The appeal of an air fryer is obvious. With a few teaspoons of oil, you can make crispy, golden chicken, french fries, Tater Tots, and more—all of which are far healthier for you than deep-frying them because you use so little oil.
But what if you don’t want another appliance eating up space on your countertop? Or you want to air-fry in larger portions than the typical air fryer will hold? The answer may already be in your kitchen.
More on Air Frying, Ranges, and Toaster Ovens
Best Air Fryers of 2021
How to Get the Most From Your Air Fryer
Best Ranges of 2021
Best Toaster Ovens From Consumer Reports' Tests
More and more range ovens, wall ovens, and toaster ovens that have convection now come with air-fry settings. Convection, which constantly circulates hot air using one or more fans, is the same technology behind countertop air fryers. So we tried out a few to see how well they work. Below are tips for getting the best results from each, plus a closer look at the top appliances from Consumer Reports’ tests that can air-fry.
Our range buying guide, wall oven buying guide, and toaster oven buying guide have more information on what you should consider—big picture—as you shop. CR members can also access our comprehensive test results in our range ratings, wall oven ratings, and toaster oven ratings. Check a model’s features page to see if it has a convection or air-fry setting.
How to 'Fry' Food in an Oven
An air fryer works by rapidly circulating hot air and a small amount of oil to fry foods. The oil and air work in tandem, transferring heat via conduction (the direct contact of the hot oil) and convection (the heavy rotation of hot air). In a wall oven or the oven of a range with convection, the air-fry function works the same way.
In our range lab, we tested the air-fry functions of two ranges from Frigidaire and a wall oven from Café. With the Frigidaire ranges, we purchased and used the optional air-fry basket ($50) for making frozen fries and chicken wings. For the Café wall oven, we simply used an aluminum pan.
Both ranges and the wall oven produce golden, crispy french fries with just a few teaspoons of oil—and in record time. They shave a staggering 20 to 30 minutes off the total cook time compared with using a regular bake setting. That’s largely due to the fact that the oven doesn’t need to preheat on the air-fry setting; the heat ramps up almost immediately.
Our fries weren’t quite as beautiful as when we cooked frozen fries in a countertop air fryer. The small capacity of stand-alone air fryers allows more hot air to circulate around the food, plus they typically have baskets that rotate, allowing for more even browning. But the range and wall ovens are able to hold more than twice as much food as a standard air fryer. For large families, the larger capacity and shorter cooking time can be a real mealtime game changer.
If your convection oven doesn’t have an air-fry setting, you can still get similar results. “Try using the convection roast setting,” says Tara Casaregola, CR’s test engineer in charge of ranges, cooktops, and wall ovens. “Use a dark or nonstick pan in the oven to get better browning than you would from a glass dish or a shiny aluminum pan.” Darker bakeware absorbs more heat in the oven than a shiny, reflective pan. In turn, darker bakeware will radiate more heat onto foods, helping them brown.
CR members can see below for ratings and reviews of the ranges and wall ovens with air-fry settings we’ve tested. For more information on all kinds of gas and electric ranges, see our range buying guide and our range ratings.
How to 'Fry' Food in a Toaster Oven
Convection toaster ovens can air-fry in the same way a convection oven can. We tested two models, one from Breville and one from Cuisinart, that have a dedicated air-fry setting. Both perform admirably, doing a great job with frozen curly fries and fresh chicken wings, though all-around performance is better in the Breville.
Both toaster ovens produce wings and fries in about the same time as the oven air fryers using 1 to 3 teaspoons of oil. But, of course, you can’t fit in as many wings or fries as you can in an oven.
If you have a toaster oven that has convection but no air-fry setting, try using convection roast (or convection bake), and just as with an oven, use a dark pan to get the best crispy results.
If You Want to Try an Air Fryer
The options above provide great alternatives to a stand-alone air fryer. But if you don’t have a range or toaster oven with convection, let alone a dedicated air-fry setting, then a stand-alone air fryer is still your cheapest and easiest route to golden veggies and crispy fries. The models below deliver just that.
Cooking With Countertop Appliances
Countertop appliances have come a long way over the years. On the “Consumer 101” TV show, Consumer Reports expert Sara Morrow shows host Jack Rico how it’s possible to cook an entire meal without using your oven or range.
Paul Hope
Paul Hope is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports and a trained chef. He covers ranges, cooktops, and wall ovens, as well as grills, drills, outdoor power tools, decking, and wood stains. Before joining CR in 2016, he tested kitchen products at Good Housekeeping and covered tools and remodeling for This Old House magazine. You’ll typically find him in his old fixer-upper, engrossed in a DIY project or trying out a new recipe.
