When it comes to cooking techniques, broiling, and air frying have quickly become popular alternatives to the more conventional ways of frying and baking.
Both these cooking methods utilize high heat for cooking food, but they do in entirely different ways.
These methods provide one-of-a-kind advantages, as they enable you to prepare savory, crispier dishes with less effort and fewer calories. However, understanding the technique could be challenging for beginners yet to start experimenting with amazing culinary imaginations.
Therefore, we will dive into the world of Air fryers, determine the main difference between broil vs. air fryers, and also shed light on their advantages, limitations, and fundamental differences.
Let’s do this.
Broiling
First, let’s talk about broiling, a cooking method that involves applying intense heat from above. In order to obtain that perfectly browned finish on your meats, seafood, and veggies, broiling is an excellent method to use.
Broiling involves placing food in close contact with high temperatures to hasten the cooking process and provide a flavorful caramelization.
The Benefit of Broil
Beyond the mouthwatering tastes it adds, broiling has several advantages. It’s a simple technique that saves a lot of time and effort.
Broiling, since it prevents the accumulation of fat, is a healthier cooking method. Tender steaks, colorful bell peppers, and even pineapple rings are all great options for the broiler.
How to Broil in Air Fryer?
To broil food, simply preheat the broiler, season the ingredients to your liking, and set them on a baking sheet or broiler pan that has been wrapped with foil. The food will be ready to broil in no time.
To prevent the food from burning, move the pan away from the heating element by a few inches and closely check the cooking process.
You won’t have to wait more than a few minutes before your creations are scorched to perfection and ready to be enjoyed.
When to Use Broil Setting on Air Fryer?
Although air frying is renowned for its ability to cook food with heated circulating air, many innovative air fryers also include a broil setting. With this handy extra function, you can now take your air frying game to the next level, giving you more options in the kitchen to experiment.
But when should you use this broil function in your air fryer? Let’s find out.
1. Achieving the Perfect Char
Your air fryer’s broil setting is key to getting that perfectly charred and caramelized crust on your food. The broil function of an air fryer can do wonders, whether you’re trying to create a nice crust on your chicken or a pleasant sear on your steak.
It radiates powerful heat down from above, giving your food a delicious sear without drying it off.
2. Quick Cooking
The broil function on your air fryer is a lifesaver when you’re in a hurry and need to prepare dinner fast for gatherings or family. Using intense heat settings, the broil function accelerates the cooking process and delivers optimal cooking results in no time.
3. Some Finishing Touches to Food
The broil preset on the modern air fryer may have many great options to maximize your culinary experience, and one of them is giving the final touches to the food by ensuring the brown or crispy touches to the dishes.
Moreover, the Broil function can do wonders with one click if you want to achieve crispness to the garlic bread, fruit crumbles, or pizza sides.
Air Frying
Now let’s jump to the revolutionary world of air fry that has taken the culinary world by storm with its impressive capabilities, innovative features, and extraordinary cooking results.
Unlike the broil, the air fry function is utilized by the combination of hot air circulation and a little pinch of cooking oil to achieve that crispy touch on your fried items.
Air fryers are often used to cook a variety of food items, including vegetables, chicken, meat, etc. It reduces the cooking time and is a much healthier and more convenient alternative to traditional frying methods.
Benefits of Air Frying
Air fryers have many advantages, especially when compared to deep fryers and traditional cooking methods.
First and foremost is little to no oil intake when having your favorite meals that are impossible to make otherwise. When making meals in air fryers, you can enjoy your favorite fried items and dishes with fewer calories or fat, resulting in a healthy lifestyle.
Additionally, air fryers are more convenient and safe to use. It eliminates the risk of oil splatters or hand burns when cooking, and the innovative technology reduces the guesswork and delivers you well-cooked meals in your desired time.
Air fryers give the chefs complete control of the recipes and cooking process, so they can enjoy cooking with no mess and less hassle post-cooking.
How to Air Fry?
To air fry your cooking delights:
- Preheat your air fryer according to your recipe’s recommended temperature.
