Quick And Tasty Crispy And Delicious
The Instant Vortex Plus has a sleek look with a stainless steel finish and large easy-to-read buttons. It has six cooking settings including air fry, broil, grill, bake, reheat and dehydrate with different programmable temperature and time settings. The air fryer basket is large and square, creating more cooking space than its round competitors, making it a smart investment for the home. Its removable tray has a thin hinged handle so its easy to pull out, but can also be laid flat to retain the entire cooking area.
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.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp And Air Fryer Review: Verdict
If youre after a versatile, 2-in-1, multicooker and air fryer combo, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer has got you covered. Not only does it have 11 cooking functions to suit every need, but transforms into a handy air fryer at just the switch of a lid. Whats more, this makes a great space saver for those who dont want to splash out on buying several appliances. However, the cooker is bulky, and you will need storage space to house the two lids, and accessories that come with it.
Space aside, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer performs well at its main functions such as pressure cooking, but you may need to experiment a few times with the steaming and air frying settings. Although the air fryer setting was easy to use, it did have the tendency to overcook things, so youll just need to manually adjust any timings or temperatures to suit your tastes. Nevertheless, the food had a delicious flavor and crunch, and still cooked much faster than a conventional oven. But, if its solely the air fryer function youll be using, youre probably best buying a separate air fryer that has more power and designed for that purpose.
Overall, if you need a versatile multi-cooker that happens to have an air fryer, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer will do a good job.
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Larger Air Frying Capacity Than The Original Duo Crisp
The biggest draw of this model over the brand’s initial hybrid air fryer model is more cooking capacity. With the air fryer rack in place, you can fit three medium chicken breasts and four chicken thighs in the cooking chamber . The original model required a separate, smaller basket insert that had enough for only three chicken thighs or two medium breasts.
The air-frying rack easily holds two large chicken breasts or three medium ones.
Air Fryer Sausage Balls
This time I tested out the baking function instead at 350 F for 10 min for super easy, party-friendly, 3-ingredient sausage balls. Its shredded sharp cheddar cheese, ground sausage and a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix.
The air fryer was 5 minutes faster than baking in a traditional oven, with better, even coloring. The oven always has one flat dark side no matter if you rotate or turn them.
One great advantage of baking in this machine instead of the traditional big oven is keeping that heat all contained. Thats the main reason the Instant Pot is so wonderful on hot summer days. So this air fryer follows the same standard of cutting energy cost and heat. I can also see this as a nice addition when your kitchen oven is already cooking other dishes for dinner, you need to bake a cake. Just bake the cake in the air fryer. Its more gentle on baked desserts anyway.
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Should I Buy An Instant Pot Or An Air Fryer
I get a lot of questions about the merits of an air fryer versus an Instant Pot.
If you dont have an Instant Pot or an air fryer and youre on the fence, Id buy an Instant Pot and then also purchase an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid.
There are so many things you can make with an Instant Pot Id definitely purchase that first.
If you still want to be able to air fry foods at home, adding an Instant Pot Air Fryer lid would be a wise choice.
Related:Is an Air Fryer Right For You?
How Easy Is It To Clean
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp, with all of its bells and whistles, has a number of parts that require cleaning. This machine boasts a stainless steel inner pot, making it a candidate for washing by hand or using the dishwasher. Because I didn’t have to worry about a nonstick surface, I was free to use an abrasive sponge if necessary. After just one use, the pot did not have quite the same luster and shine, but I felt it was quite easy to clean, much like the rest of my stainless steel cookware.
The air fryer basket, however, required a bit more care because of its nonstick coating. It did clean up with some effort, but using an abrasive would be a mistake here. There were bits of food stuck to the basket, so letting it soak with some hot water and dish soap certainly loosened them. Alternatively, you can try cleaning it in the dishwasher. I will say that this fryer basket was not as easy to clean as the Cosori fryer basket that I recently tested, but it was manageable.
The air fryer lid should never be submerged in water, so cleanup requires a bit more care. The heating coil is coated in a non-stick surface which makes most of the cleanup quite simple with a damp kitchen towel or sponge. The outside of the lid cleans up well with a kitchen spray.
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Other Things To Consider
- Cost: Its exclusive to Wal-mart at $119
- Space: Bigger than a toaster, the air fryer is not a small appliance.
