How to Use an Oven With an Air Fryer | Everyday Family Cooking

Everything you need to know if you have an oven with an air fryer setting built right into it!

Pizza being pulled out of wall oven with air fryer

If you own an oven with an air fryer option, I bet you’re wondering how to actually use it with recipes you find on the internet and how to take care of it.

It’s time I walk you through everything about a wall oven with an air fryer so you can feel confident about air frying in it!

It is also important to note that most wall ovens with air fryers do not come with a needed crisper air fryer tray. This is a must when air frying in the oven to allow air to circulate.

Basket Air Fryer vs. Oven Air Fryer

Yes! I love using the basket-style air fryer for reheating small amounts of food and cooking for just myself.

A lot of people get an air fryer because they don’t want to heat up their entire oven which takes time and they don’t want their house warmer in the summer.

A basket air fryer works great for those reasons.

It preheats quicker and can cook the food a few minutes faster as well.

The Pros of a Built in Air Fryer

It saves countertop space
It air fries more food meaning fewer batches and quicker meals!
You can cook multiple foods at the same time without any space issues
You can use an alarm thermometer when using one to know exactly when your meats are done! This is the one I use.

How to Use an Oven with Air Fryer

How to Preheat Your Air Fryer

Even if your oven with an air fryer says you don’t need to preheat it, I find it especially important to preheat when using it in air fry mode.

They are much larger than a basket air fryer or air fryer toaster-style oven, so it takes a few extra minutes to preheat.

Just think about how long it takes for your actual oven to preheat!

If your oven with an air fryer has a preheat option: preheat it until it states it’s preheated to the needed temperature (the temperature of your recipe)

If your oven with an air fryer does not have a preheat option: turn on the air fryer setting and let it sit empty for about 5 minutes. I find that prepping food during this time makes it feel quicker.

USE THE RIGHT PAN/Tray

In order to truly air fry your food using your oven, you need a special air fryer crisper tray. If your oven came with one, you’re lucky, but if it didn’t, they come pretty cheap.

The air fryer works by circulating hot air around your food. If you use a normal baking sheet, the bottom of your food won’t cook anywhere close to the exposed parts.

You can get a crisper tray with a baking tray that pairs with it to help with clean up.

Use this tray when cooking things like fries, chicken, or anything else you would stick in an air fryer basket as is.

If cooking food with sauce already on them, such as reheating wings, place the food on a normal baking sheet to reduce even more clean up.

Cooking Tips When Using an Oven With An Air Fryer

Air fry foods in a single layer for the most even cooking — lay them flat on the wire rack or baking sheet. Overcrowded foods will not cook evenly.
Turn your food halfway through cooking — you should do this in a normal air fryer and the oven, so do it with your air frying oven
Use an alarm thermometer so you know exactly when those expensive meats are done — they’ll be perfectly cooked every time!
Use oil to either baste or mist the food to help them get crispy without drying out — an EVO Oil Sprayer works great for this

How to use Air Fryer Ovens

1. Preheat your air fryer — 5 minutes should be sufficient for most air frying ovens.

2. Follow the time and temperature on the recipe you find either in an air fryer cookbook or on our site — and yes, I do have a cookbook!

3. Turn your food halfway through cooking — at this time look to see if your food is starting to brown.

If it is, turn down the temperature by 20 degrees and continue to cook.

4. Check your food around the time and temperature of the recipe — if it’s done, great, but more than likely, it needs a few extra minutes.

I find quicker foods need an extra 1-3 minutes to cook and larger foods need an extra 5-7 minutes.

5. Cook for a few more minutes if needed then check again.

If you’re looking to use oven recipes using the air fryer setting, use our air fryer conversion chart to calculate the needed time and temperature.

flank steak made in the air fryer — Air Fryer Flank Steak

Troubleshooting your Air Fryer Oven

Food is taking longer to cook than the recipe I followed — this is normal. I find a typical recipe can take 1-7 minutes longer to cook. Make sure you are preheating your air fryer for the best and closest results.

My meat is almost to temperature (thank you alarm thermometer), but the breading isn’t crispy — turn your air fryer function up by 20 degrees to get that nice browning and crispy breading. I use this technique in my air fryer chicken wings recipe.

My food is cooking too fast! — I see this less often with wall oven air fryers, but if you do experience this, check your food halfway and about 3/4 of the way through cooking and turn your temperature down 20 degrees for the rest of the cooking time.

How to reduce clean up in Air Fry Oven

While you will need to clean the air fryer oven regularly, there are ways to keep it on cleaner side every time you use it.

Don’t use the crisper tray when cooking messy foods with sauce
Use a drip tray whenever using the crisper tray to catch any crumbs or oil that may fall — if your oven or tray didn’t come with one, place a normal baking sheet one or two rows under the tray to help catch the drippings
Use aluminum foil, parchment paper, or a silicone liner under food that you’re cooking on a normal baking sheet

Crispy and juicy air fryer bone in chicken thigh — Air Fryer Bone in Chicken Thighs

Crisper tray

This needs to be cleaned every time you use it.

Rinse it off right away so the food doesn’t stick to it
Once cooled, place it in your dishwasher and run it on the normal cycle.*
Let it dry and it’s good to go!

*If your rack is not dishwasher safe or you do not have a dishwasher, use a scrubbing sponge with soap and water to wash it.

The Drip Tray

This is the tray under the crisper tray. It should also be washed every time it’s used or it will get gunked up with oil, sauce, crumbs, and other food particles.

Carefully remove it from the air frying oven while still hot and rinse it off.
Use a sponge, soap, and water to get any leftover parts off.
If there is still food on it, you can either dish wash the pan or let it soak for 10 to 20 minutes in the sink and wash it again.

If your crisper tray didn’t come with a drip tray, I recommend having a designated baking sheet for this. That way you can dish wash it without worrying about the nonstick being destroyed since no food will be cooked on it anyway.

The Oven Itself

After each use, let the air frying oven cool then wipe down anything obvious that may have spilled or made a mess.

Otherwise, treat it just like a normal oven when cleaning!

How to Use an Oven with a Built In Air Fryer