While it cooked food well and cleaned up easily, testers struggled a bit when sliding the basket into the machine, and it required some jiggering to lock in. As with other analog models, its temperature dial was less precise, and it was easy to knock slightly away from the target temperature. This powerful model included an additional heating element under the basket.
We have made many frozen foods in our Vortex® and they have all pretty much turned out perfectly. There is a Instant™ Vortex® Plus 4-quart Air Fryer which is much more comparable to the regular Ninja 4qt Air Fryer. Because it’s a “Plus” it has dehydrate and broil as standard settings. Instant™ has a number of 8-quart, 9-quart, and 10-quart Vortex® Air fryers.
It cooked those cutlets well, producing juicy interiors and golden, crisp exteriors, but the fries cooked a bit unevenly, with fries toward the outside crisping more quickly than those on the inside. Because this machine has a flip-top design, we had to toss food using tongs, which mangled some fries in the process. As a multicooker, it was straightforward to use but delivered mushy pressure-cooked beans and slow-cooked beef stew with undercooked vegetables.
This feature is lacking on some popular air fryers we’ve tried. We found that the reminder worked particularly well when our batch of chips needed a shake. With its easy-to-read controls and the handy viewing window, we were keen to see how well the instant pot duo nova Plus could cook our frozen chips, chicken tenders and vegetables. A must-try for anyone new to the world of air frying, it seemed an obvious choice to use the Instant Vortex Plus to cook a batch of frozen chips. However, the make reheat and roast settings are welcome additions that can serve as handy features, especially on busy occasions when your regular oven may be in use.
All air fryers contain a heating mechanism and fan that keeps the heated air circulating around the food. The VeSync app is a neat feature that lets you customize the onboard settings and run specialized cooking programs right from your phone. The problem is, the app can’t actually start the cooking process—you can use it to set all the options, but you still have to hit the physical start button on the machine. Overall, that’s a minor annoyance, and the app has an always-growing library of recipes for inspiration even without its smart features. The perforated basket liner and outer basket have a nonstick coating that makes cleanup easy (and they’re dishwasher-safe).
We were struck by the sleek controls on the Plus, which only illuminate when the air fryer is plugged in. You can control the timings and temperature using a dial on the front of the air fryer, and pressing down on this dial will confirm your choices. Another thing which pleasantly surprised us was the noise level, which was very low for an air fryer. We recorded 64dB, which is quite low for ambient noise, and far lower than the other air fryers we were testing. Even odor-heavy foods such as bacon were not detectible in the air around the air fryer. We got very close when sniff-testing, and everyone agreed that the scents were not detectible.
It comes with a viewing window and enticing rotisserie function and also has double the capacity at 11 litres. The larger capacity however, does add inches to the width of this air fryer so may not be for you if you’re looking for something more compact. This air fryer is one of the quieter models we’ve tried – it reached just 55 decibels while we were cooking chicken tenders on the air fry setting. We tested some air fryer pork ribs with bbq sauce and it was a winner! We just needed to rotate the racks to get all the ribs cooked evenly. It’s SyncCook capabilities give it practicality beyond single-drawer air fryers, particularly for anyone wanting to quickly cook multiple ingredients.
If you frequently experiment, you might be more comfortable with a model that features one. There’s no reinvention of the wheel here and, personally, I don’t adore the shape and angle of the handle. In addition, this model suffers from a similar flaw to other Instant Vortex models, in that the touchscreen can quickly become grubby. As stylish as the display here feels, greasy, food-stained fingers on reflective surfaces are the downside. The chicken wings I made in the Instant Vortex Plus were so much crisper than the ones I made in the oven, and they were juicy too.