The Instant Vortex has a 1-year limited warranty and replacement parts can be purchased separately. This small model’s stature and footprint make it easy to store, but it’s large enough to cook small batches of frozen foods and our recipes evenly and quickly. Its nonstick interior was easy to clean, but its analog temperature and timer dials weren’t as precise as digital controls.
We enjoyed using this machine as a multicooker, achieving great pressure-cooked and slow-cooked beef stew and baked beans. This flip-top model had an interface with buttons that were intuitive to use. It had an exposed heating element on the inside of the lid, making us a little nervous we’d bump it and get burned. It had a small capacity, only fitting one 15-ounce bag of french fries or two chicken cutlets at a time.
We solved this by using tongs to remove food or being more careful when pouring. While this air fryer’s digital controls weren’t quite as intuitive as those of our favorite models, it was still easy to set the time and temperature once we got the hang of the multiple buttons. It cooked foods quickly, and its display was bright, large, and easy to read. Its drawer and automatic shutoff were a boon to safety, and its nonstick interior was easy to clean. Its small capacity wouldn’t work for a crowd, but it cooked our recipes for two and small batches of frozen fries without issue. In my tests to find the best air fryer, the moosoo air fryer performed similarly to the best overall winner, the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL, but it’s slightly less versatile since it has fewer functions.
I used it to broil top-round beef at 400 degrees and the meat cooked evenly. You don’t get the reminder to turn your food in the broil, reheat and dehydrate modes, so if that’s required for your meal you’ll need to set your own timer. Multiple modes aside, the Vortex Plus is marketed as an air fryer first and foremost. It comes with slotted baking sheets as well as an air fry basket that clips into the fryer’s interior chamber.
The air fryer didn’t dry it out at all as the chicken remained juicy. It has to be cooled down and with the heating element just above, we’re always a little hesitant to really wipe down the inside. If you have specific questions about the Vortex® 6-quart air fryer, here are some answers to frequently asked questions about this air fryer.
Indulging in fried food once or more every week puts you at a higher risk for some health issues. This basic analog model was compact and easy to use, but its timer stopped working early on in our tests, forcing us to use an alternate timer. Though it comes with a one-year warranty, the company was unresponsive to calls and messages left with the warranty line. A subsequent model we tried didn’t have this problem, however, and made food that was crispy and crunchy.
The fast-moving heat helps crisp the outside of foods while warming them throughout, with minimal oil (you’ll still need to use some cooking spray with these machines to make sure food doesn’t stick). While it’s very similar to the 4-in-1 air fryer, the standout feature in the Vortex Plus is the dehydrator. If you’re looking for a reliable air fryer that can also produce perfectly dried fruits and veggies, the Vortex Plus is for you. Just like the 4-in-1, the Vortex Plus has a roomy, 6-quart basket with a nonstick coating for easy cleanup.
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval instant vortex on them. If the heating element gets dirty, you can wipe it with a damp cloth when the unit is turned off, cooled, and unplugged. None of the Cosori models on our list were included in the February 2023 recall.
First, we tried out the (one and only) Instant-supplied recipe, which was for buffalo chicken bites (sans buffalo sauce, to monitor crispiness). Then we conducted tests for roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, crispy bacon, and frozen French fries using the Instant Brands app for guidance on cooking instructions. Finally, we made our own recipe of chicken and waffles to see how the machine would fry chicken and toast frozen waffles. It’s interesting that Instant chooses to market this as an air fryer, when it feels more like a toaster oven that can also air-fry. You’ll also need to be careful when you remove the air fry basket or rotisserie accessories as they get very hot while cooking. That can be frustrating if you take out your food only to realize it needs to go back in for a few more minutes (because you couldn’t cook it at 425).