Fan oven to Air Fryer Conversion
A fan oven (fan-forced) is the UK and Australian term for a convection oven. Because it already circulates air, converting to an air fryer needs only a small change: reduce the temperature by about 10°C-equivalent (10°F) and cut the time by around 10%.
How a fan oven compares to an air fryer
A fan oven - fan-forced, in Australia - is the British name for a convection oven, and it works in exactly the same way: a fan at the back blows heated air around the cavity so everything cooks evenly. An air fryer does the same job in a smaller, more concentrated space, so if you cook with a fan oven you are already most of the way to air-fryer cooking. The move across needs only a light touch rather than a wholesale rethink of your settings.
Reduce the temperature by around 10°C (about 10°F) and trim the time by roughly 10%. The thing that trips people up here is British and Australian recipes that quote two temperatures - a higher conventional figure and a lower "fan" figure, usually about 20°C apart. Always start from the fan figure, since that is the one already adjusted for moving air; if you convert from the higher conventional number by mistake you will set the air fryer too high. Gas mark recipes work too - convert the gas mark to Celsius first, then apply the same small reduction.
What to watch
UK and AU recipes that list a "fan" temperature have already been reduced by about 20°C from the conventional figure. Start your conversion from the fan number, not the higher conventional one.
Fan oven temperature conversions
| Fan oven | Air fryer | Time on a 30-min recipe |
|---|---|---|
| 300°F | 300°F | ~27 min |
| 325°F | 315°F | ~27 min |
| 350°F | 340°F | ~27 min |
| 375°F | 365°F | ~27 min |
| 400°F | 390°F | ~27 min |
| 425°F | 415°F | ~27 min |
| 450°F | 440°F | ~27 min |
Fan oven to air fryer: FAQ
Is a fan oven the same as an air fryer?
They cook the same way - both use a fan to move hot air over the food. An air fryer is essentially a small, more powerful fan oven, so food crisps a little faster. Converting from a fan oven therefore needs only a small reduction of about 10°C and 10% time.
What does fan-forced mean?
Fan-forced (or simply "fan") means the oven has a fan that circulates the heated air for faster, more even cooking - the same principle an air fryer uses. It is the standard UK and Australian term for what Americans call a convection oven.
How do I convert a fan oven temperature in Celsius to an air fryer?
Take the fan oven temperature in Celsius, drop it by about 10°C, and cut the time by roughly 10%. For example, a fan setting of 200°C becomes around 190°C in the air fryer. Use the calculator above to convert any specific time and temperature.