Best Air Fryer Microwave Oven For Family Cooking

Looking for the best air fryer microwave oven?

Microwave ovens have to be one of the most popular kitchen appliances because of their versatility. From large family homes to RV kitchenettes, people use microwave ovens to prepare meals quickly or reheat pre-cooked meals and leftovers in no time.

The only other cooking appliance that brings a similar range of versatility to a kitchen is an air fryer oven. But, air fryers have the advantage of compact size and quicker cooking speeds over microwave ovens.

Luckily, there is a way to enjoy the utility of both these appliances in one form factor, thanks to the best air fryer microwave oven combo. We bring you the best air fryers that look like a microwave oven as well as have the features of a microwave oven.

But, before we jump into the reviews, here are some important details you need to know about air fryers and microwave ovens.

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Best air fryers microwave oven – Our Top Picks

• Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1
• Toshiba Multifunctional Microwave Oven
• Galanz GSWWA16S1SA10 3-in-1
• Toshiba  ML-EC42P(BS) Multifunctional Microwave 

What Is A Microwave Oven?

A microwave oven is an electric appliance used to cook and reheat food quickly. As the name suggests, a microwave oven uses microwaves to heat up and cook food. These so-called microwaves are, in fact, electromagnetic radiations. Almost every type of food absorbs electromagnetic radiation, which is why manufacturers use them in microwave ovens.

This radiation cause vibrations in the water molecules inside the food. The vibration creates friction which, in turn, generates heat- and that heat cooks the food.

Exposure to these microwaves can be dangerous, but they are completely safe for cooking and heating food. The metal interior helps trap the waves inside the oven and also reflects and concentrates them towards the food.

What Is An Air Fryer?

Most people over-simplify what an air fryer is by comparing it to a convection oven. Even though the base mechanism is similar, convection ovens are a very singular cooking appliance- best-suited only for baking.

Air fryers, on the other hand, are quicker and much more versatile. Air fryers use almost no oil and cook the food entirely with the help of hot air. These are also available in a variety of sizes and combos. For instance, you can buy a one-person mini-air fryer as well as an XL family-sized air fryer.

Air fryers can work as a microwave oven, convection oven, indoor grill, deep fryer, toaster oven, and more- provided you buy the right model.

What’s The Difference Between an Air Fryer and a Microwave Oven?

Although both are essentially cooking appliances, there is a major difference between an air fryer and a microwave oven. And that major difference is how both these appliances process the food.

An air fryer will cook or heat your food using hot air, whereas a microwave oven uses electromagnetic radiation to do the same. Air fryers have a heating element and a high-speed fan. The heating element generates high temperatures while the high-speed fan circulates that heat in the form of air around the cooking chamber to cook the food.

A microwave oven has a device called a magnetron that generates electromagnetic radiation to heat and cook food. These waves target the water molecules inside the food to generate heat through vibrations.

Another difference is the use of oil. An air fryer will cook your food using little to no oil. On the other hand, microwave ovens will require oil to cook food. But, microwave ovens are quicker at cooking food.

In short, if you want a versatile and healthy cooking appliance, buy an air fryer. If you want a speedy cooking appliance, get a microwave oven. And if you want the best of both, buy an air fryer/microwave oven combo.

Are Air Fryer Microwave Ovens User Friendly?

It does get quite complicated for novice cooks and beginners to use air fryer microwave ovens at first. The wide range of controls, having to use different accessories for different cooking methods and developing an understanding of the cooking temperatures and times take a bit of time.

However, if you can get an air fryer microwave oven with digital controls and a small display screen, it will get a lot easier.

Can I Dehydrate Food in an Air Fryer Microwave Oven?

Yes, both air fryers and microwave ovens can dehydrate food easily. So, it’s only natural that the air fryer microwave oven can also dehydrate food with ease. Most of the air fryer microwave ovens that we chose for you do work as a dehydrator.

Advantages of an Air Fryer Microwave Oven

Stand-alone air fryers and microwave ovens have plenty of health and economic advantages. With both these appliances combined, consumers get a highly efficient and popular cooking appliance inside a single unit. Here are a few advantages of an air fryer microwave oven.

1. Large cooking capacity.
2. Speedy cooking.
3. Cook and reheat food in a single appliance.
4. Save money and kitchen counter space.
5. Prepare different types of food easily in a single appliance.

Video: YouTube/Cooking With Jack Show

Best Air Fryer Microwave Oven Combo Reviews

An air fryer microwave oven combo is mainly a microwave oven that has an air frying feature. Some of these also have other cooking functions, which we will discuss in our reviews for the 6 best microwave oven + air fryer combo.

Features:

• VERSATILITY OF 3 IN 1 APPLIANCE
• ELEMENT IQ SYSTEM technology
• FAST COMBI & COOK FROM FROZEN FUNCTIONS
• The Power Smoothing Inverter technology
• 19 built-in smart presets

We start with a 3-in-1 microwave oven from Breville. This stylish and versatile oven combines a microwave oven, air fryer, and convection oven into a single unit. That means it can cook, fry, grill, bake and do so much more. It’s got a digital control panel with an LCD screen that shows every cooking function that this oven possesses.

