Air Fryer Converter

Have you embraced the air fryer yet? These handy devices have become increasingly popular in recent years and, unlike the trends for ice cream makers or pasta rollers, they’re a kitchen essential you’ll regularly use. Indeed, they make a great replacement for your oven. Faster and more energy-efficient, an air fryer can do anything an oven can do—using less energy.

Here's the problem, though: most recipes out there aren’t written with the air fryer in mind. They’re usually geared toward traditional ovens. And the same goes for instructions on most food packaging, which often skip air fryer instructions altogether. This is why we built our calculator—to help you quickly figure out how long to cook your food for, and what temperature to cook it at.

Why do air fryers cook so much faster than ovens?

Here's the science: despite the name, air fryers don't actually fry your food at all. Instead, they're more like mini ovens, using the power of intense convection to cook your food in a flash. They essentially contain an incredibly powerful fan that blasts hot air at the contents of the fryer. Because they're so much smaller than a traditional oven, they heat up quicker, cook food faster and use less energy (saving you money). It's little wonder, then, that they're becoming so popular.

How to convert a recipe for your air fryer

A common rule of thumb is to reduce your cooking time by 20% when converting a recipe for the air fryer, while lowering the temperature by about 25-35°F. In Celsius, this means reducing by about 15-20°C.

For our calculator, however, we go a step further by using a more advanced formula, and we also make adjustments for whether your food is spread in a single layer (which allows for better air circulation and faster cooking). For example, roast vegetables or thin cuts of meat tend to work perfectly with a 20% time reduction, while thicker items may need just a little more time.

With your conversion, you should keep in mind that every air fryer is different, meaning that cooking times may vary. For this reason, when you're trying out a new recipe in your air fryer, it's worth checking on it when you've still got a few minutes left on your timer. After all, if you check early, you can easily salvage undercooked food by sticking it straight back in the air fryer. If it's overcooked, however, that's a different story (takeout, anyone?).

Can you bake in an air fryer?

Top French pastry chefs may raise an eyebrow, but it's perfectly possible to bake cakes, cookies and brownies in an air fryer. In fact, a lot of air fryers come with a specific 'bake' setting. Again, you'll generally want to lower the cooking temperature by 25-35°F or 15-20°C (or, use our calculator).

One useful tip: if you're going to bake in your air fryer, consider covering your baking dish. The intense superconvection heat means that the top of whatever you're cooking will brown quickly—and yes, that includes your precious cupcakes.

Smaller items like cookies or muffins tend to bake especially well in an air fryer, while larger cakes may be a bit trickier due to limited space. Cover them up to ensure an even color and no burning.

Top tips for making the most of your air fryer

Not sure why everyone is raving about air fryers? We've got some tips for you, so you'll be cooking like a pro in no time:

• Keep it clean. Line the base of your air fryer with a non-slip silicone mat that you can easily pull out and clean after cooking. Avoid using parchment paper, as it may catch fire in the intense heat. You should aim to give your air fryer a quick clean after each use, to avoid any leftover crumbs or oil that could smoke up the next time you use it.
• Preheat before using it. Just like a regular oven, air fryers need pre-heating. The good news? Unlike a traditional oven, it should only take 2-3 minutes to get your air fryer up to cooking temperature.
• Don't overcrowd it. If you put too much food in the basket, it will cook unevenly. Some of your fries may be burned to a crisp, while others still look pale. So, be patient, and cook in batches if necessary. If your air fryer has a rack, make use of it to layer your food without stacking.
• Flip or shake whatever you're cooking for a nice, even color. Whipping up a batch of fries? Give that basket a good shake. Roasting chicken fillets? Turn them over halfway through the cooking time.
• Cook food to a safe internal temperature. Your food thermometer is your best friend. Use it to check that your air-fried foods reach a safe internal temperature, ready for consumption. 2

We recommend checking out Air Fryer World or Air Frying Foodie for more air fryer tips and recipes.

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