About The Dehydrate Function
The Omni Plus has a dehydrate function as well, as do some of the other air fryers out there. But the Omni Plus is able to achieve very low temperatures which aid in the dehydrating process. Most of the other dehydrators I have seen can only go as low as 100 degrees while the Omni Plus can get down to 85 degrees! This actually is awesome not only for the dehydrating process but also for a number of other cooking methods.
One of these methods is proofing dough. Proofing is the process of allowing the dough to rise before it is ready to bake. Normally people will just place the dough in a bowl and wrap it with plastic wrap. Then place the bowl on top of the oven or in a hot room for an hour or so. They do make machines that will actually keep food warm and proof dough. Most commercial pizza places use a dough proffer to allow their dough to rise before baking. But the Omni toaster over is able to do this as well.
And if you are concerned about the amount of time the Omni Plus is able to keep track of, then don’t worry one bit. The timer on the Instant Omni Plus starts at one minute and can go all the way up to 12 hours which is way more time than you will ever need for any cooking process.
Test #: Cooking Roast Chicken
This is the test I was most excited about. I have never cooked a whole chicken in a home rotisserie oven. I have cooked them in larger commercial rotisserie ovens as a professional chef, but this was bound to be much different.
Sadly, this is where the Omni Plus toaster oven failed in delivering the instructions needed to do this correctly. There was no information or guidelines included in the instruction manual on how to cook a whole chicken in the rotisserie. All that was indicated in the booklet was that you would be able to roast a whole chicken on the spit, but it could not be larger than 4 pounds. FOUR POUNDS?! Are you kidding me? Seriously, how often do you go to the store and find a whole chicken that is smaller than 4 pounds? Take it from someone who cooks whole chicken all the time, it rarely ever happens.
Other than that, I had a general idea on how to hook up a chicken on the spit and place it in the rotisserie safely. But anyone who has never done this before would be completely lost. Heck, even I was a little lost. So I decided to get online and do some research from other Omni users to find out the proper technique.
On Instantpot.com, they had a little more information on how to place the chicken on the spit correctly, and after enough research, I was finally ready to roast a chicken of my own.
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Black+decker Microwave Toaster Oven Combo
Award:BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: Budget-conscious combo oven with a beefy feature set, including a light and portable form factor, weighing just 8lb, and a convection heating element that offers speedy and precise results.
Pros
- Exterior gets extremely hot during use
- Plastic components are not that durable
This Black+Decker Microwave Toaster Oven Combo is available at a budget-friendly price while offering some interesting and highly useful features, such as a light and portable form factor, as this oven weighs just over eight pounds. We appreciated the powerful convection-based heating element here, allowing for speedy results in line with a traditional microwave. We also liked the integrated 30-minute timer that can be programmed to automatically shut down after completion or to keep going, for longer bakes.
The exterior of this oven gets extremely hot during use, due to the convection-based design, so wed advise caution. Also, many of the components here are made from plastic, which offers significantly less durability than models made from stainless steel and composite alloys. You might also like the best compact microwaves.
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Cleaning The Air Fryer
Always wrap the drip tray in aluminium foil simply to save you time and potential frustration. You can simply throw the greasy foil away.
The trays are dishwasher safe and are really easy to wash by hand due to the nonstick coating. Theres a lot of parts to clean depending on what you decide to make. Be careful when cleaning the rotating basket by hand. Invest in using a brush instead of a sponge and watch out for your knuckles from scraping against the metal graded sides.
Now, the hard part: the door and its hinge. Crumbs and flour easily get stuck in the door hinge no matter how careful you try to cover or protect this area. It makes sense that they designed the door with that in mind so you can take the door off to wipe down. This takes a bit of fearless practice to get the hang of it. Naturally, your first instinct is to not want to break your new gadget toy over bread crumbs. There are Youtube videos to show you how to do take the door off.
Kitchenaid Kco255bm Microwave Toaster Oven Combo
Award:BEST PRECISION COOKING
WHY WE LIKE IT: Ships with a built-in temperature probe, allowing for ultra-precise cooking that results in perfectly prepared recipes, in addition to offering a pair of convection-based heating elements for speedy prep.
