TechRadar Verdict
The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase is a simple-to-use kitchen appliance that does an excellent job of crisping food such as fries and chicken wings using far less oil than deep frying. It's versatile, too, offering functions to bake, roast, grill, reheat and dehydrate as well as air fry. It comes with a window and light that allow you to keep an eye on food as it’s cooking, while built-in filters reduce the smells emitted during the cooking process. This air fryer is more expensive than the previous iteration and requires some experimentation, especially when cooking frozen foods; but it’s the best air fryer on the market right now.
Pros
- +
Crisp, evenly browned results
- +
Window let you check on food during cooking
- +
Reduces cooking smells
Cons
- -
Crisper plate falls out if basket tipped up too high
- -
Expensive
- -
Requires some experimentation
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One-minute review
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. However, in that short time, the brand has proven itself to offer some of the best air fryers you can buy right now.
The design of its top-of-the-range air fryer, the Instant Vortex Plus, has been overhauled, with the resulting model sporting a sleeker form and a new-look frying basket that is now not only dishwasher-safe but also features a window. Coupled with a light in the cooking cavity, it means you can easily keep an eye on food without having to open the drawer and interrupt the cooking cycle.
As you’d expect, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase circulates hot air around food to cook it, creating a crisp, crunchy finish. Instant claims food cooked in its air fryers require 95% less oil than deep frying. However, this model is the first from Instant to feature OdourErase technology, which uses built-in filters in the air fryer to noticeably reduce the smells emitted during cooking.
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.
Just like its predecessor, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase did an excellent job of evenly browning fries and chicken wings. However, with no cooking charts or guidance included, using it will require a degree of experimentation.
At £149.99 / $149.99, it’s one of the more expensive air fryers on the market, but for those who want to keep an eye on their food during cooking, and reduce cooking smells, it’s worth the investment.
Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook and OdourEase price and availability
- List price: £149.99 / $149.99
The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase, known as the Instant Vortex Plus 6-quart Stainless Steel Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdorErase in the US, costs £149.99 / $149.99 and is available from Instant direct or through Amazon. It isn’t currently available in Australia.
This model is slightly pricier than the air fryer's predecessor, the Instant Vortex Plus, which continues to be available worldwide, including Australia. However, given that this model doesn’t have the frying basket with a window, nor the OdourErase technology, it’s slightly more affordable at £119.99 / $119.95 / AU$269.
Instant also offers a large-capacity model, which has two frying baskets and enables you to cook two different foods at the same time. The Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer Air Fryer – or Instant Vortex Plus Dual Air Fryer in the US – costs £199.99 / $179.99. Again, this version isn’t available in Australia.
Design
- 5.7-litre / 6-quart capacity
- Angular design with touch controls
- Frying basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe
Just like the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer Air Fryer, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase sports an angular design. This ensures it has a smaller overall footprint than its predecessor, measuring 39.2 × 30 × 33cm / 15.43 x 11.81 x 13 inches. The touch controls are positioned closer to the top of the air fryer, while the dial to adjust the cooking temperature and duration is slightly smaller than on the first iteration of the Instant Vortex Plus.
As well as air fry, the new model can roast, bake, grill, reheat and dehydrate. And while the glossy black finish looks nice enough, the control panel was prone to picking up greasy fingerprints, and is likely to need a regular clean with a damp cloth.
The air fryer has a total capacity of 5.7 litres / 6 quarts, and comes with a dishwasher-safe frying basket and crisper plate. The front of the basket features a built-in plastic window, which, along with a light in the cooking cavity, ensures you can see how cooking is progressing.
The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer offers a cooking temperature range from 35ºC / 95ºF to 205ºC / 400ºF for up to 72 hours at a time – although the latter is at lower temperatures. At its maximum temperature, the air fryer can cook for up to one hour. It’s also possible to adjust the cooking temperature in one-degree increments, compared to the three-degree increments offered by the Instant Vortex Plus.
The air fryer doesn’t come with a recipe booklet. Instead, you’ll need to go online or use the Instant app for your smartphone or tablet for inspiration. There are also no cooking charts or guides, which means that some experimentation with regards to the ideal cooking temperature and time will be necessary. This is especially true when cooking frozen foods, to ensure you can cook them to your liking.
Performance
- Crisp, evenly browned results
- Check on food with the help of window and light
- Filter reduces cooking smells
Just like the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer Air Fryer, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase doesn’t include any cooking charts or guides in the box. While the Instant app is loaded with recipes for homemade dishes, there’s no advice for temperature and cooking times for frozen foods. So we used our experience with the Dual Drawer Air fryer as the basis for cooking frozen steak-cut fries.
Since the capacity of the latest Vortex Plus is 5.7 litres / 6 quarts, we plumped for our usual 450g / 1lb batch of steak-cut fries, rather than reducing it as we did to account for the smaller frying basket of the dual-drawer model. 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.
Next, we cooked chicken wings. 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 time didn’t leave the meat dry – it remained succulent.
When it came to homemade fries, we were just as impressed. We followed a recipe from the Instant app, coating the potato batons in 2tsp of oil before air-frying them for 20 minutes at a temperature of 191ºC / 376ºF. Once the cooking time had passed, we had crunchy, evenly browned fries that were soft and fluffy inside.
However, just like the Instant Vortex Plus, we found that this model’s crisper plate falls out easily if the frying basket is tipped up too much.
We were impressed by the ClearCook windows and light, which meant we could monitor cooking, checking just how brown our food was getting. Also useful was the reminder to shake function, which provides an audible and visual prompt to shake or turn food so that hot air can reach every inch of it.
The other major upgrade over the previous version is the OdourErase technology, which uses built-in air filters to reduce cooking smells wafting through your home – compared to other models on the market, we could certainly detect a clear reduction in cooking smells when using the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase.
Note, too, that this Instant air fryer is quieter in use than its predecessor, measuring just 51.7db on our decibel meter – which is equivalent to the gentle hum of a refrigerator. This makes it one of the quietest air fryers we’ve tested to date.
Should I buy the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook and OdourEase?
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First reviewed: January 2022
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