Air Fryer Vs Halogen Oven: Which is the Ultimate Appliance

It is hard to imagine a modern kitchen without some kind of appliance that makes cooking easier and more efficient. Two such appliances that have been very popular in recent years are halogen ovens and Airfryers. In short the answer to Which is Better? is it depends on your cooking style and how many you are cooking for.

Halogen Oven versus Airfryer: What are the Differences?

These two devices can cook a wide range of foods, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will explore the differences between these two appliances, so you can decide which one is best suited for your needs.

Explanation of the Halogen Oven and Airfryer

The halogen oven is a countertop appliance that uses a halogen bulb to generate heat, similar to an oven. It has a glass bowl with a lid that allows you to see inside as your food cooks.

The halogen oven circulates hot air around the food, which cooks it faster than an oven with less energy consumption. The Airfryer, on the other hand, uses rapid air technology where hot air circulates at high speed to cook food within a few minutes.

The device’s design ensures optimal heating by distributing heat evenly throughout the chamber. The result is food that is crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.

Brief history of Both Appliances

Halogen ovens were first introduced in China during the 1990s as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional ovens. They gained popularity quickly due to their versatility and portability.

Air fryers were first introduced in Europe in 2005 with Philips being one of its pioneers introducing its range of air fryers into European markets. They became popular due to their ability to create crispy texture foods without using excessive oil.

Purpose of Comparison

This article aims at providing information for anyone considering purchasing either an air fryer or halogen oven. It is to compare these two appliances based on various factors such as design, cooking methodology, health benefits, energy efficiency, and overall user experience. By the end of this article, we hope to help you make an informed decision on which appliance would best suit your needs.

Design and Size

Comparison of Design Features

The halogen oven and Airfryer differ significantly in terms of design and features. The halogen oven comprises a glass bowl that sits atop a base containing the heating element, fan, and controls. The lid of the bowl consists of tempered glass with a handle, allowing you to see through as your food cooks.

Meanwhile, an Airfryer has a cylindrical shape that contains the cooking basket at the top and the heating element at its bottom. One significant advantage of using an Airfryer is that it comes equipped with several features useful for cooking different types of food.

For example, many models come with preset modes for baking cupcakes or roasting chicken breasts. Some Airfryers also have adjustable thermostat settings to help regulate temperatures while cooking.

Differences in Size and Capacity

Size matters when choosing between an Airfryer or a halogen oven! Halogen ovens are usually bigger than their air fryer counterparts but can cook more food without compromising quality.

Most air fryers are compact in size but can still accommodate enough food for small families. Halogen ovens offer ample room to cook large dishes like whole chickens or roasts, whereas most air fryers have limited space capacity.

If you’re looking for something small enough to fit on your kitchen counter yet still large enough to prepare meals for two people or more, then an air fryer might be what you need! However, if you’re feeding more people than that or want enough leftover leftovers for lunch tomorrow, then consider purchasing a halogen oven instead.

Both appliances offer unique benefits regarding their design features and size options. Ultimately it depends on how much space you have available in your kitchen as well as how many people regularly sit down at your dinner table!

The Chicken Test!

Chicken is a firm favourite dish.

Many Ad campaigns for Air Fryers show a full chicken being cooked. 

This is a bit of a marketing fib !

There is simply no way you can fit even a medium size 1.5kg chicken in a 3,4 or even a 5 litre Air-Fryer  -AND COOK IT WELL.

The standard 10 to 12 litre halogen will do a medium or a large 2kg chicken easily.  The models with an extender ring also have the advantage of the heat source being a little further away, so it cooks more evenly. You do have to turn it over once or twice during cooking. Chicken done in a Halogen oven is very good indeed.

Air Fryers are usually 3 to 6 litre size and are much better suited to PIECES of chicken, not a whole bird.

Another popular food is Pizza – only Halogens and the biggest Airfryers of 10 Litres+ are capable of a full frozen pizza.

Chips With Everything!

The most popular of all, is probably chips (that’s fries – for my US readers) Here I have to give it to the Airfryer, it does do amazing chips. Providing you stop now and then to shake the basket. For the halogen, there is one absolutely invaluable extra accessory – the airfryer attachment. When you use this, with any glass bowl type Halogen Oven, you will get the same excellent results as any air fryer. This I highly recommend.

Cooking Methodology

Cooking methodology refers to the process and techniques used to prepare food using specific appliances. In this section, we will explore the cooking methodology of both halogen ovens and Airfryers. Both appliances use different technologies to cook food, which affects the quality of food produced in terms of texture, taste, and nutrition.

