An air fryer is the faster option for most frozen food, as it preheats sooner than a full-size oven. It is a small convection oven, with a heating element and fan that circulates hot air around food in order to heat it. Despite its name, it does not fry food.

The small cavity of an air fryer makes it a better option for a single basket of crisp food, while a conventional oven is better when dinner needs a sheet pan.

Is an air fryer faster than an oven?

An air fryer preheats in roughly 2 to 3 minutes. A full-size oven takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes to reach a typical frozen-food temperature, with that warm-up accounting for much of the difference. Cooking times can be similar once both appliances are hot.

The air fryer's small cavity holds less air to heat. Food also sits closer to the element. This moving hot air dries and browns the surface quickly, especially when there is room around each piece.

The package directions show how short the cooking stage can be. Signature SELECT, Safeway's own brand, lists 360 F for 8 to 10 minutes for crinkle cut fries and 10 to 12 minutes for classic cut fries. Its hash brown patties call for 390 F for 10 to 12 minutes. When using an air fryer, it is just as important to follow load instructions as it is cooking time.

Signature SELECT Crinkle Cut Fries, 32 oz

Signature SELECT Classic Cut Fries, 32 oz

Signature SELECT Hash Brown Patties

For a small weeknight batch, use the air fryer. Heating a full-size oven only makes more sense when its extra room is required.

Which frozen foods cook well in an air fryer?

Coated and starchy frozen foods cook best in an air fryer as crisping happens when hot air dries the surface. Fries, tater puffs, hash browns and onion rings all have plenty of exposed surface to brown.

Chicken nuggets, strips, wings and corn dogs also suit the basket when the pieces have space around them. Perdue Panko Breaded Chicken Breast calls for 350 F and 6 minutes, with 6 nuggets in a single layer. A shopper's review titled "Great nuggets" says, "6 minutes in the air fryer and they're ready," just as the package says.

Perdue Fully Cooked Panko Breaded Chicken Breast, 29 oz

Small snacks work for the same reason. Pizza rolls, mini quiche, taquitos and French toast sticks can sit apart instead of being crowded together. Signature SELECT pepperoni pizza rolls in the 20 oz bag call for up to 15 pieces at 400 F for 5 minutes, followed by a 2-minute rest. Its French toast sticks use a single layer at 380 F for 6 to 7 minutes.

Signature SELECT Pepperoni Pizza Rolls, 20 oz

Signature SELECT French Toast Sticks, Cinnamon

One shopper who used both appliances for Signature SELECT fries wrote under "Good fries": "I've cooked these in both an air fryer and conventional oven and each time they turn out nice and crispy." While both appliances can crisp frozen food, the air fryer gets the small job started sooner.

Wet or saucy foods do not have the same advantage. Their surfaces need to heat through without drying into a crisp shell. Therefore, it is better to use the oven when even heating matters more than concentrated surface heat.

When is an oven better than an air fryer?

Use the oven for large batches of frozen food. A sheet pan gives food more room than an air-fryer basket, and open space is part of the cooking direction.

Many frozen potato packages specify half a bag, a basket no more than half full and a shake halfway through. Hash brown patties, chicken and several snacks call for a single layer. Pizza rolls give a piece count. Follow each load limit.

The clearest example is Alexia Sweet Potato Crispy Puffs. At 360 F, the package gives 8 to 10 minutes for half a bag and 12 to 14 minutes for a full bag. A larger load takes longer even in the same appliance. Packing more food into a small basket also blocks the moving air that dries the surface.

Alexia Sweet Potato Crispy Puffs, 20 oz

Customer reviews show what happens when the printed load changes. The Signature SELECT Restaurant Style Fries package calls for half a bag in a half-full basket at 360 F for 8 to 10 minutes. A reviewer using a full bag wrote under "Air Fried French Fries": "They are great cooked in an air fryer. Leave them in for 25 minutes (full bag) for crispy."

Signature SELECT Restaurant Style Fries, 32 oz

Cooking in batches removes the air fryer's convenience. By the time the next basket goes in, the oven could be holding the whole meal at once. Choose the sheet pan for a family-size amount or several foods that need to finish together.

A whole frozen pizza is also best cooked in an oven, as it does not fit flat in the basket of an air fryer. Cutting or folding it to force a fit changes how it cooks. The same rule applies to any item that touches the basket walls or covers most of the available space.

The oven also has the advantage with wet, sauced or thick foods that need steady heat through the center. The small cavity of the air fryer is best for modest portions with dry, exposed surfaces.

What if the package has no air fryer instructions?

Some frozen packages mention an air fryer without printing a temperature. Check the full cooking panel before assuming air fryer directions are included.

When no setting appears, use the food-specific guidance in your appliance manual. Do not use a setting from a different package. Even products with the same name can carry different directions when the package size changes.

Common questions about air fryers and ovens

Is an air fryer faster than an oven?

Yes, for most small batches of frozen food. The smaller appliance reaches cooking heat sooner, then directs moving hot air around food placed near its element. A conventional oven gives up that early advantage but can cook much more food in one round. Pick the air fryer for a basket of fries or nuggets and the oven for a loaded sheet pan.

Do you have to preheat an air fryer?

Follow the package and appliance directions. A brief preheat brings the basket and cavity to the conditions used for the printed cooking time.

Can you cook a frozen pizza in an air fryer?

Yes, if it's a slice of pizza and it lies flat with room for air to move around it, while larger pizzas are better suited to the oven.

Do you have to thaw frozen food before air frying?

No. Many package directions begin with food straight from the freezer, so keep it frozen unless the label tells you otherwise.

Why does my air fryer take longer than the box says?

The usual cause is too much food in the basket. Match the package's quantity, layer and shaking directions; a full or crowded load needs more cooking than the smaller load used for the printed time.