- Coat your food item or ingredients with a spritz of oil.
- Season the ingredients if required.
- Put the food items into the basket. Smartly arrange the items within the basket, ensuring the hot air can circulate freely.
- Set the timer and adjust the temperature if necessary.
- Don’t forget to flip or shake the food items into the basket while cooking to ensure uniform browning.
- When the timer is up, take out the food and serve.
Broil VS Air Fryer Comparison
Many factors can come to play when deciding between broiling and air frying. While it is great to broil when your food item requires that intense heat to get the perfect char or when you feel the ingredients wouldn’t be well-cooked otherwise.
On the other hand, the air fryer is solely used to prepare crunchy, crispy meals with less to no oil. Ultimately, your cooking method depends on your cooking style preferences and the food item you’re preparing.
Broiling is the optimal cooking method for meats and vegetables to indulge you in a delightful char and prepare mouthwatering dishes in rapid heating time. Alternatively, if you desire the crispiness of traditionally fried foods without the surplus oil, air frying will satisfy your cravings.
Here is the basic difference between Broil and Air Fryer. It should further eliminate the confusion about whether the broil is the same as the air fryer because many novice home chefs are confused about this additional function of the air fryers.
| Broil | Air Frying | |
| Definition | Cooking method utilizing intense heat from above | Cooking procedure that circulates hot air around the food items |
| Cooking Time | Less | Longer |
| Heat Source | Heating element at the top | Heating element combined with a fan |
| Temperature range | 400-500oF | 300-400oF |
| Food types | Great for meats, vegetables, and seafood | Ideal for all types of food items |
| Health Benefits | Help in reducing fat content in food | Help in reducing fat content in food |
| Equipment | Broiler pan or using the broil function in an air fryer | Requires air fryer with a removable basket |
| Flavor Options | Great for achieving a charred, smokey flavor | Offers crispy texture with consistent flavor |
| Cost | Can be done in an air fryer or standard oven with no additional equipment cost | Can be expensive |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is an air fryer better than a broiler?
It is not about what is better, but it’s all about what you’re making and how you’re expecting the cooking results. These entirely different cooking methods vary with the food items, outcomes, and your taste.
Can I air fry instead of broiling?
You may use the air-fry option on your air fryer instead of broil when the recipe demands and when you want to achieve similar cooking results with less intense heat.
What is the broil function on an air fryer?
The broil function on an air fryer enables the intense heat system that applies direct heat to the food from above, resulting in a charred exterior and tender inside. It is great for meats or seafood that need to be prepared in extreme temperatures for the perfect doneness.
What is the difference between bake, broil, and roast air fryer?
Like a convection oven, an air fryer’s bake mode evenly cooks food using hot air at a lower temperature. It’s perfect for baking delicate cakes, biscuits, and more. The broil mode employs intense heat from above to caramelize food. Air fryers use hot air to roast food at a higher temperature for longer. This technique makes huge chunks of meat, veggies, or entire chicken soft and crispy.
Why is broiling better than frying?
There are several benefits to broiling as opposed to frying. Broiling is preferable to deep frying because it allows fats to drain away from the dish. In addition, it requires almost no additional oil or fat, cutting down on the number of calories consumed.
Can you broil a steak in an air fryer?
Certainly, if your air fryer has a broil function, you can broil a steak in it. Season the steak to your preference, preheat the air fryer on the broil setting, and position it in the air fryer basket. Place the steak close to the heat source and closely monitor the cooking process to achieve the desired level of sear and doneness.
Conclusion
In this comparison of broiling and air frying, we’ve highlighted the benefits and techniques of each cooking method. Broiling provides intensive heat, rapid cooking, and flavorful charring, whereas air frying offers the pleasure of crisp indulgence with fewer calories.
The decision between broiling and air-frying ultimately relies on the individual and the prepared dish. So why not experiment with both cooking techniques and maximize your culinary adventure?
Let us know what you have made and how it turned out!
Isla Zoey is the Owner and Author of Air Fryer Mag, She love to use, test and write about the Air fryers.