Pros
- Non-stick interior may not suit all consumers
- Bulky form factor
This Kitchenaid microwave toaster oven combo is a great choice for recipes that demand precision and exacting preparation, as this model comes with a built-in temperature probe that gives accurate readings as to just how hot the interior of the oven is at any given moment. We loved the generous maximum capacity here, which is enough for two whole chickens to be roasted simultaneously, and a pair of powerful convection-based heating elements. This is also an attractive convection microwave, with a gorgeous black matte exterior.
Though the large capacity is a definite plus with this model, it does contribute to a bulky form factor that could struggle to fit in smaller kitchen spaces. Also, the non-stick interior makes this oven easy to clean, but consumers who are sensitive to certain chemicals may not be pleased. For even more functionality, you might also want to consider the best convection microwave ovens.
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Put Your New Favorite Kitchen Gadgets To Work With The Recipes Found In These Books Youll Be Able To Create Delicious And Flavorful Meals All With The Push Of A Button Thats Dinner Made Easy
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Recipes Made For You Instant Vortex Plus
This air fryer is still new to the market, so you might have some limited resources at first. However, as bloggers continue to develop and perfect recipes, you will definitely see more coming through the pipeline in the future.
In the meantime, you can use almost any air fryer recipe with some adjustments on how the food sits. Try using recipes that resemble the same mini-oven shape as the Vortex. At first, it might be a trial and error process until youve honed your own Vortex skills.
Remember, you cant make anything with a liquid batter unless you freeze it first and you also cant make anything in large quantities.
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Omni Pro Vs Omni Plus: Which Is Better
It is not an exaggeration to claim that the Omni Pro is a 360-degree upgrade of its Plus counterpart, with more culinary functions , more toasting levels , and numerous extra accessories.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eNevertheless, budget users might also find their solace in Omni Plus, which is still qualified as a high-end product and comes at a lower cost.
Storing The Air Fryer
If you have a pantry to store this air fryer, that would be ideal. Its average in size when you compare it to other kitchen gadgets that may be already sitting on your countertop. It weighs 6.6 lbs with dimensions of 14.17L x 13.86W x 14.96H Inches.
Its very sleek in design so it seems less obtrusive compared to its egg-shaped contemporaries. All the accessories can be stored inside it, with the exception of the fetching tool. The power cable is attached so unlike Instant Pot, you cant store that inside itself. Some people use their air fryers so frequent that it has earned its place on the kitchen counter.
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Best Instant Pot Air Fryer Combo: Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooker
| Specifications |
| + Dishwasher-safe lid offers easy cleaning. | The valve gets too hot during pressure cooking. |
| + Cooking application has 1000+ recipes that will help you cook dishes to perfection. | |
| + 6 QT capacity is enough to cook food for an entire family. |
The Instant Pot Duo offers 7 unique cooking options and 13 customizable smart programs for quicker and hassle-free cooking. This combo can cook food 70% faster than traditional cooking methods, saving time. This appliances capacity is perfect for growing to large families. You can cook for up to 6 people at a time with its great 6qt capacity.
The Instant Pot is really easy to clean. Just wipe the machine with a cloth and clean the inner pot normally or in a dishwasher. Moreover, the lid is dishwasher safe too!
For your safety, the company has added 10 features to prevent cooking mishaps like overcooking/overheating of food, spills/splatters, and many more.
Apart from that, buying an Instant Pot Duo gives you access to 1000+ recipes. Simply download the companys application and start cooking your favorite dishes!
| Feature Analysis |
How Does It Compare
The Breville Smart Oven is a great contender for the Instant Omni Plus toaster oven to go up against because they are so similar. They both can do about all the same things in terms of cooking methods. However, this oven does not have a dehydrate, proofing, or rotisserie function, which could put it out of the running for some people. They both have the same amount of power and the Breville Smart oven is ½ inch wider but is 4 inches shorter than the Omni Plus toaster oven, making it a better fit for your kitchen counters.
While this oven does have a wire rack, it is stationary and cannot be moved up or down which could be frustrating in some circumstances. The controls on the Breville Smart Oven are also digital with a backlit LED display but do not seem as intuitive as the Omni Plus. Either way, the Omni Plus toaster oven still takes the cake in my view.
This Power Air Fryer 360 designed by world-renowned chef superstar Emeril Lagasse actually may be a better product than the Instant Omni Plus toaster oven in several areas. The main reason is that the machine was designed by an actual chef who thought of all the problems you may encounter when using a machine like this and made it simpler. Although the oven is not as powerful as the Instant Omni Plus at 1500 watts, it does make up for that in other areas.
