Gadgets like this demand some countertop space, some investment in the initial outlay of cost and in learning its nuances of use, but this model repays in the quality of components and cooking results. It would be good if the brand acted on its own advice and kept sustainability more in mind when it comes to packaging, though. The chicken legs were moist on the inside and the skin was crisp, but not overdone. We air fried chips in one basket at the same time as roasting chicken legs in the other, and didn’t feel like the scent permeated across the baskets. Two manuals came with the air fryer, one about safety and warranty and the other about getting started. At roughly 40cm across, it’s not the largest air fryer we’ve tested and also wasn’t particularly tall.
After you set your desired cooking temperature and time, it automatically goes into a preheat mode. This actually comes in use, because if your food isn’t ready once time is up and you want to air fry it for a few more minutes, it will automatically revert to preheating again. Set the mode and temperature, and the display reads ON while preheating the oven. I would much prefer to see PRE or a real-time count up to the requested temperature. This isn’t a dealbreaker, I just found the display a bit uninformative for a product that heats up to 400 degrees.
The dial also moves smoothly and is fast for navigating minutes and temperature degrees, compared to holding down a button. A lot of the air frying experience—just like cooking in general—is trial and error. When you’re trying out your own recipe or heating up something that isn’t listed in a recipe book or app, you often have to use your best judgment and cross your fingers. We tried a range of foods in these air fryers to see how they perform. We tested the first edition of the Vortex Plus back in 2019 and had some mixed feelings. Maybe you’re Team Instant Pot forever and you’ve just got to have it.
On our tests, we found that the Instant Pot 6 Quart Vortex 4 in 1 Air Fryer Oven performed best on brussels sprouts and frozen French fries. In fact, it was the only air fryer to score full marks for frozen French fries, needing just 15 minutes to cook. It also scored highly for breaded chicken as well, needing just 13 minutes to cook this after preheating. Thanks to the super-slick nonstick coating on the Instant Vortex’s basket, it’s very easy to clean.
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.
Instant also recommends starting with conventional oven directions on food packages as a guide for temperature and time, not directions for deep frying. Of course, that will depend on what you’re cooking, and therein lies my biggest issue with this machine. The manual instant vortex provided in the box includes a small table of recommended times for a few foods, but for most, you’ll have to go through some trial and error to get a good result. I’m not a fan of wasting time or food, and I wish the directions were clearer on this front.
In terms of air fryer accessories made by Instant, there aren’t too many. From chicken nuggets in our school lunches to funnel cakes at the county fair, digging into a fried meal is a tasty endeavor. However, it’s no secret that fried foods aren’t doing any favors for your health.