Yes, it is just a convection oven - that was my response for years when people waxed poetic about how great air fryers are. The difference is that it's a tiny convection oven that heats very quickly, as opposed to a full convection oven which takes much more time.
So no, not a hoax. They work pretty good.
- There’s roughly five times faster air movement through an air fryer compared to a convection oven.
- Besides the wind, and the crisping tray, it’s really more of an optimized convection oven than a new technology.
The article doesn't say that air fryers don't exist or don't work; just that it's not a new cooking technique.
It certainly isn't frying.
Except for the "not frying" part. That's not in the article; it is my opinion. Frying refers to cooking in a pan, on top of a layer of oil or fat. Air does not fry.
I don't really see the hoax as much as air fryers being misleadingly named. The idea that air fryers bring about a new cooking method, or at least a useful variation in the method of baking, is more plausible than that they bring about the old method known as frying.
Which is a shame, because they work wonders on my socks.