Explanation of Cooking Methodology for Each Appliance

Halogen ovens use a combination of convection heating and infrared radiation to cook food. They have a fan that circulates hot air throughout the cooking chamber, creating an even heat distribution that cooks food quickly and evenly.

The infrared radiation is emitted from a halogen bulb located above the cooking chamber, which helps brown or sear foods effectively. On the other hand, Airfryers use hot air circulation technology to fry foods using less or no oil.

They typically have a grill-like mesh basket where you place your food items inside. The appliance has a heating element located at the top that produces hot air that circulates around the basket as it cooks your meals.

Comparison of Cooking Time

Halogen ovens generally have shorter cooking times than Airfryers since they use both convection heating and infrared radiation technology. Because it distributes heat more evenly than an Airfryer, it means that you can cook your meals faster without overcooking them. Comparisons though depend on the size of the models, if the airfryer is a lot smaller, you can expect this result to be reversed, with the smaller air fryer being quicker.

Airfryers require more extended cooking times compared to halogen ovens since they solely rely on hot air circulation for cooking purposes. The only advantage they have is their ability to cook up crispy golden-brown foods without oil or with minimal amounts compared to traditional deep-frying methods.

Differences in Temperature Settings

Halogen ovens come equipped with temperature controls that let you adjust temperatures between 60° C (140° F) up to 250° C (482° F). This range of temperature settings makes it versatile enough to cook almost any type of food you can think of, from roasted meats to baked goods. Airfryers have a more limited range of temperature controls that typically go up to 200° C (392° F).

However, since they are specifically designed for frying foods, this is all the heat that is needed to cook most foods satisfactorily. It’s important to note that some Airfryers come with preset cooking programs for specific food items and may not allow manual adjustment for temperature settings.

Health Benefits

Nutritional Value Comparison Between Halogen Oven and Airfryer

When it comes to cooking appliances that claim to be healthy, we often wonder if they are just marketing gimmicks or if they actually make a difference. In the case of halogen ovens and Airfryers, both appliances have their own unique health benefits.

Halogen ovens use infrared technology to cook food at a faster rate than traditional ovens. This allows for less time in the oven and less nutrient loss due to shorter cooking times.

Airfryers, on the other hand, require little or no oil to cook food which can be beneficial for people who are trying to reduce their fat intake. In terms of overall nutritional value, both appliances offer benefits that can contribute towards a healthier lifestyle.

However, there are some differences between the two when it comes to specific nutrients. For example, halogen ovens tend to retain more moisture in foods which can help preserve vitamins like vitamin C. Meanwhile, Airfryers tend to retain more antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables because they don’t require as much oil as traditional frying methods.

Analysis of Fat Content Reduction in Food Cooked with Each Appliance

Reducing fat intake is important for maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. Both halogen ovens and Airfryers offer great alternatives to traditional frying methods that require excessive amounts of oil.

However, when it comes down to it, how much do these appliances actually reduce fat content? Studies have shown that using an Airfryer can reduce up to 80% of fat content compared to deep-frying methods while still maintaining the crispy texture we all love about fried foods.

On the other hand, halogen ovens can reduce up to 30% of fat content depending on what you’re cooking. It’s important to note that while both appliances offer significant reductions in fat content, it’s important to still be mindful of what you’re cooking.

Just because something is cooked in a halogen oven or Airfryer doesn’t mean it’s automatically healthy. It’s still important to watch portion sizes and the types of food you’re cooking in order to maintain a balanced diet.

Oils for use in the Halogen or Airfryer

when choosing your oil, and realistically you do need oil to give that crispyness, take a note of the maximum temperature recommended for the oil. Go beyond it and the oil itself may burn, ruining the food. Olive oil in particular, a favourite for use in the frying pan, is not recommended for Airfryer or Halogen as its smoke point is low.

Oil	Smoke Point (°F)	Smoke Point (°C)
Butter	300-350°F	149-175°C
Coconut Oil	350-385°F	175-196°C
Vegetable Oil	400-450°F	204-230°C
Corn Oil	410-450°F	210-230°C
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	325-410°F	163-210°C
Lard	370°F	188°C
Peanut Oil	440-450°F	227-230°C
Canola Oil	400-450°F	204-230°C
Soybean Oil	450-495°F	230-257°C
Avocado Oil	520-570°F	271-299°C

Please note that these are approximate ranges and the actual smoke points can vary depending on the quality and purity of the oil. It’s always a good idea to check the specific product labels for precise information.

