Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket Air Fryer Review
For the price, this eight-function air fryer feels good value for money with high quality components
Pros
- Choose Centigrade or Fahrenheit temperature scales, two interior lights, transparent panels on the drawers, pre-heating / cooking time progress bar – preheat to cook, notifications to shake food, access to the Instant Pot app.
Cons
- Automatically jumps into cooking mode after pre-heat, only one-year warranty, plastic-coated box
Features: Everything You Need
Like other air fryers, the Instant Vortex Plus cooks food by using a motorized fan to evenly circulate hot air, thus eliminating the need for cooking oil. Weve already touched on the appliances different settings, but if you need a refresher, you can choose from seven different preset programs: air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, and rotate. If none of those fit the bill, you can also manually set the temperature and time controls. One extra feature we really appreciated was being able to save our settings. So say you nail down the exact temperature and time for chicken nuggets, you can save your setting and then get started with just the touch of a button the next time youre jonesing for chicken.
The Vortex has 1500 watts of power and the ability to circulate air rapidly with a trademarked One-Step Even-Crisp Technology. The manufacturer claims that this tech can reduce cooking time by 20 percent when compared to traditional cooking methods, and based on our testing, wed say thats accurate.
The best part about the rotisserie basket was that it continuously rotated the fries on its own, so we didnt have to manually flip them halfway through the cooking process.
Competition: Nothing Comes Close
Although its classified as a multi-use programmable air fryer, it doesnt seem fair to stack the Instant Vortex Plus up against standard air fryers. However, if youre looking for something thats a little more straightforwardAKA minimal bells and whistlesthere are some worthwhile choices.
Philips Avance Collection 2.75-Quart TurboStar Digital Air Fryer: If you want a user-friendly, effective air fryer, the Philips TurboStar is an excellent option. It has a 2.75-quart fryer basket and a 20-percent smaller design than its predecessor, so it wont take up as much counter real estate. Plus, the Philips heats up in seconds, so theres no downtime or preheating required. The one downfall here is that it has fewer features than the Vortex and is pretty costly with an MSRP of $299.99. That said, its a great buy if you can get it on sale.
Farberware Digital Oil-Less Fryer: If youre looking to save time while cooking and cleaning, the $70 Farberware Digital Oil-Less Fryer may be your best bet. It comes equipped with 3.2-quart fryer basket and a digital touchscreen that lets you choose your own temperature and cooking time or opt for one of eight pre-programmed settings. As an added bonus, the fryer basket is dishwasher-safe, so theres no hand washing required.
Get it now!
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Instant Vortex Air Fryer 57l Review: From Instant Pot Comes The 6
You may have heard of the companys latest Instant Pot Duo Crisp, a two-in-one, Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer or own one of their more popular Instant Pots or Instant Pot Duo pressure multi-cookers but have you heard of the Instant Vortex? From the same company that has made a solid name for themselves in the pressure-based multi-cooker sphere comes the Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer.
In their first foray in to the counter top based Air Fryer segment, the Instant brand introduced three different air fryers, the Vortex Mini, Vortex and Vortex Plus. That is on top of the Air Fryer Ovens and Instant Pots that air fries (IP Pro Crisp + Air Fryer and IP Duo Crisp + Air Fryer. But the focus here is mainly on the Vortex 6 with a huge 6 Quart capacity or 5.7L in metric volume.
Fat Frying Vs Air Frying
While traditional fat frying used to be the only way to get super crispy fries and chips, and to ensure the ultimate crispy batter for fish or chicken nuggets, it is undeniably a messy affair. Not only will you get grease and fat in the air but when things settle, it goes all over the surfaces in the house including the floor. The smell of food and grease typically lingers for days and if youve been frying up a storm, you might actually face the risk of slipping on the floor if you do not clean it up quickly.
Air frying, on the other hand, uses heat from an electric coil or a heating element and a forceful fan to circulate hot air around the food to cook it until golden crisp. The result is very very similar to fat frying without the huge vat of oil, splatter and the rigorous cleaning afterwards. It also means, of course, that there is no old cooking oil to get rid of.
You can still enjoy the same crispy coating on your food using up to 95% less oil, making it a healthier and more efficient alternative to deep frying.
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Ease Of Use: It Requires Some Experimenting
If you’ve used an Instant Pot before, you’ve likely noticed that even the plainest displays are redundant. The touchscreen panel of the Instant Vortex Plus is pleasantly easy to navigate, with a button dedicated to each unique purpose, and on-screen reminders like when to flip your food. The only outlier is the rotisserie function, which is built into the roast function.
