How air-fried foods taste depends on who you ask. Technically, since the food is not actually deep-fried, it’s not going to replicate that crispiness and flavor of deep-frying completely. That said, they do come pretty close. Air fryers are basically tiny convection ovens that work by circulating hot air around the food. So essentially, it tastes like extra-crispy oven-baked food, which is not a bad thing when you’re saving so many calories and fat.