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Confused Between Buying an Air Fryer Oven and an OTG for Indian Kitchens? Read This First

As multi-functional appliances are becoming the new reality in Indian households, the selection of the best appliance is now based on lifestyle, cooking frequency, family members, and the amount of space in the kitchen. This guide simplifies knowing how an air fryer oven or an OTG works before investing in one, and helps you determine what really works in your kitchen.
Confused Between Buying an Air Fryer Oven and an OTG for Indian Kitchens? Read This First
The Indian kitchens are changing now, but the problem that will always be the same is making more out of a small space. Between the fast food on weekdays and the baking experiments at weekends, the modern kitchens require equipment that can accommodate different styles of cooking without cluttering the counter. Herein lies the confusion of an air fryer oven and an OTG.They are both versatile, convenient, and more efficient, but have a slight difference in their purpose. An air fryer oven will attract people intending to cook with less oil, quicker operations and ready programmes of daily snacks and meals. OTG, however, has been a reliable baking, grilling and toasting partner long before other products got into the market to the extent that people favour homemade breads, cakes, and pizzas.

What Is An OTG?


How Does An OTG Function?

OTG(Oven, Toaster, Griller) is a device that uses electric heating rods in the lower and upper positions. These rods are used to heat the enclosed chamber uniformly, which gives an opportunity to control cooking by use of temperature and time. Users are given an option of using only top, bottom heat or a combination of both, depending on the dish they are cooking.

Common Uses

OTGs are commonly used in comparing cakes, cookies, bread and pizzas. They are also best in grilling paneer, vegetables and kebabs and toasting bread and buns. The consistent heat that they produce enables them to be particularly useful in food preparation, where accuracy is required.

Conventional Roles In The Indian Family

OTGs have been a common item in the Indian kitchen, especially among home cooks. They are trusted to do baking during festivals and prepare meals on the weekend, which offers the same continuity and familiarity across generations.

What Is An Air Fryer Oven?


How Does It Work?

An air fryer oven involves using high-speed circulation of hot air to cook the food. The force of this heating vibrant component and a high-powered fan circulates hot air over the food to produce a crispy outer component resembling deep frying, yet with very little oil. This process provides quicker cooking with preservation of taste and texture.

Key Functions

The air fryer ovens are versatile machines. They do snacks, air frying, cakes and cookies baking, roasting of vegetables and meat and heating of leftovers without softening them. Preset included in many models also makes it easy to cook on a daily basis.

Why Is It A Craze In Indian Kitchens?

As concerns over healthier cooking and appliances to ease time consumption, air fryer ovens are appropriate for Indian lifestyles today. They use less oil, they cook fast, and they apply to popular foods such as cutlets, samosas, tikkas, and fries, etc., hence they are an understandable option in day-to-day use.


Key Differences Between An Air Fryer Oven and an OTG

Feature

Air Fryer Oven

OTG (Oven, Toaster, Griller)

Cooking Method

Rapid hot air circulation with a fan

Heating rods (top & bottom)

Oil Usage

Very low to none

Moderate to high (for some recipes)

Cooking Speed

Generally faster

Slower preheat and cook time

Capacity

Small to medium (compact)

Small to large (roomy)

Features

Easy, many presets

Manual control needs practice

Best For

Air frying, quick meals, and snacks

Baking, grilling, roasting

Heat Distribution

Even and quick

Gradual and steady

Preset Functions

Often includes presets

Usually manual settings

Ideal For

Small families, quick cooking

Baker, larger servings

Cooking Indian Food: Which Is Better?


Snacks (Samosa, Cutlets, Pakoras)

An air fryer oven is more suitable for daily Indian snacks. Layers of samosas, aloo cutlets, bread rolls, and pakoras become lighter as it provides a crisp outer layer with the least amount of oil. It does not require a lot of time to preheat, and small families can easily carry out batch cooking. These snacks can also be done on OTGs, although they typically need to be brushed with oil and need more time to be cooked.

Rotis, Naan, Pav, and Pizza

OTGs would work better when cooking bread. The constant high and low temperatures allow rotis, naan, pav, and pizzas to cook consistently, with the proper softness inside, as well as browning and crunching outside. Large flatbreads can be baked in air fryer ovens, though the size might not fit, given that there is not much room to accommodate them, and the air moves around the food far faster.


Cakes, Cookies, and Bread

OTGs would be the clear option in baking. They give even heat a necessary condition for the rising of cakes, even baking of cookies, and building of bread. Air fryer ovens are able to bake less, but the results may be inconsistent, particularly in delicate recipes.


