What's The Difference Between The Air Fry And Bake Buttons On Air Fryers?

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It is easy to see how the air fryer made its way into the kitchens of millions of consumers, with its promise of delivering crispy "fried" food by using up to 80% less fat. Home cooks learned quickly that air fryers function essentially like small convection ovens, leading folks to use them for more than just cooking frozen foods. With varying temperature, fan, and cooking-time settings, you can bake cookies from scratch or roast a piece of fish for dinner. Manufacturers even include built-in presets ranging from "air fry" to "bake," "roast," and even "reheat."

But what is the difference, especially between "air fry" and "bake"? Are these settings really tailored to what the manufacturers say? The short answer is yes. As a general rule of thumb, when air fryers are on the "air fry" setting, the convection fan runs at a higher speed, with the temperature set at a higher default of around 385 degrees Fahrenheit. In comparison, when air fryers are on "bake," the convection fan runs more slowly (or sometimes not at all), and the default temperature is up to 20 degrees lower to help facilitate more even cooking.

Do not believe the myths about air fryers, as they obviously don't fry in the traditional way of submerging food in oil. Instead, air fryers encourage the Maillard reaction by circulating hot air around the food in the basket. To that end, the "air fry" preset often has three main characteristics: a higher temperature range, a quick cook time, and a higher speed for the internal convection fan. For example, the default temperature for the "air fry" mode on an Instant Vortex is 385 degrees Fahrenheit or 196 degrees Celsius. It also has a default cooking duration of 15 minutes, which is how long it can take to cook items such as frozen chicken nuggets straight from the freezer. 

While it will never be a one-for-one match for the flavors and textures of good deep-frying techniques, an air fryer is very much a boon for those looking for convenience and a more healthful method of preparing food. Because the air fryer's size means it heats up much more quickly and can concentrate the heat on a smaller batch of food, it requires much less cooking fat.

One mistake people make with air fryers is not using them for baking, likely because it may seem like the wrong thing to do with something that has "fryer" in its name. But if you need to bake only a couple of cookies or a small pan of brownies, it makes much more sense energy-wise to use the air fryer's "bake" setting than to heat a standard-sized convection oven.

Using the Instant Vortex as an example again, its "bake" setting has a default temperature of 365 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 degrees lower than "air fry." It also has a default cooking duration of 30 minutes, which makes perfect sense as a lower temperature will need a longer cook time. One of the main practical differences while using "bake," however, is that you do not need to turn the food over partway through cooking. 

How do you make the best use of this setting? Be sure to prepare food in small batches so the hot air can better circulate to cook your baked goods all the way through. If you are worried about batter or dough falling through the ventilation holes at the bottom of the air fryer basket, line the basket using parchment paper. This helps items cook more evenly and makes for a much easier cleanup.