Arun L.
TVWBB All-Star
Again wife complains because she likes to be able to stick the trashy frozen pizza she likes into it (gag me).

Again wife complains because she likes to be able to stick the trashy frozen pizza she likes into it (gag me).
@Arun what basket came with your Oster and what is driving you to search for a different basket?
I may be way off base but when I bought our Ninja Air Fry Oven it replaced this old Oster convection oven:
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(Well, that part is not off base; it's a fact). The old Oster served us well for some items. But over the past 3 months of using our Ninja I've been very well-pleased with it and use it for more foods than those cooked in the Oster. It feels to me that the Ninja's food group settings determine fan speed and upper/lower heat element cycles, which contribute to a better cooking experience. Some of it involves a little trial and error but its manual (and inspiration guide) provide a very good starting point. Case in point: if I do tots and the edges are too brown but the guts are not overdone then I lower the temp on the next attempt. If I do grilled cheese and the cheese is well-melted but the toast is not to my liking then I start with just the toast with a light shade setting, then add cheese, and continue the cook.
How is a microwave air fryer different than a normal stand alone air fryer?
A normal air fryer is just an air fryer. The one I have is a microwave that also is an air fryer
We had the large Phillips standalone air fryer and it worked a bit faster than our combo air fryer/microwave. But, it was bulky, a bit of a pain to clean, and only did one thing. So, the combo unit works great for us.I think when I asked my question, what I was trying to get at was this.
A standalone air fryer, and a microwave air fryer, probably heat things differently? Due to the way their technologies work. So if so, what differences do you think that would make?
Yeah, I did the little frozen pizzas as a test. The air fryer did them in 8 minutes from the freezer. Same thing in the microwave version was 10 minutes. But, even having the largest air fryer on the market, the basket size was a bit small versus what I can fit in the combo unit. 20-30% more cook time is more than worth it when you consider you can do one cook versus the sometimes multiple cooks in the traditional air fryer. Also, with the Panasonic's combo mode of microwave and air fryer, I can do that same frozen pizza in 5 minutes and it still gets that air fryer texture.Thanks.
Have you tried to make the same thing, in both regular microwave mode, and air fryer mode? Do you notice a difference?
Yeah, I did the little frozen pizzas as a test. The air fryer did them in 8 minutes from the freezer. Same thing in the microwave version was 10 minutes. But, even having the largest air fryer on the market, the basket size was a bit small versus what I can fit in the combo unit. 20-30% more cook time is more than worth it when you consider you can do one cook versus the sometimes multiple cooks in the traditional air fryer. Also, with the Panasonic's combo mode of microwave and air fryer, I can do that same frozen pizza in 5 minutes and it still gets that air fryer texture.
Yes, that's correct. A microwaved pizza or any frozen item is never crisp. The air fryer is particularly good for these items.Thanks for the detailed description.
So if I understand correctly, had you done the pizza in normal microwave mode, it would have had a soft texture.
When using the microwave in air fryer mode, or your standalone air fryer, you get the crispy texture.