Air fryers have had their moment in the spotlight—and for good reason. They’re compact, convenient, and make it easy to crisp up frozen favorites. But what if you’re looking for something more powerful, more precise, and way more versatile?
Enter Brava Smart Oven: the world’s first oven to cook with pure light. It’s not just another countertop appliance—it’s a whole new way to cook. Let’s break down how Brava compares to air fryers so you can see the difference.
How Air Fryers Work
Air fryers use heater coils and convection fans to blow hot air around your food. It’s essentially a mini convection oven. The result? Crispy fries, wings, and reheated leftovers.
But convection has its limits—it’s slower to heat, less precise, and doesn’t give you the same results across different types of food.
How Brava Works (and Why It’s Different)
Brava uses powerful lamps that cook with pure light. This is a completely new cooking technology that delivers instant, intense heat exactly where it’s needed.
- Faster: No preheating, no waiting—your food starts cooking the moment you press “start.”
- More precise: Brava’s lamps adjust their intensity in real time to cook your food perfectly.
- More powerful: Light-based cooking is stronger than heater coils, which means you can sear, crisp, and bake in ways an air fryer can’t match.
Brava’s Air-Fry Mode Explained
Brava’s Air-Fry mode was designed to emulate the results of a traditional air fryer. It uses the same times and temperatures you’d find in an air fryer recipe. For example, if you want to air fry broccoli, you can enter the same settings as you would on an air fryer and get nearly identical results.
But here’s the key difference: Brava can do it faster and better when you use a preset recipe program. Instead of relying on generic temperature and time, Brava’s preset for broccoli has been carefully developed and tested by Brava chefs to cook faster than air fry mode—without sacrificing taste or texture.
Simply put, Brava can cook anything you’d cook in an air fryer, only with faster, tastier results.
Brava Manual Modes: Beyond Air Fry
One of Brava’s biggest advantages is versatility. In addition to thousands of automated recipe programs, Brava also includes multiple manual cooking modes, such as:
- Toast
- Bake
- Sear
- Reheat
- Air-Fry
- Dehydrate
- Slow Cook
- Rice Cook
- Keep Warm
This means you can do everything you’d expect from an air fryer—and a whole lot more.
What You Can Cook in Brava vs. an Air Fryer
Air fryers are great for quick snacks and reheating, but they can’t handle everything. Brava, on the other hand, can:
- Perfectly sear steaks with a juicy center.
- Bake crisp, bubbling pizzas that rival your favorite pizzeria.
- Roast salmon and veggies at the same time—without overcooking either.
- Cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner with guided programs that make it foolproof.
Multizone Cooking: Brava’s Game-Changing Advantage
One of Brava’s biggest advantages is multizone cooking. Brava’s unique cooking tray is divided into three zones, each controlled by its own lamps. This means you can cook salmon in one zone, asparagus in another, and potatoes in the third—all at the same time, each cooked perfectly.
Air fryers? They cook everything at one temperature, so you’re stuck with one food at a time.
Materials & Food Safety
Some air fryers use plastic baskets or non-stick coatings that may wear down over time. Brava is built with high-quality stainless steel and glass, ensuring a clean cooking environment and long-lasting durability.
Recipes & Smart Cooking Programs
With Brava, you don’t have to guess. The oven comes with thousands of automated recipe programs, covering everything from crispy chicken wings to fresh sourdough bread. The recipe library grows constantly, and every program is tested and perfected by Brava chefs.
Air fryers? Most come with a handful of presets—usually just temperature and time—leaving the rest up to you.
Conclusion: Brava vs. Air Fryer
Air fryers changed the way we think about quick cooking. But Brava takes it to the next level. With its powerful light-based technology, multizone cooking, premium materials, versatile manual modes, and massive recipe library, Brava is more than just an appliance—it’s a smarter, faster, and more versatile way to cook every meal.