"Setting up a kitchen or upgrading your cooking space can be confusing. With options like a microwave, oven, and air fryer, many families ask the same question: Which one should I buy first?"
Each appliance serves a different purpose. Your best choice depends on your cooking habits, space, budget, and lifestyle.
What Each Appliance Is Designed For
What a microwave does
A microwave is built for speed and convenience. It reheats food, defrosts frozen meals, and handles simple cooking tasks quickly. For many homes, a microwave for home use is the most-used appliance because it saves time – especially on busy mornings or late evenings.
Best for: reheating leftovers, defrosting meat, quick meals and snacks.
What an oven does
An oven is ideal for baking and roasting. It uses dry heat to cook food evenly, making it perfect for bread, cakes, chicken, and family-sized meals. If you genuinely enjoy traditional cooking and baking, an oven is a long-term investment and often considered a best kitchen appliance for serious home cooks.
Best for: baking cakes and bread, roasting meat and vegetables, cooking for larger families.
What an air fryer does
An air fryer cooks food using hot air circulation, giving you crispy results with little or no oil. It's popular for people looking for healthier cooking appliances. It's also compact and energy-efficient, making it a favourite in modern kitchens.
Perfect for: healthier frying, quick crispy meals, small households.
Cooking Style and Use Cases
For busy users and quick meals: if speed matters most, the microwave wins. From reheating soup to warming rice, it's unbeatable for quick tasks.
For baking and roasting: the oven is a clear choice. No microwave or air fryer can fully replace an oven for baking.
For healthier frying options: when comparing air fryer vs microwave or oven vs air fryer, the air fryer stands out for low-oil cooking.
For students or small apartments: air fryers and microwaves are more compact kitchen appliances, requiring less setup and space.
Speed and Convenience
- Cooking time: Microwave is fastest, air fryer is fast but slower than the microwave, and the oven is slowest.
- Preheating: Microwave needs none, air fryer needs minimal preheating, ovens require full preheating.
- Ease of use for beginners: Microwaves are the easiest, followed by air fryers. Ovens may take more practice.
Cost and Energy Use
Air fryers and microwaves are generally more energy-efficient kitchen appliances compared to ovens.
- Microwave: low running cost
- Air fryer: low to moderate running cost
- Oven: higher electricity use
For everyday reheating and light cooking, microwaves are the most economical.
Space and Kitchen Setup
Microwaves work on a countertop or mounted; air fryers need only a small countertop space; ovens need a fixed installation or large countertop. Ovens also need proper ventilation, while air fryers and microwaves are simpler to manage. Air fryers and microwaves work best in small kitchens.
Price and Long-Term Value
Microwaves are usually the most affordable, followed by air fryers. Ovens cost more upfront. Air fryers are easiest to clean, microwaves are simple too, and ovens require more effort. Most families use their microwave daily, making it a strong first purchase.
So, Which One Should You Buy First?
- Best for limited budget: Microwave – affordable, versatile, and energy-efficient.
- Best for families: Oven, supported by a microwave for convenience.
- Best for single users: Air fryer or microwave, depending on cooking style.
- Best for health-conscious cooking: Air fryer – less oil, great taste.
Conclusion
For most African homes, the smartest first step is a reliable microwave, then adding an air fryer or oven as your cooking needs grow. With trusted brands like Bruhm, you can find durable, energy-efficient appliances designed for everyday family life. Bruhm's quality home solutions and services offer something for every African family, with distribution and nationwide delivery across Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Togo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.