If you’ve ever wanted to buy an Air Fryer, then OTG and Microwave ovens are also popped into your mind.
But which one is best for you – Air Fryer or Microwave or OTG?
In this article, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of these three popular kitchen appliances in terms of price, usability and maintenance.
Let’s get started:
Air Fryer vs OTG vs Microwave Oven
| Features | Air Fryer | Microwave Oven | OTG |
| Price in INR | Under 7000 | Under 30,000 | Under 14,000 |
| Heating time | Very fast | Faster than OTG | Takes time to heat up |
| Electricity Consumption | up to 1400 watts | up to 2500 watts | up to 2000 watts |
| Auto cook options | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Containers | Only baskets with holes in them | Ceramic, Glass and Silicone. No metal cookware | Metal cookware, ceramic, glass and silicone. |
| Maintenance | Easy to clean | Easy to clean | Take time to clean baked food properly |
| Ideal for | Frying without or with less oil. | Can be used for baking along with grilling, reheating, defrosting and cooking. | Baking foods like cookies, and cakes. |
You may also want to check out our best air fryer reviews from here.
Air Fryer vs Microwave vs OTG: Heating Mechanism
Air fryers and OTGs work on the same principle.
Air Fryer’s heating mechanism consists of a heating element at the top of the appliance which rushes down the heat on the food below it. For perfect airflow, air fryer baskets have holes in them.
A microwave oven works by heating the molecules of food using microwave radiation technology. Modern convection microwave ovens have a fan installed inside the oven to spread the heat evenly.
Cooking Options
Air fryers, Oven Toaster Grills (OTG) and Microwave ovens have different cooking options.
Foods you can cook
There are many differences in cooking foods with an air fryer, OTG and microwave oven.
An air fryer is best for cooking fries, potato chips, chicken wings and other small snacks with little to no oil. Air fryers can also be used for dehydrating fruits like apples, bananas, etc.
Microwave is best for cooking, reheating, defrosting and grilling. Some microwave also comes with features like milk-pasteurized, curd and ghee-making options.
OTGs are best for baking, grilling, toasting and roasting food items like chicken. Oven Toasters Grills are best for cookies and baked cakes.
Cooking capacity
Cooking capacity mainly depends on the foods that you can cook in an air fryer or a microwave or an OTG.
Air fryers come in small sizes like 1 L to 5 L category. They are best for small quantity foods like chips, or other snacks. For a large family, a 5 Litre air fryer will be a good choice.
OTGs come in big sizes because of their cooking items like baked foods, roasting chickens and grilling food items. There are up to 30 L capacity OTGs available in the market.
Microwaves are preferred for their large capacity cooking space of around 30 to 35 L. Reheating your leftovers is easy because of the large cooking space.
Cooking Menu
Air fryers come with 3-5 menus of cooking, mainly fries, chicken wings, and dehydrator.