Walmart customer sj1320 sums it up best:
“I LOVE my new Instant Vortex Air Fryer. The Instant Vortex Air Fryer gives me direction – when to add the food, when to turn over the food. It is the easiest to use and to monitor when food is cooking. It does not take up a huge area on my countertop. The feature I like best is that it has TWO shelves for cooking. I’ve made hamburgers , sausage patties, and toasted pecans in a small pan without burning them.”
Everyone’s biggest gripe? The included instructions are essentially worthless. A few users recommend joining this it’s a literal support group for questions and tips for other Instant Vortex Plus owners.
You can’t expect any multifunctional device to have absolutely no learning curve, but CNET’s reviewer still thinks there’s too much trial and error involved. A few users have found discrepancies in what the package calls for versus what actually works.
Perfect Price For A Great Product
Bought this based on the Americas test kitchen review for best value. The draw is a good size and cooks everything well. Chicken, sausages are cooked to perfection and so quickly. User friendly and easy to navigate, auto off and time reminders for oven ready to use/food turning is handy. Cleaning is super easy and am using this kitchen appliance much more than I thought we would. Super easy for kids to reheat left overs and the easy oven foods. Was difficult to find locally and bought on special at Myer online.
Purchasedin at Myer Online Storefor $202.
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Cooking Burgers In The Instant Vortex Plus
Once I had washed the cooking trays and drip pan, I wanted to see if this air fryer could handle cooking burgers. With a variety of functions including broil, I was unclear where I should begin, so I consulted the Instant Pot website for their recommendation. I came across the Diner Burger recipe which suggested the Air Fry function with a temperature of 475 degrees and a time of 9 minutes.
First things first, I thought it would be wise to cover the drip tray with foil. I was going on a hunch here, along with a bit of my own cooking experience. It seemed a worthwhile precaution to take which would optimallymake clean up a bit easier.
To be clear, I am a cook who believes in following the rules, at least the first time around, so I did exactly as instructed by preheating the oven, while I prepared my burger patties. I chose a pound of 80/20 ground beef that I shaped into burgers, about 5-6 ounces each. I prepared them rather thick, and roughly 4 inches in diameter, each with a divot in the center that I created with my thumb . I generously seasoned the burgers with salt and pepper and, within a few minutes, the oven indicated it was ready.
At the halfway through cooking point, the oven beeped and indicated it was time to turn my burgers. I carefully removed the tray and flipped them with a plastic flipper, slid them back into the machine, and waited for the time to expire.
Cooking Frozen Chicken Strips
Any good air fryer should excel at crisping up frozen breaded foods. While an oven can often leave one side charred and the other a little soggy, an air fryer will circulate hot air around the food as it cooks and often significantly reduce the cooking time.
When testing these in the Ninja air fryers we used their Max Crisp mode, which goes up to 460 degrees. The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in 1 doesn’t have this mode, so we used the regular air fry setting and turned up the temperature as high as it would go – 400°F.
In the Ninja air fryers the chicken was done after nine minutes, a far cry from the 20-25 minutes the packaging suggested. In the Instant air fryer it took a little more time because the temperature was lower, but after 12 minutes it still came out very evenly cooked and with visible sizzling on the breaded coating.
Although they took an extra three minutes to cook, the consistency of these chicken strips was definitely worth the wait. They were evenly cooked and not dry on the inside.
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Cooking Roast Chicken In The Instant Vortex Plus
Next up, I had to see what the rotisserie had to offer this machine and if it was, in fact, worth the extra effort to roast a chicken this way.
I am no stranger to roasting a chicken. In fact, it is honestly one of my favorite things to cook, as well as a family favorite for dinner in my house. A chicken just tastes better when it is cooked whole. The added benefit of roasting something with bones and the undeniable perk of crisp, browned chicken skin makes it so worthwhile. I had high hopes for this method which, if it was a success, would be a true asset to this machine.
It is important to mention that this is not the time to prepare the biggest chicken you can get your hands on. I did my homework before shopping, and I am so happy I did because while the recommended size for this unit is up to 4 pounds, I did read some reviews that indicated a smaller bird would be better given the size of this air fryer. I settled on a 3-pound chicken which turned out to be quite fitting for the capacity of this oven.
Before I got down to cooking, I had to do a bit of preparation. First of all, I wanted to make sure my chicken was well seasoned. I used a spice rub I keep handy that consists of equal parts kosher salt, brown sugar, and smoked paprika, sprinkling over the exterior of the skin as well as a bit on the inside of the cavity to ensure this would be tasty throughout.
Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket Air Fryer At A Glance
This dual-drawer air fryer stood out for a number of reasons but predominantly for the design features that make it enjoyably easy to use. Both drawers have interior lights that mean ingredients can be checked without opening the drawers and losing the heat inside.
Its SyncCook capabilities give it practicality beyond single-drawer air fryers, particularly for anyone wanting to quickly cook multiple ingredients. The components and parts feel good quality, adding to the overall value for money with this product.
Read our full guide to the best air fryers
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Instant Vortex 6 Air Fryer
The Vortex 6 looks smart from every angle. Its cube-like design with rounded corners and tapered bottom definitely looks and plays the part. The dark tone and brushed metal finish gives it a modern and premium feel. With its touch screen, digital display and single rotary knob, the controls are minimalistic yet friendly and functional.
On the back there is a small air grill and cable outlet with a protruding plastic tab below the air grill that acts both as a spacer and cable tidy. The plastic top comes in the same fingerprint proof brushed finish so it looks good and smart whichever angle you look at it from. Use the handle to pull out the drawer and you will find a flat removable cooking tray in a deep non-stick drawer.
This cooking tray is different to conventional air fryers where there is usually a removable frying basket within the pull out drawer. This just means that the Instant Vortex has a lot more space for food and the flat removable cooking try allows fat to drain through to the bottom of the drawer.
Overall, the design is fresh, more modern looking than most of the air fryers out there and the digital control is a real treat to use for precise time and heat settings. Add to that, the efficient square shape and you have a large internal space to cook with and an effective footprint on the kitchen counter top.
What Makes Instant Vortex Plus 6 Quart Air Fryer Better Than Its Competitors
The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer now boasts a progress indicator. While the indicator isnt the most accurate, its still a handy feature. For instance, instead of waiting blindly on how long the preheat will be, you can simply refer to the indicator.
Moreover, it now has a slanted design for the control panel .
Heres why thats an excellent feature:
When using your phone, its not straight-ly perpendicular to the ground. Theres usually an angle to see the screen clearly, right?
Thats the same idea as the new design . In short, with the Instant Vortex 6 in 1, you no longer have to crouch just to select a program!
Heres the best part:
This machine highlights a ClearCook. In a nutshell, its a glass panel , so you can see inside, just like a regular oven. In other words, you dont have to pull the basket and unknowingly let the hot air out and cold air in.
Simply put, youll have a better cooking experience and results.
Anyway, heres the birds eye view of the updates:
| Instant Vortex Plus Model |
Last but not the least, it features an OdorEase technology or in simple terms an air filter. Sadly, this feature introduces an extra step of replacing the filter.
But wait, let me tell you something:
Luckily, you dont have to replace the filter often. Of course, the advantage outweighs that con by a lot. Thanks to the OdorEase technology, your whole house wont smell bad, especially when making pungent recipes.
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Performance: Exceeded Our Expectations
As avid Instant Pot users, our expectations for the Instant Vortex Plus were admittedly high. We wanted to see the same level of performance from the brands first air fryer, and luckily, it didnt just live up to our expectationsit exceeded them.
For our first test, we tried out the Air Fryer setting by using the two included trays to cook up an entire package of bacon. When you hit the Air Fryer button, it defaults to a temperature of 400 degrees and a cooking time of 18 minutes. We knocked the time down to 12 minutes and then waited two to three minutes for the appliance to preheat. Once it was ready, the display lit up with an Add Food prompt. Then, once the cooking cycle was finished, the Vortex went into Cool mode to shut off the fan and then less than a minute later it displayed End, so we knew we could safely remove our bacon. The final product was two pans full of perfectly crispy bacon. Since the cooking trays have holes in them, most of the grease fell through to the drip pan, although a little bit from the first tray did collect on the second tray. Overall, it was still far less greasy than cooking bacon in a pan on the stovetop.
We were able to cook a whole chicken in just 45 minutesit was juicy and tender on the inside, and the skin had just the right amount of crispiness.
Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven Features
- Multiple Program Presets – Air Fry, Roast, Broil, Bake, Reheat and Dehydrate
- Compact sleek design that looks great on your counter
- Price is good. Lots of air fryer BANG for your BUCK
- Control buttons are easy to understand and easy to use
We had pretty high expectations for the Instant Vortex Plus because we already love our Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and know the quality of that. We also have an Instant Vortex Air Fryer and LOVE IT! You can read our Instant Vortex Review here.
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