How To Use Your Oven's Air-Fry Feature For Crispier Meals

You may have noticed an air-fry setting on modern ovens. This might seem slightly gimmicky, (like a feature intended to capitalize on the air fryer trend), yet it works the same way, helping foods crisp up faster than regular baking by using strong heat and airflow from the convection fans. So you may not need to choose between an oven or air fryer for perfect french fries: The oven's air-fry setting helps moisture evaporate from the surface of foods quickly, creating that desirable golden brown, crispy exterior in foods. Here's how to use it.

To get the best results like a countertop air fryer, cookware, placement, and spacing matter. Oven air-fry settings work best when food is spread out in a single layer to ensure the surface of your food is getting hit with hot air. Overcrowding or overlapping food pieces can trap steam, making the exterior soggier instead of crispy. A baking sheet works if the food is flipped frequently for hot air exposure, but a perforated rack is ideal for maximum airflow. This requires a layer of foil or a sheet pan below to catch crumbs or food pieces.

Smaller pieces of food crisp up better and faster; instead of a halved carrot, a sliced one will get better results. Foods that work well in the countertop air fryer are good candidates for an oven air fryer setting; think french fries, Brussels sprouts, tofu, nuggets, and leftover fried foods. You should still use a little oil, but airflow and heat do most of the work.

The oven's air-fry setting allows you to air fry without an air fryer, but the appliances do have differences. Countertop air fryers have smaller baskets, which means hot air circulates a tighter space, typically translating to a shorter cook time. As a much larger space, using an oven with an air-fry setting means you should expect longer cook times. Ovens with this setting should include a manual on how long to cook certain foods, but if you don't have access to the manual, follow your air fryer recipes, check on the food throughout the cook time, and add more time if needed.

There is certainly a benefit to the different capacities, though. Using an oven's air-fry setting is handy for larger meals, especially for air fryer dinner recipes. Instead of cooking a small quantity of food in multiple batches, you can spread out a full sheet of fries. On the flipside, a whole oven might not be necessary for a single-person household that wants to make a quick side of crispy roasted vegetables.

Almost every kitchen has an oven, and if it includes an air-fryer setting, this eliminates the need to buy another appliance. It also frees up coveted counter space. If you're in the market for a new oven, many newer ones from brands like Electrolux, Bosch, and Whirlpool now include air-fry functions.