Brava Oven vs Air Fryer: Which Cooks Better?

We’ve all been there: scrolling through drool-worthy food photos online, only to discover most of them are made with an air fryer. Maybe you already have a trusty air fryer but are wondering about the Brava oven. This guide will help you decide which appliance is the right fit for your cooking style and needs between the brava oven vs air fryer.

The Brava oven offers innovative features that simplify the cooking experience, such as touchscreen technology and real-time monitoring capabilities, allowing you to remotely watch food cook via a mobile app. You’ll learn about the key differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each below, so read on for more!

Jump to:

• The Air Fryer Phenomenon
• The Brava Oven: A Different Approach
• Brava Oven: Addressing Some User Concerns
• Brava Oven vs Air Fryer: Price Considerations
• FAQs
• Conclusion

The Air Fryer Phenomenon

Air fryers have become popular kitchen appliances with promises of crispy, delicious food made with little to no oil. Think of it as a mini convection oven. By rapidly circulating hot air, air fryers achieve a similar texture to deep-frying. Think perfectly golden french fries, chicken wings, or even vegetables.

It’s healthier than deep-frying and requires minimal cleanup, making it incredibly convenient. But what exactly sets it apart from the revolutionary Brava oven? That’s the real question. Let’s learn more about the many uses of an air fryer.

Air Fryer Uses

• Crisping Foods -Air fryers are perfect for achieving a crispy texture on foods like French fries, onion rings, and chicken wings without the need for deep frying in oil.
• Baking - You can bake a variety of items in an air fryer, including muffins, cookies, and small cakes. The hot circulating air helps to create a nice, even bake.
• Roasting Vegetables - Air fryers can roast vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots, and potatoes quickly, giving them a crispy exterior while keeping them tender inside.
• Reheating Leftovers - Air fryers are great for reheating leftovers like pizza, fried chicken, and other dishes that you want to stay crispy rather than becoming soggy, as can happen with a microwave.
• Cooking Proteins - You can cook a wide range of proteins in an air fryer, including chicken breasts, fish fillets, steak, and tofu, achieving a delicious, golden-brown crust.
• Making Snacks - Air fryers can be used to make healthy snacks like roasted nuts, chickpeas, kale chips, and homemade potato chips.
• Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables - Some air fryers have a dehydration setting that allows you to dry fruits, vegetables, and herbs, making them perfect for creating healthy, homemade snacks.
• Cooking Frozen Foods - Air fryers are excellent for cooking frozen foods like French fries, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks. They cook quickly and evenly, resulting in a crispy texture.
• Grilling - Many air fryers come with grill attachments that allow you to grill foods like burgers, steaks, and vegetables right inside the appliance.
• Toasting - Air fryers can be used to toast bread, bagels, and other baked goods, giving them a golden, crispy finish.

Air fryers are versatile, allowing you to roast, bake, reheat, and dehydrate certain foods, but an air fryer doesn’t necessarily replace every cooking appliance. Certain foods requiring slower cooking or precise temperature control may fare better in a traditional oven or a specialized appliance like a loaf pan.

You need to closely follow recipes created specifically for air fryers to get the best results, so bear that in mind.

See some popular air fryer brands below:

• Instant Vortex Plus 6QT ClearCook Air Fryer
• Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 with 5 QT Capacity
• Instant Vortex Plus 4QT Air Fryer

Do you have some questions about air fryers? See this guide: General Questions and Info on Air fryers

The Brava Oven: A Different Approach

Now let’s take a closer look at the Brava oven. Rather than circulating hot air, it harnesses the power of light to cook food. Using six halogen lamps that emit infrared and visible light, the Brava cooks food incredibly fast and at different temperatures simultaneously.

This innovative cooking method allows for multi-zone cooking, where different foods can be prepared at various temperatures, making the Brava Smart Oven versatile and user-friendly. The Brava also comes with one metal and one glass pan in its Starter Set, but offers five additional items as add-ons.

You might be surprised to find out this innovative oven is touted as more than just a smart countertop oven - it’s seen as an entire system. It aims to simplify cooking while offering precise control and multi-zone cooking capabilities.

