Unlike most pod-style air fryers, you don’t have to open the basket and let heat escape to check if your food is done. On the Plus, you can just press the light button and look through the window. It combines the visibility of a toaster oven with the efficiency of a pod air fryer. To test the Instant Vortex, I considered factors like portability, versatility, and overall performance. To judge portability, I first assessed the size and weight of the air fryer and the length of the cord (a longer cord will give you more options for where to put a countertop appliance). I looked at how simple and straightforward the machine is to assemble without instructions, and also considered how easy the control panel was to read and use.
This means you can cut down on your batch cooking and get your food to the table faster. 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. Not all air fryers have a pre-heat function, but the Plus does.
Are you frying a small batch of wings or french fries for the family on burger night? Make sure the fryer you choose can handle the amount of food you want to cook. There are also options that have two baskets that can cook two different foods simultaneously and at different settings.
Both the handle and the controls don’t get much warmer than room temperature. We measured a noise level of 66.5dB during heating, which is the loudest of the air fryers we had on test. It’s worth mentioning that this is not so noisy that you won’t be able to have a conversation over the top of it while it’s running.
With its precise temperature dial, useful reminders and convenient viewing window, we think the instant vortex Plus is great value. We used strong flavours when marinating the chicken tenders in garlic, onion and paprika, and could have benefitted from this feature. When it comes to cleaning, we were able to wash the basket with warm soapy water and wipe down the exterior. We buffed it with a dry microfibre cloth to ensure the shiny stainless-steel, black and ClearCook window exterior remained smudge-free. We started off prepping the broccoli and cauliflower by seasoning them with olive oil and sea salt and placed them straight into the deep 5.7 litre drawer.