Air Fryers Vs Instant Pot

Can You Use The Pressure Cooker To Deep Fry Chicken

You cannot use the pressure cooker to deep fry chicken, but you can cook your chicken in oil in the pressure cooker. The process is known as sautéing, and it doesnt use as much oil to cook the chicken. Keep in mind, that if you choose to cook chicken in the pressure cooker, the flavor will differ from that of regular fried chicken. It is, however, healthier.

Where Ninja Foodi Loses

There are fewer ways to “customize” your cooker needs here, both function-wise and size-wise. Despite what seems like 20 different Foodi models, only one pressure cookers. There’s less clear scaling up in terms of what each model can do, and cookers that are dedicated toaster ovens or air fryers are still just called the Foodi just with “XL” or “Deluxe” tacked onto the end. The true pressure cooking model only comes in 6.5 quarts or 8 quarts, skipping the mini 3-quart size that some Instant Pots come in.

While you can sometimes score an Instant Pot for as low as $50-ish if you’re fine with only six appliance functions, buying a Foodi locks you into spending $279.99 at full price or maybe $30 or $40 cheaper if you catch it on sale. And it’s a bummer that the Foodi costs so much and doesn’t even have a stainless steel insert. The ceramic isn’t as fragile as Teflon, but there are reports of chipping from the metal rack being pulled in and out. Some people also aren’t comfortable with their food chilling in a plastic-y coating for hours.

Would I Buy This

Absolutely. If I already owned a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, I would pick up one of these air fryer lids. They have a very small footprint, are more affordable than buying a freestanding air fryer, and are so simple to use.

You also have the option of buying a 2 in 1 appliance that has different lids that perform different functions. My favorite is the Ninja Foodi. This is a large appliance, but it still takes up less space on your kitchen counter than two separate appliances.

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How Do Air Fryers Work

The air fryer is a simple cooking machine that employs hot, fast circulating air to flash-roast food inside a contained frying basket. While there’s generally no or very little oil used, the results can be similar to that of traditional frying in that food comes out crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Air fryers heat up fast, cook quickly and make healthier versions of traditionally fatty fried foods, so what’s not to love? But they’re not just for healthy versions of bar snacks.

Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries. Crispy, golden french fries with my Instant Pot and its Air Fryer Lid.

What took me so long to air fry frozen French fries?

What took me so long to air fry frozen French fries?

I bought the Air Fryer lid for my Instant Pot when it came out, tried it a few times, and it’s been collecting dust ever since. Then I bought my kids Instant Pot Duo Crisps for their college apartments. They immediately started air frying and asked me questions about air frying that I couldn’t answer. So, I gave my air fryer lid a second chance.

And I may have found its killer app. Frozen French fries come out crispy and golden brown, much better than what I get out of the oven, even with the convection setting turned on.

So, I’m going to keep on air fryingif I can come up with anything else. Any air frying veterans out there? What else should I try? Recommendations? Requests?

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What Is An Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is a modern and versatile appliance produced by the Instant Pot brand. In fact, the IP brand has several series of such multi-use appliances, each with specific features to fit a wide array of kitchens and users.

Overall, such a multicooker can replace 7+ appliances in a regular kitchen, since it has a wide array of cooking options. For instance, some of the basic models can do the job of a pressure cooker, saute pan, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, and more.

Wrapping It Up Pressure Cooker Vs Air Fryer

To sum up the differences between an air fryer or Instant Pot You can use a pressure cooker to fry foods, but dont expect the same results as a pressure fryer. Also, never use excessive oil in the pressure cooker.

They are not meant to be used as a deep fryer. Pressure cookers use the sauté feature to fry foods, but it doesnt fry the foods with pressure using this feature. Instead, it acts like any ordinary pot or pan.

Are considering a new kitchen appliance that requires a fast cooking time a sealed pot as well as an air fryer functions like dry heat for healthier meals? Great appliances are combination multi-purpose cookers with air fryer capabilities.

One-Pot Cooking Rocks

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What Kind Of Accessories Does An Air Fryer Come With

Some fancy models may come with extra accessories, but really all you need is an air fryer basket with wire or nonstick grates. They come standard with most air fryer models and help the superconvection to hit all sides of your food evenly. I prefer the nonstick variety as wire baskets can be particularly tricky to clean.

All the air fryers we tested came with a grated fryer basket or tray. The Philips Essential Digital model has it attached to the handle making it easier to remove for cleaning.

Can An Instant Pot Be Used As An Air Fryer

Although the primary purpose of Instant Pot is to use steam for cooking food, some recent models have the option to cook regular meals and as well as frying them. The Instant Pot® Duo Crisp + Air Fryer is the perfect example of it.

