I'm not a big fan of fried food, but there's no denying its unbeatable flavor, and my kids love fries, so I've been thinking about investing in an air fryer – a tried and tested way to 'fry' food more healthily – for a while.
I'm usually pretty reticent about recommending products to you – so when I pick something, I only do so with the confidence that what I'm highlighting is really good, tried and tested by not just me but the wider team – and, of course, that it is sensibly priced.
This Amazon Prime Day, my top buy is the The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in 1 Air Fryer with ClearCook and OdorErase, which not only tops our list of the best air fryers, but in our review of the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer, lived up to its claims to eliminate cooking smells entirely.
Full disclosure: I'm buying this but haven't tried it yet. However, it has been thoroughly tested by Millie Fender, our small appliance editor who has put a huge amount of air fryers, including this one, through their paces. And this one came out top.
To quote Millie: 'The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in 1 Air Fryer with ClearCook and OdorErase is the first of its kind to almost entirely eliminate cooking odors, but this is far more than a gimmick. The air fryer is quick, quiet, and has a transparent cooking door that makes it easy to monitor meals.
'We found that the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer made the best homemade fries of any air fryer we tested. They had a fluffy interior and crispy exterior, with evenly browned edges and consistent cooking throughout.'
If that's not enough to please my kids, I don't know what is. Let me take you through a few more of the pros and cons of this air fryer, below.
What we loved about the Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer
It's not just for fries
The Instant Pot Vortex isn't just about cooking the best fries Millie has ever tasted, you can also use it to reheat foods like rice or pasta. In our tests of this product, we also used it to cook the perfect crispy bacon and chicken pieces, and tried the roast setting for scrummy roasted veg.
It's a great size for families
The six-quart capacity is perfect for 5 or 6 people.
It really does prevent cooking odors
Love the taste of fried food but hate the smell it leaves behind? The Vortex's innovative OdorErase technology really does help prevent cooking odors. Even the bacon we cooked was undetectable after cooking.
It's quiet
This is also one of the quietest air fryers Millie has tried, perfect for keeping dinner time stress levels down.
You can see your food cooking
Instant's latest ClearCook technology lets you to look inside the air fryer as it cooks so you can monitor it easily.
It's easy to clean by hand
If you love to put everything in the dishwasher you'll be disappointed here; this air fryer's parts are best washed by hand. Needless to say, the non-stick surfaces make this quick and easy.
I'm okay with this last part – Millie assures me it is easy to wash by hand. It's worth noting that Millie tested all the air fryers she reviewed in one day, in the same kitchen, under the same conditions and with the same foods and that the Vortex consistently produced the best results. You can find out how we test products for more peace of mind.
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