Tandoori-Style Dishes

Other foods that can be cooked effectively in air fryer ovens include tandoori foods like paneer tikka, chicken tikka and roasted vegetables. They provide burnt sides with minimal amounts of oil and quicker cooking. This can also be attained through OTGs, but requires greater temperatures and greater care.
The Inalsa 23L Air Fryer Oven is an Indian kitchen powerhouse and a diverse product. It has 1700W output, 16 preset programs, rotisseries and convection cooking functions to cook low-oil foods and meals for families. Digital display, touch controls and various accessories simplify and make daily cooking, baking and roasting easy and efficient.Key Features
  • 23L large capacity ideal for family meals and gatherings
  • 16 preset functions for air fry, bake, roast, pizza, and more
  • 1700W powerful motor for faster, healthier cooking with up to 85% less fat
  • Digital touch control with temperature up to 220°C and 24-hr timer
  • Includes 9 accessories + recipe book for versatile cooking options
The Kent Digital Air Fryer Oven 12L is a healthier way of cooking with an intense 360-degree heat circulation. It has 10 preset menus, rotisseries, and dehydration functions, which ensure that it can bake, grill, and roast easily. The touch control panel with its digital feature, in-built light and automatic shut-off operate to guarantee comfortable, secure, and effective daily cooking.Key Features
  • 12L air fryer oven with 360° rapid heat circulation
  • Uses up to 80% less oil for healthier cooking
  • 10 preset menus for everyday Indian recipes
  • Rotisserie and dehydration functions for added versatility
  • Digital touch control with built-in light and auto shut-off
The Havells Avanza 15L Air Fryer Oven contains a mighty 1700W motor with Aerocrisp technology in order to cook quickly and evenly using as little as 85% of the oil. Its capacity of 15L is appropriate to accommodate family territory, and 14 pre-programmed options, digital control by touch, rotisseries and baking appliances make it an all-inclusive, complete upgrade to the kitchen.Key Features
  • 1700W High-Performance Heating for quick, even cooking with consistent results
  • 15L Large Capacity ideal for family meals, parties, and batch cooking
  • Aerocrisp Technology delivers crispy texture using up to 85% less oil
  • 14 Auto Preset Cooking Modes covering air fry, bake, grill, toast, and dehydrate
  • Digital Touch Control with Glass Window for easy operation and live cooking visibility
The Agaro OTG has a 48-litre capacity. The OTG has a rotisserie with a motorised system used to spit-roast meats and vegetables. It has three heating modes– top heating, bottom heating and top & bottom heating. The heat-resistant tempered glass window with an illuminated chamber allows you to check your cooking easily. These features also comprise temperature settings starting from 100°C up to 250°C, an auto thermostat, time and temperature control, an auto shut-off and a ready bell as well.Key Features
  • 48 litres of capacity for large families and a general bakery
  • Motorised Rotisserie to provide an even spit roasting of meats and vegetables
  • Switch to convection, rotisseries, or both to cook food faster and more uniformly
  • One hundred and twenty minutes digital clock with a ready bell and a window to observe the light inside the chamber, which is heat-resistant (glass)
  • 3 Heating Modes: Top Heating, Bottom Heating, Top and Bottom Heating
The Bajaj Majesty 16 Litre Oven Toaster Grill mid has a capacity of 45 litres, with the capacity being much enough to prepare meals serving a total of five to eight to nine people. This OTG provides delicacy and superior baking quality with temperature control and a timer. The OTG can easily bake, grill and toast with high quality and has a keep-warm feature to let food cook completely and attain a crisp brown layer. It uses 1200 W of power and has a cooking tray, a grill, a barbecue rack, a tong and skewer rods. Key Features
  • 16L capacity for small families, snacks, and everyday baking
  • 1200W heating power cooks efficiently with consistent heat output
  • Multi-Function Cooking supports grilling, baking, and roasting with ease
  • Tempered glass and cool-touch handles can be used to make the use of that item safer
  • Made with durable mild steel and designed for easy cleaning
The 25L Glen OTG has a power of 1700W for baking, grilling, roasting and toasting. The six heating positions, convection fan of this device and adjustable temperature power of 17-21 degrees Celsius enable you to achieve identical and uniform results. The 60-minute timer and bell are added to bring about convenience, with the ergonomic knobs and removable crumb tray to make it easy and hassle-free to cook daily.Key Features
  • 25 L capacity for small families and everyday cooking
  • 1700W power with six heating modes for baking, grilling and roasting
  • Convection fan for faster, even cooking
  • 60-minute timer with a bell for easy tracking
  • Easy clean-up with a removable crumb tray and ergonomic knobs
Other Related Articles That You Might Like To ReadBest OTG Oven In India To Bake, Roast And GrillBest Air Fryers For Your Kitchen To Enjoy Guilt-Free Meals
author
About the AuthorDimple Sharma

Dimple is a Content Consultant at TOI writing thoroughly researched Lifestyle articles with expertise in beauty, fashion, and gadgets. Apart from these categories, she also writes for home decor, electronics, jewellery, and health. She inscribes quality content that matches her reader's interests and aims. She blends her passion for writing to inspire readers to make informed decisions by carefully curating the finest products for them. She graduated from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication with a degree in English Journalism. She can be found doing trials with cooking or immersing herself in suspense thriller shows when not writing.

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