Instant Pot® Duo comes with two lids, one for pressure cooking another for the Air fryer. So users dont need to buy an extra fryer to get crispy or roasted items.

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Should I Buy Air Fryer Or Instant Pot

If you read my review carefully, then you probably noticed I mentioned four different products. As such, Ill highlight the qualities of each, in the section below, where you can learn which ones the best fit for your needs.

Choose Instant Pot if…

• You cook for the entire family and want a pot with plenty of space
• You like trying new dishes and need a versatile device that supports several types of cooking
• The idea of working with a pot that can replace several appliances in the kitchen sounds good
• You need a pot that can do the cooking on its own, without any supervision

Choose Air Fryer if

• You like fried foods but you want a healthier version
• You dont cook for a large family
• You have the countertop space for a new appliance

Choose Instant Pot Duo Crisp if

• You want a pressure cooker with the possibility to air fry
• You like how the instant crisp technology works
• You need a pressure cooker that can also broil, bake, and dehydrate foods

Choose Instant Pot with CrispLid if

• You want to add the air frying feature to your pressure cooker
• Theres no room in your kitchen for an extra appliance
• You dont want to give up on your Instant Pot
• You dont fry or bake foods in large quantities

However, if you eat a lot of fried foods and are looking for a healthy alternative, you should consider an Air Fryer.

Air Fryer Vs Instant Pot: What Are The Major Differences

Over the past several decades, more and more kitchen appliances are surfacing. At one point, the coolest new thing to hit the shelves was the salad spinner. Now, the latest kitchen gadgets and gizmos have a lot more features than a simple spinning device.

If youre considering purchasing one or the other, this guide will help you find out which is best for your needs. Well dive into how each product works, what to look for when shopping around, and what they cook best. Dont add anything to your cart before you read the rest of this guide.

Also, we recently wrote a guide comparing air fryers to microwaves. Youd be amazed about the difference in health benefits, how air fryers work, and the amazing meals you can make with them!

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Can You Convert An Instant Pot To An Air Fryer

Yes, you can convert your instant pot into an air fryer with a special instant pot air fryer lid. This lid will fit conveniently onto your instant pots base. Then, you will be able to dehydrate, fry, reheat, roast, bake and broil with it. This might be just the answer that you are looking for if you your an instant pot.

Air Fryer Vs Instant Pot: Which Is Better

Air fryers and Instant Pots are everywhere these days. Some people are air fryer people, others swear by the Instant Pot. And some of us love them both. The one thing that can be said for both is that they help us cook quick and easy meals that dont skimp on quality or flavor.

If you dont want to try both, or you have limited space in your kitchen, then determining which one is better, or which one you will click with the most, is something youll have to put some thought into.

» You might be interested in these Air Fryer Accessories and Products.

Without knowing the differences between the two and the major benefits, it is difficult to decide which one best suits you. So were breaking down the differences, the pros and the cons for you here in this article.

See our pros and cons list for the Air Fryer vs Instant Pot to decide. These points will help you decide which machine reigns supreme in the kitchen.

Also Check: Instant Pot 8 Quart Comparison

Harder To Clean Than Most Air Fryers

One major setback of this model for me is how difficult the air frying rack was to clean. When I finished cooking the chicken thighs with dredged flour and egg coating, the fine mesh wire rack was inundated with gunk. While trying to flip them midway through cooking, much of the coating and skin also stuck to the rack.

The wire air frying rack was no fun to clean.

Most air fryer baskets have a nonstick coating and take seconds to clean after use. For the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid, I had to give it a good 10-minute soak to get it clean, but it did all eventually come off with a scrubber, soap and elbow grease. I found it much more difficult to clean than the original Duo Crisp’s nonstick basket and rack, which is completely flat with larger holes that don’t trap as much food.

Other foods including sweet potatoes and frozen snacks didn’t stick to the wire rack. If you’re planning on cooking mostly those foods versus battered foods, you may not have the same issues I did.

The original Duo Crisp requires a separate basket insert for air frying which diminishes the overall capacity. On the upside, it was far easier to clean.

Where Ninja Foodi Wins: Meats

Ninja has been perfecting its TenderCrisp technology for longer than Instant Brands, and anyone picky about balanced browning may feel better with that level of experience.

One Foodi model works particularly well for people who do a lot of roasting. The $349.99 Foodi Smart XL comes with a built-in thermometer that operates with the Smart Cook system, which uses four smart proteins settings and nine doneness levels.

