It’s a user-friendly app that allows you to search for recipes or browse according to whatever Instant appliance you have in your home. Once you “Start Cooking,” it guides you through the cooking process step-by-step with no room for confusion. You can also “heart” or share a recipe to save it for later use. It’s easy to get intimidated by appliances that have touch screens instead of traditional buttons; they often make navigation more complicated.
One of the main reasons I like air fryers is they do a great job of reheating leftovers, even better than a microwave. The Instant Vortex Plus has a reheat mode that cooks food at 280 degrees for 10 minutes. I’d put in a slice or two of leftover pizza, and well before the 10 minutes were up, the pizza was ready and just as tasty as when I purchased it. Once started, the air fryer enters preheat mode for 3 to 4 minutes, at which point it beeps at you to add food. I found preheating unnecessary — I put the food in and started cooking right away, subtracting 3 minutes from my cooking time since the timer doesn’t count down until after the unit preheats.
We got very close when sniff-testing, and everyone agreed that the scents were not detectible. Our engineers first judge an air fryer based on how easy it is to use the buttons or dials on the machine and the size and clarity of the lettering on the unit. The Instant™ Vortex™ is perfect for quick meals on the go, with EvenCrisp™ technology for crispy, tender results every time. Fast, versatile, and convenient, make all your favorite finger foods with less oil and no mess. In comparison to other air fryers on the market, this is in the lower range but does more.
From there, we could determine whether we wanted to take the food out early, add more time to the recipe, or just stare longingly at it until the timer beeped. A step up from the Instant Vortex Slim, this air fryer comes packed out with all of the best features from Instant Pot’s air fry engineers, including a ClearCook window and OdorErase. Plus, when you’re done cooking your delicious meals, both the basket and tray are dishwasher safe, so cleanup takes minimal effort. Instant Pot is known for making some of the best air fryers, and the slim version of its Vortex product line completes the range.
It offers a more compact option to the flagship instant vortex air fryer or the more enhanced Instant Vortex Plus air fryer by trimming back 20% of the bulk. The first test of a good air fryer is its ability to make homemade fries. To test this we cut and soaked some potatoes to remove the starchiness, and then dried and tossed them in oil and seasoning. With this air fryer you get a removable air fryer insert grid which can be lifted and removed using a hook in the center of the grid. The drawer is not quite square, and we found it a little confusing to fit this inside the air fryer on the first use.
While it’s very similar to the 4-in-1 air fryer, the standout feature in the Vortex Plus is the dehydrator. If you’re looking for a reliable air fryer that can also produce perfectly dried fruits and veggies, the Vortex Plus is for you. Just like the 4-in-1, the Vortex Plus has a roomy, 6-quart basket with a nonstick coating for easy cleanup. Equipped with pre-programmed settings and a temperature-controlling dial, the interface is also super user-friendly. The only downside to this model is the broiler function, which is pre-set to 400 degrees F and for two minutes and didn’t perform well for us in testing. Although the basket has a 6-quart capacity, you can’t cook that quantity of food at once.
The marinade infuses the chicken thighs with a perfect balance of flavors, resulting in a juicy and aromatic main course. This juicy Orange Chicken recipe is one of my famous air fryer recipes – at home. Using simple ingredients, this recipe is a family favorite. This air fryer eggplant recipe is one of the best eggplant recipes I have ever made. This is a completely plant-based meal for all my vegan/vegetarian friends.
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 zesty lemon flavor, punchy pepper notes, and succulent chicken thighs make this easy recipe a winner for any day of the week. Pair this lemon pepper chicken with your favorite sides like steamed rice, side salad, or green beans for a complete meal for the whole family.
The Instant™ Vortex® Plus is sleek, versatile, and convenient, with rotisserie and One-Step EvenCrisp™ air flow for a perfect golden finish and crispy, tender results every time. Make all your favorite finger foods with less oil and no mess and get food on the table faster. Please visit /support/register to register your new Instant Brands™ appliance. Failure to register your product will not diminish your warranty rights. The registration will enable us to keep you up to date with product developments, recipes and contact you in the unlikely event of a product safety notification.