Health Benefits on Balance

Overall, when it comes to choosing between a halogen oven and an Airfryer for health benefits, it really depends on your personal dietary needs and preferences. Both appliances offer great alternatives to traditional frying methods that can help reduce fat intake and retain more nutrients in food. However, if reducing fat intake is a high priority for you, the Airfryer may be the better option due to its ability to significantly reduce fat content with little or no oil needed.

It’s also important to remember that just because these appliances offer health benefits doesn’t mean they’re automatically healthy. As with any cooking appliance, it’s still important to use them mindfully and choose the right foods and portion sizes for your dietary needs. Also do not overcook. A light brown colouring is fine, but dark brown may indicate a high level of acrymalides.

From food.gov pages Acrylamide is produced when water, sugar, and amino acids interact at high temperatures during cooking, resulting in the distinct flavor, texture, color, and aroma of food. This chemical transformation is known as the Maillard reaction. Longer cooking durations and higher temperatures generate greater amounts of acrylamide compared to shorter cooking durations and lower temperatures. Aim for low levels of acrylamide in your cooking.

Energy Efficiency

One of the key differences between the halogen oven and Airfryer is energy efficiency. Both appliances are designed to cook food more quickly than traditional ovens, which can save both time and energy. However, there are some significant differences in how much energy each appliance consumes.

Comparison of Energy Consumption between Halogen Oven and Airfryer

Compared with a conventional cooker, electricity or gas, the Halogen and Airfryer are a lot more efficient.

They use hot air circulation to cook food instead of relying on heating elements, which means they require significantly less power to operate. According to recent studies, an Airfryer uses up to 75% less electricity compared to a traditional oven.

Evaluation on Cost-Effectiveness

When considering cost-effectiveness, it’s essential to consider not only the initial cost of the appliance but also its ongoing expenses such as maintenance and energy usage costs. So you really have to check which is more costly in the long run.

When I first wrote this article, it was back in 2022 when the price of oil had just rocketed up, taking with it the price of anything that needs delivery or like electricity – generation. So power consumption was the number one consideration. Here I discovered a lie!

Airfryers may have higher upfront costs compared to halogen ovens. There are several reasons for this:

1.Marketing

Marketing has been peddling the belief that Halogens consume more electricity, however looking at our Halogen comparison chart and our Airfryer comparison charts this is PLAINLY NOT TRUE.

These charts compare almost every currently available product and there is no Halogen that consumes more than 1500w. Whereas many of the airfryer models are over 2000w. The Philips XXL is a good example at 2225w yet its capacity of 7Ltr is way below the average Halogen at 12Litre ( many of which are extendable to 17Ltrs )

2. The march of time

Halogen Ovens became popular 15 years before Air fryers. Progress with reliable electronics made it fairly easy to integrate sophisticated timers, programmable timers, into these new products, which could make setting up fast and easy. The Airfryer revolution is, I believe just marketing gone mad. The same programmable timers could and in some cases were built into the Halogens, eg :

• Andrew James in the UK, with presets and functions rice, cupcake, steam fish, pizza, toast, cool dry, heat dry, sterilize and turbo.
• Sanhoya in the USA which had presets for Chicken, Cake, Fries, Toast, Lamb Chops, Steak, Sea Food, Pizza and Popcorn

but…. too late, the sleek, “sexy” airfryer was the product of the moment, Halogen was in the past.

Cooking Experience

User-Friendliness Comparison Between the Two Appliances

The user-friendliness of an appliance is an important aspect to consider before purchasing it. Both the halogen oven and Airfryer are designed to be easy to use, making them popular among consumers. However, there are some differences in their user-friendliness that you should be aware of before making a purchase.

Smell When Frying with AirFryer or Halogen, Compared to Deep Frying

Neither Air Fryer or Halogen make those awful long lingering odours that permeated the house for days on end, when using a deep fat fryer method, plus they both only use a tiny proportion of the oil used in deep frying cookery.

Simplicity In Cooking

The halogen oven has a simple design that makes it easy to use. It usually comes with a user manual that provides instructions on how to operate it. The basic heat setting and time setting is provided, with controls being either analog – dials, or digital – setting with buttons and a display panel. An additional benefit is being able to put different foods on high and low racks, to cook at the same time.

The appliance features an easy-to-use control panel with the basic heat setting and time setting provided, with controls being either analog – dials, or digital – setting with buttons and a display panel. It also has a transparent glass bowl that allows users to monitor the cooking process.

