The air fryer is a compact convection oven with a serious fan. That single fact generates the entire conversion rulebook: lower the temperature ~25 °F, cut the time ~20%, and check early. Everything else is knowing which recipes tolerate that transformation.
The rule, applied
| Oven recipe | Air fryer conversion |
|---|---|
| 400 °F, 25 min | 375 °F, ~20 min (check at 14) |
| 425 °F, 40 min (chicken thighs) | 400 °F, ~32 min (check at 22) |
| 375 °F, 12 min (frozen fries) | 350 °F, ~10 min (shake at 5) |
| 350 °F, 50 min (meatloaf) | 325 °F, ~40 min — thermometer to 160 °F |
Our air fryer converter does this math for any oven time and temperature, in both °F and °C (subtract ~15 °C).
What converts beautifully
Breaded and dredged foods (cutlets, fish sticks, breaded vegetables), roasted vegetables, frozen snacks, reheated leftovers (the air fryer's killer app), sausages, and small roasts. Anything that wants a crispy exterior and a fast interior cook is the air fryer's home turf.
What converts badly
- Wet batters (tempura, pancake-style): the fan blows un-set batter around and can spatter the element. Bread them thickly or use a real fryer.
- Cheese-heavy bakes (thin-crust pizza, nachos under the broiler): the top burns before the middle warms. Lower the temperature another 25 °F or finish in the oven.
- Large dense roasts: the outside overcooks before the center comes to temperature. A whole chicken is possible in larger fryers, but it is an oven job for most households.
- Anything delicate and uncovered (custards, soufflés): violent convection is the enemy.
The three mistakes everyone makes first
One: overcrowding. Air fryers cook by moving air across every surface; a stuffed basket steams instead of crisps. Two batches beat one jammed one. Two: never shaking. Flip or shake at the halfway point or accept one pale side. Three: trusting the chart over the thermometer — model variation is real, and 3–5 minutes of difference between brands is normal. Check early, note your fryer's bias, and the chart becomes yours.