Airfryer or microwave - which one actually does more for a small kitchen?

[Odd Arrow]

I have a small galley kitchen with limited counter space. I currently have a standard microwave taking up a significant amount of room. My partner says we should replace it with an air fryer. I say we should keep the microwave and add a small air fryer if there is space. We cook mostly quick weeknight meals, we reheat things regularly and we occasionally roast vegetables. What would you actually recommend?

[Ava82]

Keep the microwave and add the smallest air fryer that fits. They genuinely do different things. The microwave reheats food quickly and evenly in a way an air fryer cannot match. The air fryer produces crispy textures the microwave never can. Neither fully replaces the other and the combination is much more useful than either alone

[Holly43]

A microwave combi oven does both functions in one unit at a footprint similar to a standard microwave. They cost more but they eliminate the choice entirely. Worth considering before committing to two separate appliances

[WaveFunction74]

If you are forced to choose one, air fryer for your stated use case. Roasting vegetables is where the air fryer is extraordinary and the microwave is poor. Reheating can mostly be done in the air fryer even if it takes slightly longer. The texture on reheated food from an air fryer is also significantly better than microwave reheating

[DodgyCoder]

The ninja dual basket air fryers take up less surface area than people expect because they are tall rather than wide. Measure your available counter space vertically not just horizontally before deciding there is no room for both

[VoidSentinel]

What specifically do you reheat most often. If the answer is soup, rice or leftovers in sauce then a microwave is non-negotiable and you will miss it immediately. If the answer is pizza, chips and roast meats then an air fryer reheats those better anyway and the microwave is less critical

[RustyHawk]

We got rid of the microwave and kept only the air fryer for 18 months. We bought a microwave again. Some things cannot be replaced and reheating rice safely at speed is one of them. The air fryer is genuinely excellent for what it does but it is not a complete substitute