Is An Instant Pot Like An Air Fryer

Must Try

Air Fryer Is A Little Cheaper

Can the New Air Fryer/Instant Pot Duo Replace Your Entire Kitchen?

Price is something we all need to consider and this is one of the main reasons why many people choose the Air Fryer. It is a little cheaper when compared to the Instant Pot and while it does not have all the intricate features, you will be able to do most of the same things.

If the price does trouble you, you should consider the Instant Pot.

How Does The Instant Pot Work

The Instant Potis the most popular kitchen appliance on the market and for a good reason. You can cook eggs, rice, use as a yogurt maker, saute, slow cook foods, keep your dishes warm and more.

The Instant Pot is a multi-purpose kitchen appliance that not only gives you tons of options but also cooks the dishes a lot faster than traditional oven or stove top methods.

The Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that is a massive upgrade from the old school pressure cookers. There are safety mechanisms to protect you when you use this and it works wonders.

You can cook whole chickens, make soups, pasta, rice, desserts and more inside this pot in a short time. The steam builds up inside and that is what cooks your foods super fast while locking in nutrients. The Instant Pot is a go-to tool for busy parents who still want healthy wholesome meals but dont have a ton of time to cook.

It is super easy to convert slow cooker recipes for your instant pot which is another thing I just love about this magic pot! I also love how many accessories that are available for the instant pot! You can shop for them hereand through my influencer page!

2017 was an amazing year for Instant Pot Recipes too on my site. You can see my top post of Instant Pot Recipes here.

Whats The Big Difference Between Them

The difference between the Instant Pot and air fryer is the way they cook. Instant Pot uses pressure cooking method to make food faster and easier, while air fryer uses hot air method to make oil-free and healthier food. Yes, you can make healthy and oil-free recipes using Instant Pot, but you can also use it to make cakes and junk food.

Don’t Miss: Defrost Meat In Instant Pot

What To Air Fry First Bacon

If you dont know what to cook first in the Instant Pots air fryer then make some bacon!

Proceed with caution. I got a little overly ambitious and decided to do the whole package of bacon. This resulted in my smoke alarm going off because the grease from the bacon started to burn and smoke.

I realized quickly to do things in moderation with this machine. Despite my smoke mishap, the bacon was perfectly delicious. I wrapped the drip catch tray with aluminum foil and set the temperature to 375 degrees for 10 min with 4 pieces of bacon per tray.

I had to rotate/ switch the 2 trays so they would get the same crispness. The whole ordeal is a greasy mess inside the Vortex. Thats one reason I thought to do the whole package of bacon, to have some for later with one-time cleanup. You can do several small batches, but make sure to discard the bacon grease and put in new aluminum foil.

But, the dilemma is how to get rid of pipping hot oil safely. The manual states to not clean anything until the machine has cooled completely. Maybe its not worth spilling hot oil everywhere. Dont be a glutton, just stick to 8 pieces of bacon.

I had to come up with a system for taking out the trays and safely putting them on a heat resistant surface and also could still catch the grease that would leak out of the graded trays that the bacon was laying on. This was really tricky at first. An easy solution was laying the little trays on a baking sheet.

Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer: Which One Is Better

Pro Crisp + Air Fryer 8 Quart

When deciding on a new kitchen appliance you might ask yourself a few questions. What can I use each of these for? Which one will I get more use out of? Which one is easier to use?

Ill be answering these questions and more in this article, where Ill talk about the well-known Instant Pot electric pressure cookers and Air Fryers. I will start my comparison with how each of these two appliances works this way, its easier to identify the types of foods they can cook.

For instance, air fryers are great at making crispy deliciousness out of potatoes, chicken, eggs, and more. On the other hand, an Instant Pot is more versatile as it replaces several other kitchen appliances and has a pressure cooking module.

So, if you are currently pondering over which appliance to buy, continue reading and youll find out!

Contents

  • Which is the Best Air Fryer?
  • Also Check: What Is C7 On Instant Pot

    How Does An Air Fryer Pressure Cooker Combo Work

    Air fryers use hot air circulation to cook foods quickly and healthily. The heat circulates around the food inside of its basket, thus cooking it from all sides equally . Because hot air circulates around the entire food item, it gets crispy on both sides at once yes, your favorite fried foods can now be enjoyed without frying or falling apart like they would in a deep-fryer.

    A pressure cooker works in the opposite way, cooking food by boiling the liquid inside of it. A pressure cooker has a lid that is sealed tight and another dome covering that seals out steam. This prevents water vapor from escaping when youre cooking with high heat. By preventing the steam from escaping, air cannot escape either thus creating higher pressure inside the cooker. The increased pressure then forces more moisture into your cooked food. As an added bonus, a hot meal barely uses any energy as heat travels to every part of it at once through steam created in hot liquids .