Brava Oven Uses

The Brava oven is a smart countertop appliance that uses a combination of light, heat, and technology to cook food quickly and efficiently. Here are many ways you can use a Brava oven:

• Multi-Zone Cooking - The Brava can cook different types of food simultaneously in separate zones, allowing you to prepare a complete meal with varying ingredients without mixing flavors.
• Searing and Roasting - The Brava’s intense light technology can sear and roast meats, vegetables, and fish, giving them a perfect crust while keeping the interior tender and juicy.
• Air Frying - The Brava oven can air fry foods like French fries, chicken wings, and onion rings, offering a healthier alternative to traditional frying with minimal oil.
• Baking - Use the Brava to bake cookies, cakes, muffins, and bread. The oven’s precise temperature control ensures even baking with consistent results.
• Broiling - The Brava’s high heat capability allows for broiling foods like steaks, burgers, and casseroles, achieving a crispy, caramelized finish on the surface.
• Toasting - Perfect for toasting bread, bagels, and English muffins, the Brava can deliver even browning and the right level of crispiness.
• Reheating Leftovers - Reheat leftovers such as pizza, pasta, or casseroles in the Brava oven without losing their texture and flavor. The oven’s even heat distribution prevents sogginess.
• Dehydrating - The Brava can be used to dehydrate fruits, vegetables, and herbs, making healthy snacks like apple chips, dried tomatoes, or kale chips.
• Sous Vide Cooking - The Brava’s precise temperature control makes it suitable for sous vide cooking, allowing you to cook proteins and vegetables to perfection before finishing with a quick sear.
• Slow Cook - The Brava’s low-temperature settings allow for slow cooking, perfect for making stews, braised meats, and other dishes that require long, gentle cooking.
• Grilling - The Brava can mimic the effects of grilling, making it possible to prepare grilled chicken, vegetables, and even barbecue inside your kitchen.

Similar to an air fryer, the Brava oven offers multifunctionality, but its unique technology truly sets it apart. Some Brava users suggest that it’s blown them away.

See the Brava Oven below:

• Brava Oven Starter Set

Brava Oven: Addressing Some User Concerns

Some user feedback on the Brava raises a few noteworthy points, particularly around its power consumption and recipe limitations. Some reports indicated that running the oven, even within its specified electrical requirements, caused lights to flicker throughout a residence, suggesting significant power usage.

It may also pose difficulties in households with sensitive electrical systems or limited electrical capacity. Some users experienced inconsistencies with pre-programmed recipes.

Others expressed that these recipes frequently resulted in overly bland flavors, potentially discouraging cooks who prefer richer or more personalized seasonings.

Brava Oven: Exploring Its Unique Strengths

However, let’s take a look at some advantages. One distinct strength lies in its “custom cook” feature, enabling you to input and modify recipes to suit individual preferences. It addresses the concern of bland recipes and gives cooks creative control, especially over family recipes or those not yet available on Brava's platform.

Additionally, you can share custom recipes with other users or try ones created by fellow Brava enthusiasts. There’s a unique benefit to its rapid cooking capability. The oven immediately starts cooking once the food is placed inside, without requiring a preheat (unless you're baking).

Brava touts this as their "Pure Light Cooking" technology and users have shared that this speeds up meal prep time significantly. Users enjoy having the ability to make quick adjustments on the fly. For example, you could easily add a touch more sear to veggies even after the primary cooking cycle is complete.

Brava Oven vs Air Fryer: Price Considerations

Let’s be realistic; this is something that can’t be ignored. Brava's impressive features do come at a steep price, a major factor to weigh when comparing it to an air fryer. With the Brava oven price exceeding $1,000, you can often find a quality air fryer for $50 to $300. It makes budget a deciding factor for many home cooks.

The lower price point of the air fryer is undeniable. Some Brava enthusiasts find it helps them justify the expense by calculating the cumulative cost of owning individual appliances such as a toaster oven, slow cooker, and dehydrator with the Brava ovens' multiple cooking functions.

Even after totaling those costs, though, an air fryer is still going to be considerably more affordable. Be sure to consider things like the price of accessories too, such as a muffin tin or egg tray for your new oven, as those come at an extra cost. You will also need to be sure you have the correct amp circuit, otherwise, you may be making a trip to the store for a new circuit breaker.

Before you go: Best Air Fryer Uses For Your Kitchen

Conclusion

The Brava oven vs air fryer comparison boils down to finding the perfect appliance for your lifestyle. Considering price, features, your culinary goals, and limitations such as the size of your kitchen or your electrical capabilities will guide you.

Consider things like if you typically cook single meals, if you would utilize their meal kits, how you prefer to cook your fried eggs, how often you entertain, and how important having crisp skin on a chicken is to you.