Air fryer vs. Pan frying

I don't like to compare the two as they both serve very different purposes, but I will say pan frying has incredible limitations, while air fryers are improving in what they can do.

Difference between air frying and pan frying is that you are able to cook just about anything in an air fryer, including baked goods with the option to reheat food, including those previously pan fried. You can only eat so much food cooked in oil of which an air fryer doesn't need any at all, and will encourage to.

Actually this is one dilemma I've contended with myself, because like to try my best to cook in an air fryer only; which has remarkable results and cannot be replicated in a frying pan as long as I'm concerned - and that makes things a little difficult.

Why that is because I like to cook as much food in the air fryer rather than use the gas on my conventional oven.

I love my eggs cooked in the frying pan for fried and scrambled eggs, plus a light and fluffy omelette, which I've improved upon both in an air fryer recently - thus pan frying is beginning to loose a few more benefits.

Well, let me correct myself, I haven't cooked an omelette in an air fryer that comes close to taste and texture in a frying pan, which actually uses a little oil.

With all that I think an air fryer's health benefits is really the difference between air frying and pan frying; oil is optional but you'll find yourself avoiding it because it can be hard to use in an air fryer, plus its even harder to clean up once you're done.

What the biggest difference between the two is, the air fryer can practically cook any food item imaginable, including ready meals intended for the oven or microwave.

Pan frying is all about, well, frying food, which most of us will only fry once in a while.

I have found you will go through lengths to cook your favourite foods in an air fryer, when in really, it should always be cooked in the frying pan, like all types of steaks - whether its beef or lamb steaks, Ostrich and Duck - and where fried eggs should really always be made in the pan.

Let me get into a little more details with both options, followed with my final conclusion; here's a big spoiler, I prefer an air fryer far more than a frying pan.

Air fryers cook more food items

Simply put, an air fryer can cook far more of your favourite food items, than any air fryer can.

Size isn't important so there's no difference between what size foods can be cooked, but just being able to cook most foods a frying pan can, makes the air fryer multi-functional, and far more beneficial to the family.

One big benefit is all air fried foods can be oil-free if you want it to be, which means its healthier, and therefore something which is unavoidable with pan frying.

Air fryers can cook all kinds of ready meals that normally come in plastic and metal trays, and of course that wouldn't apply to a frying pan. Air fryers can do what conventional ovens can, and to be fair that isn't the purpose of a frying pan.

Limited frying pan use

With frying pans regardless of size and depth, they're just limited in their use.

What frying pans do best of course is eggs cooked in all their forms - with the exception of boiled eggs that is - of which this restricts air fryer use.

Frying pans can also be used like a wok to cooking up Asian cuisine really well in fact, including saute vegetables... none of which an air fryer does well so will have its limitations when it comes to freshly cooked meals.

In regards to cooking meats in an air fryer versus a frying pan, well I think this depends on what meat you're cooking with.

I used to love cooking pork chops/loins in the frying pan, until I discovered my air fryer cooks pork far better - where I can guarantee a juicy pork chop. Whilst at the same time, an air fryer isn't going to cook a medium rare steak like it does so well in a frying pan.

Health difference

What I feel is more important about air fryers and frying pans is health, which you must strongly think about at some time in your life.

Cooking in a frying pan is the unhealthiest of the two options, which will only produce food items covered in oil of course.

Air frying can cook any pan fried food without oil whilst avoid smoking out the house at the same time. Air fryers are healthy because they force you to go without oil which isn't true for pan frying and deep frying.

Basically, you'll be forced to roast vegetables in the air fryer oil-free if you like, instead of frying them in a pan, which must use oil to avoid smoking out the house.

Difference between air frying and frying pan is very wide health wise, thus an air fryer will encourage you to avoid cooking in other appliances, including frying pans which almost always require oil use. Once more, if you had too, you can rub oil onto food like chicken to be air fried, to prevent drying out as it cooks.

Can compliment each other

Why must we compete air fryers to frying pans when one and the other are so very different, which provides you an opportunity to cook cuisine to the best possible quality.

While I don't like to cook eggs in my air fryer because I don't like how they look (until recently that is) - as oppose to how they taste which can be pretty good - the frying pan will cook eggs nice and quick, whilst I continue to have difficulty timing air fried food.

Air fryers can be too small, to which additional cookware like a frying pan will be used to cook something else, to make room in my air fryer basket.

I will cook pork belly in the air fryer while rice and fried eggs will always be cooked in the frying pan, in a little oil. Similarly, pork loins whilst cooked well in the frying pan, pork loin streaks cook to a juicy and tender finish in the air fryer.

I would strongly advice you to avoid frying pan use whenever you can for your own health, yet rely upon the frying pan for food not suitable for an air fryer, like rice and eggs.

Conclusion - Air fryers wins the competition

Well there you have it, if we must compete air fryers against pan frying, then I think air fryers win hands down.

Air frying is basically cooking in a conventional oven which I do most at a home.

I only use the frying pan on occasions which I feel wouldn't justify its existence if I had to chose between an air fryer and frying pan.

With that said, I wouldn't use anything else to cook fried eggs, an omelette, a beautiful steak in beef or lamb form - plus fried rice which can't be cooked at all in an air fryer.

Health difference between an air fryer and frying pan is vast, because a frying pan must always use oil, while an air fryer doesn't need it at all. Air frying can cook food similar to roasting in an oven - and that can never be replicated in frying pan.

Frying pans are limited in what they can cook so remember that, whilst they still do have benefits if you enjoy cooking food items like eggs and rice.

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