Air Fryer vs Microwave: When to Use Each Appliance
By Home & Kitchen Appliances – Morphy Richards UK | Published: 2026-10-17
Category: Comparisons
Deciding between an air fryer and a microwave? Learn when each appliance shines, from crisping chips to reheating leftovers, with practical tradeoffs and fit guidance.
Quick answer
Use an air fryer when you want crispy, browned food like chips, roast vegetables, or reheated pizza. Use a microwave for quick reheating, defrosting, and cooking moist dishes like soups or steamed vegetables. Each excels at different tasks, so the best choice depends on what you're cooking.
How they work: heat vs. radiation
An air fryer circulates hot air around food at high speed, creating a crispy exterior through the Maillard reaction. It's essentially a small convection oven. A microwave uses electromagnetic radiation to excite water molecules, heating food from the inside out. This makes microwaves faster for moist foods but unable to brown or crisp.
Cooking performance: crispness vs. speed
If you're after golden, crunchy results, the air fryer wins every time. It's ideal for frozen chips, chicken wings, and roasting vegetables. The microwave, on the other hand, is unmatched for speed when reheating leftovers, melting butter, or defrosting meat. For tasks like warming a bowl of soup or a ready meal, the microwave is the practical choice.
Convenience and versatility
Microwaves are generally simpler to operate and require no preheating for most tasks. Air fryers often need a few minutes to preheat, but many models now include presets and timers to simplify cooking. For example, the Morphy Richards QuickHeat Rollable Food Warming Mat (a different product) shows how warming accessories can complement either appliance, but the core decision remains: do you prioritise crispness or speed?
Air fryer vs. microwave: tradeoffs at a glance
- Crispiness: Air fryer delivers browning and crunch; microwave cannot brown food at all. Choose air fryer for chips, nuggets, and roasted veg.
- Speed: Microwave heats food in seconds; air fryer takes 10–25 minutes including preheat. Choose microwave for reheating leftovers and defrosting.
- Moisture retention: Air fryer can dry out lean meats if overdone; microwave keeps food moist but can make bread or pastry soggy. Choose microwave for soups and steamed dishes; air fryer for baked potatoes and fish.
Products that help with either choice
- QuickHeat Rollable Food Warming Mat: The QuickHeat Rollable Food Warming Mat has 7 temperature settings from 40° to 100° and a timer up to 4 hours, ideal for keeping takeaways or Sunday roast trimmings warm. If you use an air fryer in batches, this mat keeps earlier servings warm while the rest finishes. It also works alongside a microwave to hold food at serving temperature without overcooking.
- Spare Air Inlet Cover Grey with Mesh Filter for 822502: The Spare Air Inlet Cover Grey with Mesh Filter is a genuine replacement part for Morphy Richards model 822502, designed to maintain proper airflow. Keeping your air fryer's air inlet clean ensures consistent hot air circulation, which is essential for even crisping. Replacing a clogged mesh filter is a simple maintenance step that preserves performance.
Which one fits your kitchen?
Best for
- Households that cook frozen foods or want crispy results regularly
- Anyone who enjoys roasting vegetables or making homemade chips
Not ideal for
- Quick reheating of ready meals or drinks where speed matters most
- Cooking moist dishes like porridge, scrambled eggs, or steamed fish
