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Pros

  • Choose Centigrade or Fahrenheit temperature scales, two interior lights, transparent panels on the drawers, pre-heating / cooking time progress bar - preheat to cook, notifications to shake food, access to the Instant Pot app.

Cons

  • Automatically jumps into cooking mode after pre-heat, only one-year warranty, plastic-coated box

Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket air fryer at a glance

This dual-drawer air fryer stood out for a number of reasons but predominantly for the design features that make it enjoyably easy to use. Both drawers have interior lights that mean ingredients can be checked without opening the drawers and losing the heat inside.

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It’s SyncCook capabilities give it practicality beyond single-drawer air fryers, particularly for anyone wanting to quickly cook multiple ingredients. The components and parts feel good quality, adding to the overall value for money with this product.

Setting up the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket air fryer

This model is relatively lightweight and arrived preassembled. Its main panel is touchscreen, so when off, the unit is minimalistic on first appearance.

Two manuals came with the air fryer, one about safety and warranty and the other about getting started. There are two 3.8L capacity baskets. At roughly 40cm across, it's not the largest air fryer we've tested and also wasn't particularly tall. Its hot air vents were at the back rather than the top, which meant we needed to bring it forward on the countertop, too.

How easy is the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket air fryer to use

This model is intuitive enough to use without the instruction manual but we did discover from the instructions that you can select your cooking scale in Centigrade or Fahrenheit.

The instructions offer temperature and timing guides for using each mode. The touchscreen controls were relatively easy to use being a clear combination of icons and words. Its functions are clearly labelled. Each drawer is selectable using a 1 or 2 button, then offers an interior light to illuminate what's inside. The time and temperature are adjustable and the cooking time counts down on the digital display. A cooking progress bar from preheating to cooking is also a great addition.

We liked the adaptability of the Sync functions. The SyncCook gives the user a chance to cook the same thing in both baskets at the same time, whilst the SyncFinish ensures that whatever is being cooked in the baskets will finish at the same time.

Cooking results

The chicken legs were moist on the inside and the skin was crisp, but not overdone. We air fried chips in one basket at the same time as roasting chicken legs in the other, and didn't feel like the scent permeated across the baskets. The chips required two rounds with shuffles in between. The aubergine and halloumi slices were very tasty, although we wouldn't recommend this model for baking cakes for a few reasons; namely the impracticality of adapting the recipes to fit the obscure drawer size.

How sustainable is the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket air fryer

The manual asks the user to be mindful of sustainability and recycle the packaging. However, we found it disappointing that the brand coated its boxes in plastic film and used polystyrene inserts, which puts the onus on the user.

Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket air fryer conclusion

This air fryer can be simple, but offers the extra sophistication of cooking two different dishes at the same time, if that’s what you require. Gadgets like this demand some countertop space, some investment in the initial outlay of cost and in learning its nuances of use, but this model repays in the quality of components and cooking results. It would be good if the brand acted on its own advice and kept sustainability more in mind when it comes to packaging, though.

Instant Vortex Plus Dual basket air fryer specifications

Food capacity: 7.6L capacity (two 3.8L baskets)
Wattage: 1450-1700W
Dimensions: 38.4 D x 40.3 Wx 31.7 H
Guarantee: 3 year guarantee
Pre-sets: Eight: air fry, bake, grill, roast, dehydrate, reheat, SyncCook, SyncFinish mode

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If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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