On the other hand, the Airfryer is even more straightforward, with only two controls: one for setting the temperature and another for setting the cooking time. It also features a digital display that shows the cooking progress.

Differences in Ease-of-Use, Cleaning, Maintenance

In terms of ease-of-use, cleaning and maintenance, both appliances have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The halogen oven consists of several parts which need cleaning after each use including glass bowl, rack, lid holder etc., but these can be cleaned quickly using warm soapy water or placed in the dishwasher if they are dishwasher safe. Nonetheless cleaning can become challenging if bits of food get stuck on any part of it during cooking.

My main ‘beef’ about the halogen, is that lid. The lid contains a heating element, so it gets very hot. When it’s finished cooking and it’s time to take out the contents, is the time you’re going to be at risk, handling the hot lid, trying to place it on a wire lid rack, which may go skidding across your work surface! Plus it’s possible to forget that it has a power cable attached, which will suddenly limit the distance you can move the lid, so watch out.

All of these issues are amplified if the cook is elderly or has mobility problems.

The design problems were perfectly solved with the “hinged lid” design, when you raise it, it stays up, no worrying about placing it down on a slippery wire rack, leaving both hands free to unload the food from the glass bowl.

Cleaning Up

Comparing them, each has their easy and more difficult areas to clean. The halogen bowl is easier to clean than the Airfryer’s pan. Why?

The Airfryer pan’s interior container is coated with non-stick material which allows cooked food residue or grease stains be removed easily without scrubbing too hard thereby making cleaning quite easy. Be aware that some coatings are less robust and over time may flake and fall off. In this respect the glass bowl is very easy to clean and is free from any such risk.

Cleaning the Airfryer Element

This is a frequent event. Frying will always cause some splatter. As the air fryer element is so close (directly over the food) it will need cleaning frequently to stop the grease burning, literally smoking. How to clean your Airfryer

Maintenance-wise halogen ovens need regular care such as changing bulbs when they burn out while Airfryers require yearly replacement of filters. Overall, both appliances are easy to use, but the Airfryer is simpler to clean and maintain, while the halogen oven is more complex but with less maintenance needs.

Recommendation based on personal preference or needs.

When it comes to choosing between the two appliances, personal preference plays a big role. If you prefer fried foods but want to reduce your oil intake for health reasons, then an Airfryer is the perfect choice for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for an appliance that can handle larger volumes of food with ease and provide more versatility in terms of temperature settings and cooking options then go for Halogen Oven.

Ultimately, both appliances have their strengths and weaknesses. For those looking to make healthier meals without sacrificing taste or texture should get an Airfryer.

Meanwhile people who need more versatility in meals they prepare should opt for Halogen Ovens as they provide more flexibility when it comes to cooking options. Whether you choose a halogen oven or an Airfryer will depend on your individual needs and preferences as there is no clear-cut winner between these two popular kitchen gadgets.

Key Takeaways

Feature	Halogen Oven	Air Fryer
heater	Halogen bulb + Fan	Fan+ conventional element
size	12 Ltr	5 ltr
oil use	minimal	minimal
moisture retention	excellent	–
max temperature	250°C = 482°F	200°C = 392°F
energy use	75% less than conventional oven	75% less than conventional oven
cost	£50 to £100	£75 to £220
preference	depends on needs	depends on needs
maintenance	occasional bulb	annual filter renewal
cooking speed	40% faster than conventional oven	50% faster than conventional oven

Good and Bad Brands

This does matter. Experience shows that with good brands like Philips, Tower, and Andrew James, parts continue to be available when your guarantee is up. Since I started this blog, only a few of the original brands still have products in these same markets. I have noticed that some have now made a big effort to keep spares in stock, make things repairable and it is a bigger part of their marketing and brand advertising. Also there are now more 2 and even 3 year guarantees, instead of the usual 1 year.

During the guarantee period, now usually 2 years, you are of course covered but do check the details, if your store has to send it back to Timbuktu for repair, you’re going to be left without a cooker for a lengthy spell.  Worse still they may not be able to replace it so offer you another crappy Non-Brand replacement.

The value is even worse with that bargain “Never to be seen again” store model. All you get in the guarantee is a money-back or replacement offer, best of luck if you purchased on Ali Boobar Express the return cost is going to suck up all your value making it a nonstarter to repair.

Out of guarantee, even your local repairer will have access to major brand parts, like Philips and Tower, something to think about when your “Empire” brand cooker goes up in smoke and the supplier doesn’t want to know.