Most kitchen equipment questions are really the same question: this recipe was written for one appliance and I own a different one.
The conversion rules below cover the swaps people make most. The sections after them link to a specific answer for individual appliances, brands and models.
Drop 25°F and check 20% earlier
An air fryer is a small convection oven. Moving air cooks faster than still air, so both the temperature and the time come down.
Quick reference
| Swapping from | Swapping to | Rule of thumb | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional oven | Air fryer | Reduce temp 25°F, check at 80% of the time | Small basket — crowding stops the airflow that makes it work |
| Conventional oven | Convection oven | Reduce temp 25°F, same time | Delicate bakes can dry out or set too early |
| Air fryer | Conventional oven | Raise temp 25°F, allow more time | Nothing crisps as hard without moving air |
| Grill | Oven | Match the target internal temperature, not the time | No smoke and no sear — finish under the broiler |
| Charcoal grill | Gas grill | Same target temperature | Gas heats faster and gives no smoke flavour |
| Smoker | Oven | Same low temperature, same target internal temp | Bark and smoke ring will not form in an oven |
Air fryers
The commonest question is whether a given food works in one at all, and what to change from the oven version.
Grills and smokers
Grilling questions split two ways: what the equipment can do, and where a given brand is made and how it is built.
Ovens, microwaves and stovetop
The appliances recipes assume, and the ones people most often need to convert between.
Pans, knives and small tools
Choosing the tool, and knowing when the tool is the reason a dish did not work.
Buy a thermometer before anything else
Almost every equipment question on this site ends at the same place: what temperature did the food actually reach.
An instant-read thermometer settles that in seconds, works with every appliance on this page, and costs less than a single cut of the meat it protects.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an oven recipe for an air fryer?
Lower the temperature by about 25°F and start checking at roughly 80 per cent of the stated time. Air fryers move hot air, so they cook faster and brown harder than a still oven.
Is an air fryer just a small convection oven?
Functionally, yes. The differences that matter are the size of the chamber and the speed of the fan, which is why food crisps faster but batches have to be smaller.
Why does my food take longer than the recipe says?
Usually because the oven is not at the temperature on the dial. Domestic ovens often run 15–25°F out. An oven thermometer will show it in one session.
Can I use an oven instead of a smoker?
For tenderness, yes — hold the same low temperature and cook to the same internal temperature. What an oven cannot produce is smoke flavour, bark or a smoke ring.
Does overcrowding an air fryer basket really matter?
Yes, more than in an oven. The whole mechanism is fast-moving air across the surface. Food packed together blocks that airflow and steams instead of crisping.