottom.

That means you'll need to ditch conventional baking sheets in favor of a perforated pan made for air fryer ovens or wire cooling rack stacked on top of a sheet pan to create a pocket of air under your food. If you opt for the specialty air fryer oven pan, it's also a good idea to slide a sheet pan onto the rack below to prevent drips and crumbs from gunking up the bottom of your oven and setting off the smoke alarm. You'll also want to make sure the rack you're using is in the right spot to get the most even distribution of convection heat, which should be detailed in your oven's owner's manual.

Also, be prepared to flip your food halfway through the cooking time by setting your timer for half of the recommended duration. Though countertop air fryers also sometimes require this, larger ovens have less even heat distribution, so flipping can help food cook more evenly.