Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsInstructions are bare bones, but the air fryer is wonderful!
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2019
First off, my apologies for being late in posting this review. I received this fryer about a week or so ago but didn't know what to make with it because . . . I had NEVER used an air fryer before. Also, this particular model DOES NOT COME WITH RECIPES! Nothing, zilch, nada! You pretty much have to look for your recipes online because the Instant Vortex will not provide you with any. They will give you a very broad time and heat guide but that's it.
In fact, my main complaint with this air fryer is mainly on the bare-bones instructions. For that reason, a lot of what you do with this air fryer is going to have to be through trial and error. There are more instructions to prevent you from lighting your house on fire than there are in the operation of the machine.
So, as someone who has never used an air fryer before, especially an Instant Vortex Plus 6 Quart 6-in-1 thingamajig, what did I think of it?
AWESOME!
But before we get to why it's awesome, I need to tell you what you're going to get when you purchase this device.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE PURCHASING:
1.) Most timers (at least in the US) when they are 00:00 it means 00 mins : 00 seconds. Not so with this air fryer. With the Instant Vortex the first two digits are hours and the last two digits are minutes. This was not clear in the instruction manual. Remember, I've never used an air fryer before, so this was new to me.
2.) When using air fryer mode, at around 3 quarters time, the fryer will ask you to turn over your food. This was also not very clear in the instructions.
3.) The basket is SMALL and not ideal for party size servings. Six quarts is good for a couple, but anyone with a big family is going to find themselves running multiple batches to get enough food cooked. If you're planning a big super bowl wing fest, you might want to get something bigger.
BONUS: The air fryer DOES NOT get dangerously hot like an oven. You can accidentally touch the top of the fryer and not burn your hand off. The vent in the back is also warm but not blazing hot. As long as the safety instructions are followed, this machine feels very safe to use.
Somehow we didn't blow a fuse when using the microwave and the air fryer at the same time, so that was also impressive, but your results may vary.
All right, so let's get into exactly how I used my air fryer as someone who has never, ever used one before.
- We added pepper and salt to the raw wings. Then we greased the tray and basket with Pam cooking oil. EDIT: (Don't grease the tray with PAM. You can spray your food not your tray. Or use a substitute instead of PAM.)
- We found an online recipe that was for 24 minutes. At the twelve minute mark we flip over the wings and cook the other side.
- After putting the food into the tray and setting the fryer for 12 minutes, we quickly discovered that the fryer must PREHEAT first. After it ran through its preheat cycle, then it said "ADD FOOD." Whoops. The wings stayed in there anyway.
- At around 5 minutes, the fryer then said "TURN FOOD OVER." We didn't know it was going to give us this prompt. So we took out the basket to check on the wings, they were cooking but not yet finished, so we flipped them over.
- Once the timer was finished, we removed the basket and saw that the wings were halfway cooked, awesome! We popped them back in for another 12 minutes but made note that in the future, we just put them in for 24 and wait for the fryer to tell us when to flip. Also, not once did I feel a blast of hot air like I do when taking things out of the oven. The fryer and the basket felt safe to handle AT ALL TIMES.
- After another twelve minutes it was time to taste test. Did the wings cook thoroughly or were we about to get a case of salmonella?
- The answer was YES! The wings cooked thoroughly. The exterior skin was nice and crunchy while the inside was juicy and flavorful. All of the excess oil dripped off of the wings and settled at the bottom of the basket. Awesome!
- Clean up required dumping out the remaining oil into a bag, then cleaning the basket and grill with paper towels and water.
THEN WE TRIED COOKING SALMON USING THE BAKE SETTING.
- Grease the grill with pam. EDIT: DO NOT GREASE THE GRILL WITH PAM. You can put PAM on your food but not the grill tray. Supposedly this starts to erode some of the coating on the tray. Whoops! Found this out recently.
- Pop 1.6lbs of Salmon into the basket. (This time we waited for the preheat)
- Cooked for 7 minutes at 389 I believe. Don't remember.
- Took the salmon out and found that the interior was still raw. Whoops. Again, no recipes means we don't know what the heck we're doing with this thing. Pop it back in for another 7 minutes.
- Salmon bakes and is now thoroughly cooked. Still good, still flavorful, but we underestimated cooking time.
WHAT ABOUT THE BROIL, ROAST, REHEAT & DEHYDRATE FEATURE?
I, unfortunately, do not know. We haven't really roasted, broiled, or dehydrated food in my house. However, if the chicken wings and salmon are the standard it sets, then I'm sure those features will work perfectly.
In fact, I have to say that I am supremely impressed with the Instant Vortex 6-in-1 multi use fryer. It's extremely safe t use, It cooks the food thoroughly, and it's super easy to clean.
If you're looking for an air fryer with the versatility of an oven but without the hassle or increase to your gas bill, than this air fryer is definitely going to be a perfect fit for you! Very, very happy with this device and I can't wait to fry more food with it.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
