Microwave or Air fryer

[Hipnotised]

Our microwave has just stopped working and was giving off a burning smell (so definitely needs ditching).

Will replace with either microwave or air fryer as the kitchen isnt big enough for both. Tend to use microwave for reheating/jacket potatoes/the odd ready meal.

YABU - choose air fryer
YANBU - choose microwave

Interested for reasons either way too! TIA.

From the use we get from them I wouldn’t say it’s an either or thing? There’s a lot of things we do in the microwave that we wouldn’t do in the air fryer and vice versa. Assuming you have an oven I would probably say go for the microwave. Love the air fryer and get so much use from it but I just couldn’t imagine not having a microwave

You can't warm up food easily in an airfryer, it's just a smaller more efficient version of your oven. A microwave is a different kind of thing so I'd get that if I could only have one.

I love my air fryer and use it almost every day. The microwave, maybe once a week. I want a ninja so am watching for the black Friday sale.

They're not really interchangeable, they perform completely different tasks. If it was one or the other I'd have a microwave because my oven can already do everything an air fryer can do, whereas an air fryer can't do what a microwave does.

Oooh such interesting replies. Thought you'd all be saying microwave not needed!

some air fryers (E.g. ninja) do have a reheat function depending on the model you chose, and overall a ninja is far, far more useful than a microwave. I very rarely use a microwave compared to my ninja. A microwave is handy for some things though, heating liquids through for example. Ninjas are expensive though but worth the investment IMO. It’s the best thing in my kitchen 😂

How about a combination microwave?

I use my microwave every day, for heating milk, cooking vegetables, defrosting, making cakes. But if you don’t really use yours, why replace it? Presumably you’re using the conventional oven, so get an air fryer and benefit from reduced fuel costs.

BTW, ready meals are better in the air fryer, they taste way better, ditto jackets, very crispy skin! Get a ninja with reheat function and you’re laughing as there’s not much you can’t use them for. A lot of microwaved food comes out like soggy slop.

https://www.sageappliances.com/uk/en/products/microwaves/bmo870.html?sku=SMO870BSS4GEU1

this isn’t cheap, but if space is more of an issue than money, this does both.

I wanted one when I needed a new microwave a few years back and went for a Samsung one with ‘hot air blast’ which is meant to be like air frying, and it has worked well for that - but three years later it’s just broken so I wouldn’t recommend it!

Definitely get a Microwave, because later on you can get an air fryer and because they are very light, just carry it into another storage area when not being used.

You can't really place large bowls of food to reheat in the air fryer like you can with the microwave. Nor can you heat up a cup of milk for coffee or hot chocolate, bake potatoes, make porridge etc all the things a microwave is necessary for.

They're complementary - it's like asking: knife or fork?

For me, I'd choose microwave. There are other things in your kitchen that can do oven/frier duties, so I'd miss the microwave more. But I do a hot milk drink in it and porridge and stuff like that, so it depends on your personal use I guess...

I've got a Ninja Speedi which, in all honesty, I don't like very much but it is a fantastic piece of cooking equipment. It has a steam function which you can combine with air frying or baking, you can also use it as a normal pan or oven and it grills, too.

Steam baking's the business! Much, much better than dry baking. Steam airfry's pretty good, too - makes lovely, puffy wedges and pies - and the thing lives up to its name; it's really fast. You can cook a whole meal for two or three in the one device, all at once, in half an hour. Steaming reheats leftovers better than the microwave.

One of those multifunctional micros with steam, convection oven, grill and airfry would do everything the Speedi does only better. They aren't cheap but, if you've got the funds, this is a great month to get one.

I use both everyday. Thy are not an 'either/or' appliance unfortunately 🤷‍♀️ If I was short on space though, I'd ditch the oven...it's now become a storage space for spare pans 🤣

Microwave air fryer combination?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/microwave-air-fryer-oven-combo/s?k=microwave+air+fryer+oven+combo

The newer Ninja Foodi with max bells & whistles does everything my Speedi does plus pressure cooking, and does it all with a single lid (the old version needs you to swap lids for pressure cooking, which put me off).

That means you can definitely heat up milk & make porridge - you can in the Speedi, too, but you have to sort of guess. The Foodi's smart probe would've been a game changer for me.

On balance, I think you should get one of these 🤗

This does everything you need, I’ve not bothered with an airfryer because I can’t imagine it would do anything I can’t do in this. I’ve got this exact one because I wanted a small footprint.

Combi microwave

Wouldn't get rid of my microwave as I use it daily but also love my air fryer! Depends what you want it for really

I know everyone raves about air fryers and I do find mine very handy, but if you have an oven, you can do without an air fryer. But personally I couldn't do without a microwave. I use it for heating milk, softening butter, making porridge, defrosting stuff when I've forgotten to leave it out. So, if my microwave broke, I'd buy another one!

They're not comparable.
I've always had a microwave, it's essential for heating up. I very recently bought the smaller air fryer and use it for hash browns, fries and one person portions of fish fingers for DD.

Op..... I am a recent air fryer convert. However..... I still use the microwave occasionally as certain things you can't cook in the air fryer. Also I do my roast dinner in the air fryer but cook the veggies in the microwave. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

They are if you get a combi oven grill one.

You can do all those things in the one I linked to and things like roasts, bake cakes etc..

currently on offer for £ 199.99

https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/black-friday-cms-pg_blackfriday

Ninja Deluxe Black & Copper Edition Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer with Smart Cook System AF451UKDBCP

Air fryers are just conventional oven replacements really. But smaller.

They are good if you spend a lot of time just putting small things in the oven. So if you are only 1 person, or a family that cooks at lots of different times. You will save money as you won't have to heat up the oven each time to cook 2 fish fingers. Air fryers do crisp things up a bit more.

Microwaves are different cooking method. They will cook things like jacket potatoes more quickly, but will not crisp the outer skin like an air fryer/oven. My guess is jacket potatoes are much faster in a microwave (in fact some people microwave them then stick in the air fryer to finish).

I would say losing the microwave over an airfryer while still having a conventional oven you will lose some capability because much of what you do in the air fryer is replicated in the oven. So it depends what is important to you.

I am not usually one for fancy stuff. But that copper colour is luring me in.