- Skills: Youll need to take time to play with different functions.
- Taste and texture: Results are close to deep-frying but its still not the same.
- Healthier: Depends on your current lifestyle if you eat fried foods.
How We Tested The Air Fryer Pressure Cooker Combo
We tested a bunch of air fryer pressure cooker combo to find our top 4 picks. We thoroughly tested each combo to note the following parameters:
- Required counter space
- Energy consumption
Each appliance was tested using multiple foods to observe the degree of heating, the ease of use, the cleaning process, and the time taken. We further surveyed to collect relevant user experiences as well.
The dishes we cooked included: frozen foods such as frozen chicken wings and frozen French fries, chicken rice, roasted potatoes, tater tots, ravioli, seafood, ground beef, fried fish, pizza, hamburger, soup, and jerky. We followed the manual provided with the appliance for instructions on how to cook. We also noted the validity and clarity of the instructions.
We noted how easy the appliance was to use for a first-timer and what safety it offered. We checked the pressure cooker valves for easy opening. We tested the inner pot and air fryer basket for durability, easy cleaning, and ease of use. The appliance lids were tested to check for easy opening and lock mechanisms.
We used various presets to cook some staple food items then, we compared the items to test for better functionality of the product. The convenience the appliance offered was also noted, such as the keep warm function and unmonitored cooking. The keypad and LED screen were tested for readability, easy pressing, and response time. The noise produced and the heat radiated were also observed to compare the products.
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Instant Vortex Air Fryer
When I received Instant Vortex Air fryer last month from Instant pot Singapore, I was so excited! Right in the time of Diwali to try out some Diwali recipes with Air fryer.
Instead of deep frying, I switched to air frying method. Any recipe you think you can bake or deep fry, can be converted easily to an air fryer recipe.
I will share the recipes I tried for Diwali and already shared the videos in my social media.
But already I have started using it as replacement for my conventional oven as this is compact and perfect for my sort of baking/ usage/ air frying. So will come up with more recipes to use Air fryer.
So far, I love my Instant Vortex Air fryer, for the results, ease of cleaning, how it sits in my counter top and it’s lightweight to move around!
Let’s see the recipes one by one and my experiences making these in Instant Vortex Air fryer.
Are Instant Pot Air Fryers Good
Again, let us remind you that Instant Pot Air Fryers have dominated the markets for years due to their critically-acclaimed qualities, features, and performances. Yes, some products might not suit your demands, but they are by no means BAD. So overall, be confident that as long as you know what you want before buying, these fryers will never disappoint you.
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The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Wins Out For Design
While we did like that the Mealthy CrispLid is designed with a glass lid so you can see into the pot, the surface got too hot to touch, where the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid gets warm, but not too hot to touch. The Mealthy CrispLid comes with an elevated trivet and basket that allows the food to sit higher in the pot, which is nice because you don’t have to reach into a hot basket to remove the food. That said, this problem is resolved in the deeper Instant Pot air fryer basket by using a set of tongs.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp And Air Fryer Review: Price And Availability
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer is available in two sizes: the 6-quart model is $149 and the 8-quart model costs $199. Its widely available at online retailers and often on sale below the list price on Amazon.
Its no surprise that this is one of Instant Pots top-end pressure cookers, so you can expect to pay a premium. However, if youre looking for a more affordable option the Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 Cooker can do everything apart from air fry and starts from a reasonable $99.99 depending on the size.
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Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer: Functionality & Price
Instant Pots and air fryers vary in price, depending on the model and amount of features. Ask yourself: What will I cook?
Am I feeding a family of five, or just cooking for myself? Do I make complicated dishes or just want to air fry some chicken wings here and there?
Depending on the intended use, you can make an informed decision on budget and functionality needs.
The Instant Pot Ultra, for example, is on the higher end at around $150 but does the work of 10 different appliances in one.
For more budget-minded consumers, this Instant Pot 6-in-1 is half the price yet straightforward and durable.
This Air Fryer from Philips has fat removal technology and tons of space but will cost you almost $300. However, you can easily find smaller, simpler air fryers for under $100, like this one.
Again, it all comes down to intended use and personal budget.