Ninja capitalizes on its 6.5-quart capacity better than Instant Pot does. The included two-tiered rack bumps layered cooking possibilities up to three at a time. You could sear your steaks or 4-pound chicken on the bottom while cooking two side dishes above it no need to keep up with three separate dishes on the stove or in the oven.

Whoever overhauled the Foodi’s physical design knew what they were doing. While the original models resembled Pokémon and took up more counter space than necessary, the latest Ninja Foodi XL sheds the huge side panels and adopts a clean-cut stainless steel design. It’s more expensive than any Instant Pot and looks like it, too.

Also Check: 8 Oz Instant Pot

What Size Air Fryer Should You Get

While there are several features to consider, the size of your air fryer is likely the most important decision you’ll make. If you’re typically cooking for one or two people, a 2- or 3-quart air fryer should be large enough. Consider adding another quart of capacity to your air fryer for every person that you’re regularly cooking for. A family of four or five, for instance, should be fine with a 5-quart model. If you plan on regularly cooking full meals for a family including meat and veggies or sides, you might consider a larger, dual-basket air fryer like the Ninja DualZone that we’ve recommended above.

Here’s the tiny 2-quart Gourmia air fryer next to the more standard 4.25-quart Phillips model.

All that said, the smaller the air fryer you can get away with the better. I’ve found that smaller air fryers such as the Magic Bullet 2- to 5-quart model and Instant Pot’s Duo Crisp net better results since food is going to get blasted faster and more often than inside a larger model. But smaller air fryers mean less overall capacity, so you may have to cook in batches.

Key Differences Between Pressure Cooking And Air Frying

Lets say that you decided to sauté chicken in the pressure cooker. You can still coat your chicken in batter and fry it, but you have several differences. For one thing, you will need to brown your chicken before putting it in the pressure cooker since it cant do this by itself. Browning the chicken makes it more appetizing while giving it more flavor.

Air frying, on the other hand, will have a much different result from pressure cooking. You dont need to brown the chicken, and the moisture and flavor remain in the chicken. Using the air fryer will take longer. On average, you can expect it to take up to 23 minutes to cook chicken in the air fryer.

In contrast with the pressure cooker, you can sauté chicken in the pressure cooker for six to nine minutes at 15 PSI. Pressure cooking chicken takes half the time, but you dont get the same result as air frying. This method doesnt make sense if you want the best fried chicken. Pressure cookers simply werent made for this purpose.

In terms of cost, they both have the same price range between $50 to $250. You do get a longer lifespan out of pressure cookers. The average pressure cooker lasts five years. Meanwhile, air fryers only last two to three years, depending on the model.

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Which On Is More Versatile

Another difference between these appliances is that Instant Pot can be used as an air fryer, but an air fryer can not be used as an Instant Pot.

Instant Pot is a multicooker, which means it’s much more versatile. It comes with many cooking options like slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker and many more. Air fryer on the other hand, have only the ability to make fried food.

Cosori Air Fryer Oven Combo

The bestselling 5.8-quart Cosori air fryer features 13 different cooking functions that prepare your food at the best temperature and time. The non-stick air fryer basket is removable and dishwasher safe. The top-rated air fryer comes in black, red and white.

“I like the fact that, in addition to the nine pre-set temperatures and times for various foods and tasks, you can also manually adjust times and select a temperature right up to 230, which is close to the ‘Max Crisp’ temperature setting offered by one of the leading models in the market,” enthused who purchased the Cosori air fryer.

Also Check: 1 5 Qt Instant Pot

Kitchen Tool Maintenance And Care

Cleaning up after cooking isnt something that most people look forward to, but single- and multi-purpose kitchen tools require regular maintenance and care to perform at their best. Nearly one-third of Instant Pot users admitted to rarely or never cleaning their sealing ring and anti-block shield. Improper care can lead to odor buildup and poor functioning, so be sure to always clean your appliances after each use.

Forty-three percent of air fryer users said they always clean their baskets and drawers after making food, which is essential to keeping oils from building up. It also turns out that men have more trouble caring for their appliances than women, as men were less likely than women to clean their air fryer after each use.

Are Air Fryers Healthy

Yes. Generally speaking, air frying is a healthy way to cook. Cooking with an air fryer means you’ll get foods that taste like they’ve been fried but with little or no oil. You can make healthier chicken wings, french fries and cheese sticks without deep-frying or pan-frying in oil. Some foods do best in an air fryer with a light coating of oil, but most don’t require any. Air fryers have become popular in part because they allow people to eat snack-type foods but with far less fat, cholesterol and fewer calories.

Air fryers use convection heat similar to a standard oven but moving at a faster rate. There are no magnetic waves or experimental heat sources to worry about.

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