    Do You Need An Instant Pot Or An Air Fryer

    Looking for that new kitchen appliance to make cooking easier? You might be trying to decide between an air fryer and an Instant Pot. Both can take the fuss out of cooking certain dishes, but theyre two extremely different appliances, making it likely that one will suit you better than the other.

    Air fryers are designed to crisp up food that you might otherwise cook in a deep fryer, while Instant Pots cook food that requires a liquid element, like soups, stews and rice.

    Recommended Reading: How To Cook Frozen Pork Tenderloin In Instant Pot

    Which Is Better Toaster Oven Or Air Fryer

    It comes with an oven rack, baking tray, grill skewers and forks, and a frying basket, and its large capacity makes it suitable for 30cm pizza and whole chicken. A deep-fat fryer with a toaster produces the same crunchy texture as a deep-fat fryer, while using 95% less oil than a deep-fat fryer would normally need.

    Is The Air Fryer The New Instant Pot

    Is the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Worth It? Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid 101

    And now there is also an air fryer. It sits on my counter, ovoid and glossy black, like the galea of a lightly villainous robot, with a touch-screen interface on its forehead and a protruding handle for a nose. That handle tugs out to reveal a fryer basket, which is designed to maximize airflow around whatevers placed inside to cook. Per the devices name, this is where the wizardry comes in: by using a little bit of oil and a lot of hot air, an air fryer replicates the effects of deep frying, rendering foods crisp and golden brown. As anyone whos stared into the sad, soggy face of oven fries knows, plain hot air doesnt get the job done. The air must be moving very quickly, blowing across the food rapidly enough to wick away any steam given off during cooking, so that the surface of the food remains dry enough to become crisp.

    When I first took my air fryer out of the box, I promised myself that Id just try it out, and then Id give it a good scrub and package it back up and give it, wrapped prettily, to a friend or a loved one. But now that Ive started relying on itit heats up instantly! It does such magical things to okra!Im afraid that I might end up keeping it. Ill have to get rid of the stupid citrus juicer to make room.

    Ingredients

    Directions

    Recommended Reading: How To Cook Sirloin Tip Roast

    Transform Your Instant Pot Into An Air Fryer

    It’s no secret that I love a useful kitchen gadget. I heartily embraced the Instant Pot when it came out and still use it regularly for any dish with dried beans, to make yogurt, pulled pork, hard boiled eggs, Indian Butter Chicken and any kind of soup. I’m a big fan of the air fryer too, so when mine recently started making a very scary noise that sounded like it was about to blow up, I realized I was in the market for a new air fryer.

    But while I love gadgets, I hate the room they take up in my kitchen. Anyone who owns an Instant Pot knows it’s a behemoth of a machine. I already have a perfectly good toaster oven, so I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of replacing that with yet another larger oven that also functions as an air fryer like this one.

    Then I found the Mealthy CrispLid online. This tool essentially transforms any 6- or 8-quart electric pressure cooker into a veritable air fryer. It seemed to be the best of both worlds! The reviews on Amazon were pretty impressive and the price point was right, so I decided to give it a try.

    The Mealthy CrispLid also comes with a raised trivet, fryer basket, stainless steel tongs and heat-resistant silicone mat for resting the lid on- all of which are dishwasher safe and 100% BPA-free. There’s even a recipe booklet to get you started!

    Does Instant Pot Have An Air Fryer

    Obviously the Instant Pot Duo Crisp offers air fryer capabilities but it is not a standalone air fryer. But they do now make the Instant Vortex Plus 7-in-1 Air Fryer is one of the releases from Instant Brands in the air fryer market. This is NOT a combination with a pressure cooker. You can do more than just air fry though, as with most air fryer models, and you can also bake, broil, roast, etc.

    You May Like: Turkey Loin In Instant Pot

    What Is An Air Fryer And Why Should You Need One

    The air fryer seems like a miracle kitchen appliance as it cooks food without using any oil. To truly fry food, you must submerge it in oil, so air frying is not really frying at all. The air fryer works more like a miniature convection oven.

    This appliance circulates hot air across the cooking chamber using a heating element and a fan. A perforated basket is used to hold food, and the air is swirled around it in a circular motion. These elements combine to provide ideal crisping for a wide range of foods, not only mozzarella sticks and chicken wings.

    An air fryer can cook fried foods, such as french fries and fried chicken, for the same crisp texture as deep-fried foods. The difference is that they wont come out of the fryer dripping or shiny with excess oil if theyre air-fried. Therefore, if you wish to eat healthier food with less oil, an air fryer is a good choice.

    Because the air fryer functions as a convection oven, this is conceivable. A cooking element generates heat. The heated air is then circulated around the cooking chamber by a series of fans. Hot air cooks the food placed in a perforated basket in the center of the cooking chamber during the operation. Like an oven or a deep fryer, the hot air cooks the food from the outside in.