There are 19 built-in presets in this oven including cooking frozen foods, preparing french fries, pizza, steaks, fish, and so much more. It has dedicated buttons to prepare popcorns in no time, grill food indoors, and melt chocolate and butter to make spreads at home.

To top it all off, there is the Element IQ System that distributes heat evenly all around the cooking chamber to ensure food cooks evenly without any cold spots.

Features:

• Totalfry 360 Technology
• The Combi Wave 3 in 1
• Combi-Speed Cooking
• The Easy-Clean Air Fry Kit Provides

If you want versatility packed into a beautiful housing that is super easy to use, this Galanz microwave oven is the one for you. Aside from the beautiful, it’s also a highly durable one thanks to the stainless steel build. But we love it for its ease of use.

On the control panel, there are dedicated buttons for every cooking function available in this air fryer oven. You can bake, air fry, roast, and defrost in this appliance with one touch. It’s also a convection oven. The best part is that it can combine convection and microwave cooking to speed up the cooking process.

The 1.6 cubic feet cooking chamber is another plus point. In the massive cooking chamber, you can cook a lot of food at once in a very short time. Entertaining unannounced guests is a lot easier with this oven sitting in your kitchen.

Features:

• The Ultimate All-In-One Multi Oven
• Healthy Air Fryer Mode
• Smart, Even Cooking Power
• Sleek, Space Saving Design

We had high expectations from a Panasonic microwave oven, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a 4-in-1 microwave oven that delivers excellent cooking results regardless of which cooking mode you use. So far, every air fryer microwave oven we reviewed was a microwave oven, air fryer, and convection oven combo. This one brings in the functionalities of a broiler too.

So, it can air fry, bake, broil, and cook food in as many different ways as you need. The 1000-watt heating element ensures whatever you cook is cooked to perfection every single time. You will have to make do with a 1.2 cubic feet cooking chamber, but the fast cooking speeds mean cooking in batches take no time.

The minimalistic control panel looks elegant and the inverter technology means it’s an energy-efficient cooking appliance.

Features:

• Multifuntional Microwave
• Smart Humidity Sensor
• Energy Saving Features
• Convenience Features

This is for the consumers who are on a tight budget but still want a microwave oven with an air fryer function. Toshiba combines the convection, microwave, and air fry cooking method in a 1.5 cubic feet cooking chamber. Then there’s the price tag that’s under $250 which makes it the best budget microwave oven with an air fryer feature.

Even though it’s a cheaper model, it makes no compromises on quality, features, and performance. There’s a completely digital touch-button control panel as well as a bright digital display to make cooking easier.

The ECO mode will help conserve energy and reduce your electric bill, saving you more money in the long run. Other impressive features include Humidity Sensors, Position Memory Turntable, 10 built-in presets, and much more.

Features:

• Multifuntional Microwave
• Healthy Air Fry
• Stylish Appearance
• Easy Operation

People who don’t need a massive microwave oven or are short on kitchen space will love this Toshiba microwave oven with an air fryer and convection oven features. It has a price tag of $200 yet it has features similar to that of a $500 microwave oven. The only thing is that it’s made for people who have small kitchens or no dedicated kitchen space at all.

Its 1.0 cubic feet cooking chamber means that it will perfectly fit a dorm room, a tiny apartment, or an RV. It’s still big enough to cook a 12-inch pizza, but the glass turntable won’t be able to hold food for more than 4 people at once.

But it spares no expense in terms of features. You get a digital control panel, an LED display, the Toshiba trademark ECO mode, and plenty of presets in the Auto Menu.

Air Fryer Microwave Oven Combo – Buying Guide

Here are a few shopping tips and things to look for before buying an air fryer and microwave oven combo:

Capacity

When it comes to microwave ovens and air fryers, these are available in massive as well as tiny cooking capacities. As for air fryer microwave ovens, you get a range of 1.0 cubic feet to 2.5 cubic feet cooking chamber options. 1.0 will be a decent fit for small families but bigger families require at least 1.2 to 1.5 cubic feet capacity ovens.

Design

Air fryer microwave oven is not something that you can store away after every use. It’s daily use appliance which means it will sit right on top of the kitchen counter, on display for every onlooker. So, it needs to be good-looking, have a stylish yet elegant finish. Otherwise, it can ruin the outlook of the whole kitchen.

Power

This feature will affect you in two different ways so make sure you pay close attention to this. The more power the oven requires the more bill you’ll have to pay. But, higher power consumption also means faster cooking. So, you have to hit the sweet spot. Look for an air fryer oven that has a 1000W to 1200W power range. It’s good for cooking and eco-friendly at the same time.

Glass Window

Most people would overlook this feature, but it’s a big one. A glass window will not only protect you from the radiation of the microwave oven but also give you the means to keep an eye on your food while it cooks. This helps prevent overcooking or undercooking and it also prevents temperature leakage too.

Conclusion

Although this is somewhat an experimental combo, it is quite an effective one. The demand for the best air fryer microwave ovens has never been higher, and if the manufacturers can make slight improvements, we’ll be seeing even higher sales figures soon. So, before these go out of stock, swoop one for your kitchen right now.