Features: No Programs Lots Of Cooking
While other models of Instant Pots have multiple program buttons for things like rice or poultry, this cooker eliminated them in favor of cooking mode buttons. For pressure cooking, the buttons are Pressure Cook, Sauté, Slow Cook, Steam, and Sous Vide. For air frying, the buttons are Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, and De-Hydrate. Universal controls for temperature and time use + and buttons, and along the bottom of the controls are Delay Start, Cancel, Start, and Keep Warm.
Aside from the peculiar spelling of “dehydrate,” I like the cooking options on this model over cooking programs for specific foods. Brown rice and white rice dont cook the same, and chicken breasts arent the same as thighs, so Id rather set the time and temperature myself. Still, some cooks might miss the ease of pressing a single button to make stew.
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Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 6
Air fry in your Instant Pot like a pro!
From the makers of the Instant Pot Duo series comes a pressure cooker with air frying capabilities. Pressure cook delicious one-pot meals up to 70% faster than traditional cooking methods, slow-cook foods to tender perfection just like grandma used to make and get all the crunch from deep-frying but with 95% less oil in one multi-cooker. Seamlessly transition from pressure cooking and slow cooking to air frying with the included removable air fryer lid. With 15 built-in smart programs, you can prepare even more of your favorite dishes with the press of a button. Redefine cooking and enjoy quick and easy meals anywhere, any time. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp offers the quality, convenience and versatility youve come to expect from Instant discover amazing.
What We Dont Like
Used for either air frying or pressure cooking individually, the Duo Crisp does nothing exceptional. As an air fryer, it has a lot of the same shortcomings as the standalone air fryers weve tested. The fryer basket, although larger than some weve tested, is still cramped, which makes it difficult to cook food evenly. We found that the basket couldnt handle more than about 12 ounces of chicken tenderswhen we made a larger, 16-ounce batch, the results were slightly mushy in the middle. We were able to cook 1½ pounds of frozen fries in the Duo Crisp but had to toss them more often than Instant Pot suggests. And the resulting fries were classic air fryer quality: dryish on the outside, with mostly fluffy interiors. For more evenly cooked, crispier results, we prefer cooking finger foods in a toaster oven or regular oven.
As a pressure cooker, the Duo Crisp lacks a lot of the preprogrammed settings that make the Instant Pot Duo or Ultra so convenient to use. You cant simply press a button to cook rice, for example, or stewinstead you have to look up the correct time and pressure setting and program it manually. The Duo Crisp also doesnt have a setting for making yogurt, which is admittedly a bit niche but something that some people love about their Instant Pot.
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The Air Fryer Basket Wore Out Quickly
After a few uses, I started having trouble with the air fryer basket that is included with the pot. The non-stick coating started to wear down quickly, leaving me with fries and chicken that were sticking to the bottom. To work around this, I purchased some perforated parchment paper inserts, and theyve made ALL the difference!
Instant Pot Air Fryer Vs Ninja Foodi: Comparison Between The Two
Both Ninja Foodi and Instant Pot Air fryer are multifunction cooking appliances. The kitchen appliances can work as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, food steamer, and air fryer. They have almost the same features and functionalities but differ slightly in parts. You can buy one of the two, and you will have more flexibility in your kitchen. Read on to learn the comparison between Instant Pot Air Fryer vs Ninja Foodi.
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What We Like About The Instant Pot Duo Crisp
The Duo Crisp fundamentally works as both a pressure cooker and an air fryer, and its genuinely useful for making one-pot meals. It can pressure cook a whole chicken until tender and then brown the skin afterward, or heat up a small batch of frozen fries faster than an oven. And its better designed than the one other pressure cooker/air fryer weve tested, the Ninja Foodi .
After pressure cooking a whole chicken atop a bed of carrots and potatoes in the Duo Crisp, we were able to brown the exposed skin in seven minutes using the air-fryer lid on the Roast setting. Compared with chickens weve cooked in other air fryers, this chicken browned much more evenly, although it wasnt as deeply golden as chicken roasted in an oven or a convection toaster oven. The meat was succulent, while the vegetables underneath turned out tender and even caramelized in places, if a little overcooked. The result wasnt quite as good as traditional French chicken in a pot, which would be more flavorful after a longer cooking time and gentler reduction. But wed gladly eat this comforting one-pot meal again.