    Each air fryer is equipped with a smart microprocessor, which regulates the cooking processall you have to press a few buttons and wait for the timer to sound.

    Which Is Better: Air Fryer Or Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Vortex Plus Air Fryer 6 quart

    It all depends on your preferences and the foods you want to cook in the future. Lets say that you want to prepare a cheesy bacon casserole, chickpeas, or chicken.

    The air fryer is the perfect choice for these challenges. However, if you want to make a veggie soup, you will need an instant pot since the air fryer isnt capable of cooking soups.

    The final choice also depends on your budget. Theyre both cheap. Still, the price depends on the type of features and accessories. Theres also a difference in power consumption.

    How often do you plan on utilizing each of these tools? I believe that most people will utilize the instant pot more often than they will utilize the air fryer which can lead to more power being consumed by this tool. Either way, both help you decrease the cooking time.

    Don’t Miss: What Is Natural Release

    Healthy Eating Winner: Instant Pots

    Just about every air fryer manufacturer compares the foods they produce to those created by a deep fryer. However, the air fryer encourages eating unhealthy foods, such as over-processed frozen crap, fries, breaded meats, etc. When comparing the recipes for instant pots and air fryers, instant pots have healthier options.

    Elite Premium

    Instant Precision Dutch Oven

    The Instant Precision Dutch Oven is on sale for $150, so youre saving 35% off the five-in-one appliance that can slow cook, braise, sear sauté and warm up food. It cooks up to six servings and lets you precisely control your meals temperature and cooking time, and the lids self-braising grid keeps food tender and moist.

    You May Like: How To Cook Pre Made Tamales

    Emeril Everyday 6 Qt Pressure Air Fryer

    • Emeril Lagasse is a world-renowned chef who has been cooking for over two decades. The Emeril Everyday Pressure cooker, air fryer, steamer, and electric multifunctional cooker conveniently cook your favorite foods while keeping the freshness that you crave. From browning to pressure cooking or multitasking one appliance with additional features like yogurt making and braising this petite powerhouse will work its heart out without any more kitchen cluttering from multiple appliances. Enjoy mouth-watering results on meats and vegetables made in only 15 minutes or less of preparation time!
    • Sweet and crunchy oven-fried chicken, moist and juicy pork chops are just some of the dishes you can prepare with Emeril Lagasses every day 6 Qt Pressure Air Fryer. This multi-cooker is perfect for any family meal or entertaining guests because it replaces so many other appliances for this one device. Simply choose your desired heat from its 44 preset options and customize timed cooking cycles to fit your needs best!

    Instant Pot Vs Air Fryers: Safety Feature

    Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Air Fryer Lid | Better than Costcos Rotisserie Chicken

    Instant Pots are equipped with instant pressure release that releases instant steam from the Instant Pot in high temperatures or other dangerous conditions. It allows Instant Pot to have a much safer cooking environment than most conventional cooking methods.However, Air Fryers are considered safe as well because they have automatic overheating protection. If the machine gets too hot, it will automatically shut off for safety reasons.

    Dont Miss: Reheat Tamales Microwave

    Don’t Miss: Can You Put The Instant Pot Lid In The Dishwasher

    Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer Vs Instant Pot Air Fryer Duo

    03/19/2021 by Richmond Howard

    This article may contain links from our affiliate partners. Please read how we make money!

    Are you looking to buy an instant pot or air fryer and cant decide which to go with? If you dont want to pick one, you can also go with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer!

    In this post, well review the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer and walk you through the differences between the instant pot vs air fryer if you only have the budget to buy one of these great kitchen appliances!

    Instant Pots and air fryers have both become insanely popular over the last couple of years. The Instant Pot is basically a pressure cooker that allows you to cook food quicklyits like a microwave version of a crockpot. An air fryer uses circulating hot air to fry your food think of it like a countertop-sized convection oven.

    The Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer combines these two awesome kitchen products into one! The Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer comes with one base and two different lids that allow you to use it as an air fryer or as an instant pot.

    My wife and I got one of these instant pot air fryer combos for Christmas and we absolutely love it! The downside is that it is more expensive.

    If you only have the budget for one, then well help you know the strengths and weaknesses of each and what you can use them for.

    Should I Buy An Instant Pot Duo Or An Instant Pot And And Air Fryer Separate

    This really chalks up to how you and your family cook most of the time. If youre constantly using multiple appliances you might find that the versatility of this appliance doesnt fit the bill. As mentioned above, if you cant cook multiple foods with different cooking needs at the same time, then maybe sticking to separate appliances will better suit your needs.

    If youre typically only using one appliance at a time to get dinner on the table, though, then having one appliance to store that covers just about anything you could want to cook is worth it.

    You May Like: Which Instant Pot Has The Recall

    Latest Recipes

    More Recipes Like This