Instant Pot Just Launched an Air Fryer — Here's Where to Buy It
Find out how it stacks up against other models we love.
It's 2019 and air fryers have surpassed the Instant Pot as the latest kitchen craze. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that Instant Brands, the parent company of the official Instant Pot, is getting in on the air-frying game with the all-new Instant Vortex Plus 7-in-1 Air Fryer Oven. And it's available exclusively at Walmart.
Like its Instant Pot models, Instant Brands has built the Instant Vortex Plus with versaility in mind. It's got seven different presets: Air Fry, Roast, Broil, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate and Rotate "for rotisserie-style cooking." It's got a 10 quart capacity, which rivals many air fryers on the market, which tend to max out around 5. And, if the inventors if the Instant Pot learned anything, it's that their fans love accessories, which might explain the seven (yup, seven!) accessories that come included with the Instant Vortex Plus: a drip pan, two cooking trays, rotisserie spit and forks, a rotisserie basket and a rotisserie fetch tool.
In terms of functionality, the Instant Vortex Plus works like other air fryers on the market. "The Instant™ Vortex™ Plus Air Fryer is a multi-use countertop appliance that prepares dishes by circulating super-heated air around food, with little or no cooking oil, to achieve crunchy golden 'air fried' meals," according to the product description on Walmart.com. But it's the shape and size that set the Instant Vortex Plus apart from other models.
While many air fryers are built in an egg shape, the Instant Vortex Plus looks more like a traditional countertop oven, a la the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven that hit the market a couple of years ago. (Expect to see more of these air-fryer-toaster-oven hybrids in the future.)
One thing to really think about before you purchase? The size. The Instant Vortex Plus is more than a foot in any direction and weights a whopping 16.6 pounds. This isn't an appliance you'll want to be moving around frequently. That said, it has the capacity to cook for up to six people at a time when using both cooking trays and has enough room for a 4-pound chicken, according to the product description. That's dinner for the whole family on the table without preheating your oven.
Finally, the price. At $119, the Instant Vortex Plus is cheaper than many other air fryers of its size on the market. It's only available at Walmart, so we suggest snagging one before they're gone.
We'll be putting it to the test to see how it stacks up against our current favorite.
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