To test this, I ran the air fryer until it burned bacon-topped deviled eggs placed in a silicone liner. The filter didn’t completely remove the odors, but I could smell instant vortex it much less than when I cook items in other air fryers. We put this machine through a wide range of tests to see whether its air frying abilities really impressed us.
The air fryer has a capacity of 5.7 litres / 6 quarts, which Instant says is sufficient for six portions. It’s a versatile appliance, too, offering the ability to roast, bake, grill, dehydrate and reheat food, as well as air fry. Instant has only been on the air fryer scene for a few years, launching its first hot-air cooking appliance in 2019, having gained cult status with its multi-cooker, the Instant Pot.
We were surprised to see a few of these struggle with the most straightforward food, like fries and chicken wings. Others had decent performance but lacked some of the features that our winners included as a default, like presets, large baskets, and easy cleanup processes. Some we felt the cumbersome size outweighed the results, and others were simply too small to recommend for most household uses. The Instant Vortex 10-quart Air Fryer produced great fries, wings, and air-fried apples and was a breeze to operate thanks to the clear display and good instructions.
Rivaled only by Ninja for accessible, top-performing tools at an affordable price, Instant has our most current best air fryer pick in the Plus 6-Quart. It hits the sweet spot of ideal (but not oversized) capacity with the wider square-shaped basket accommodating fries and wings without overcrowding. It has just the right number of presets for a useful but manageable user experience. The air circulation and power provided the best cooking results for every food we tried, including tricky coconut shrimp and Brussels sprouts. It’s quiet enough to run in a busy kitchen, and the nonstick interior makes cleanup easy.
We wanted food to come out crisp on the outside but moist internally, without any burning or dehydrating. However, no time and temperature recommendations were made and using the default settings resulted in insufficiently dried fruit. By using a higher heat setting you could dry a small amount of food if you’re willing to listen to the unit whirring away for seven hours or longer. While it’s clearly laid out and intuitive to operate, the lettering is on the small side. The Vortex Plus displayed near-perfect temperature accuracy in our testing, reliably hitting the set temperature every single cook cycle. When cooking chicken, the Vortex Plus produced cuts so tender and moist they could be cut with a fork.
This time we followed a recipe from the Instant app, which suggested a cooking duration of 15 minutes and a temperature of 204ºC / 400ºF, without any oil. The wings were fully cooked through after nine minutes; however, it took an additional six minutes to evenly brown them and crisp the skin. That said, this additional cooking moosoo air fryer time didn’t leave the meat dry – it remained succulent. We selected the Air Fry cooking mode but raised the default temperature from 196ºC / 385ºF to 204ºC / 400ºF, setting the cooking duration to 15 minutes. The results were crisp and evenly browned fries on the outside, with soft and fluffy potato on the inside.
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.