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How Easy Is It To Clean
The Omni Plus cleaning process is really no different than cleaning any other air fryer toaster oven.
One feature other toaster ovens have that I noticed is a crumb tray that will pull out of the bottom of the machine. It is meant to collect all of the burnt pieces that gather at the bottom of the toaster oven. The Omni Plus does not have a crumb tray, but it does have an oven tray that can be placed at the bottom to collect liquids, fat drippings, crumbs, and anything else that may fall from the wire rack while cooking, so it is kind of the same thing.
I placed the wire rack, rotisserie spits, and forks in the dishwasher and they came out nice and clean with no problems. I hand-washed the oven tray several times with hot water and dish soap. The oven tray has a non-stick coating on the pan which makes it very easy to clean so the process is seamless. All in all, I had no trouble cleaning the machine from top to bottom.
So What Is This Instant Pot Air Fryer
The Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven is a multi-use countertop appliance that prepares dishes by circulating super-heated air around the food, with little or no cooking oil, to achieve crunchy golden air-fried meals. It features an advanced microprocessor and 7-preset Smart Programs. With 1500 Watts of power, you will be able to cook anything fresh or frozen with a perfectly golden crispy outside and tender inside.
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Overview Of The Instant Omni And Omni Plus
The Instant Omni is larger and sturdier than the Vortex. However, while it has a rotisserie, it lacks the rotating rotisserie basket of the Vortex. See our full Instant Pot Vortex review for more on the Vortex versus the Omni.
There are now reports that Instant customer service has verified that there will be both an Instant Omni and Instant Omni Plus. The plus will reportedly have the same dimensions but will add the proof and slow cook features. An Amazon listing of an Omni Plus with a listed availability in several months was up for awhile and then removed. Customer service did tell a person that the Plus would be sold on Amazon. A reader sent me screen shots that she took of listings for the Plus before it was removed and it does indeed appear to have the same dimensions, this is assuming that customer reports of the Omni dimensions are correct.
You can see Instant Pots sneak peek announcement about the Omni here.
Instant Pot Omni Plus Microwave Toaster Oven Combo
Award:BEST FOR BAKING
WHY WE LIKE IT: Great choice for baking enthusiasts, as this model boasts specialized presets for baking cakes and related items, with a durable stainless steel form factor, and a generous 26L maximum capacity.
Pros
- Somewhat expensive
- Weighs over 30lb
The Instant Pot Omni Plus Microwave Toaster Oven Combo is the perfect choice for those who tend to enjoy baking cakes and related foodstuffs, as this air fryer combo unit features a number of presets intended for baking cakes, cupcakes, pie crusts, and more. We loved the generous 26-liter maximum capacity here and a series of smart programs for a wide array of different recipes. This model also ships with everything you need to make rotisserie chicken, including rotisserie spits, rotisserie forks, and more.
This is a fairly heavy combo oven, so take that into consideration before making a purchase. Also, the price here is higher than some competitors, likely due to the versatility on offer and the above-average components. You might also like the best kitchen appliances buying guide for more accessories.
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The First Pressure Cooker Lid Broke Rendering It Unusable
During one of my first sessions using the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid, an essential piece of the pressure cooker lid that helps fasten it to the main lid snapped off, rendering it unusable as a pressure cooker or slow cooker. I cant say for sure how it happened though the first few times I attached the pressure lid, I had to muscle it a bit to get it on.
A small and seemingly unimportant plastic bit will render your Instant Pots pressure cooker lid useless if it snaps off, as mine did.
In the replacement lid that I was sent, the small plastic protuberance that snapped off didnt seem particularly shoddy. That said, Id caution anyone with this model to be gentler than I was in trying to secure and remove the lid.
How Do Air Fryers Work
Air fryers are actually small convection ovens. They have a topside heating element and a motorized fan which rapidly circulates the hot air so food cooks evenly creating the same crispiness as in traditional fried foods. Because of the size of the cooking chamber and rapid air circulation, the cooking time can be effectively reduced by 20% or more when compared to other cooking methods.
Air fryers technically dont fry food at all. The heated air that contains fine oil droplets takes the moisture out of the foods. The result is similar characteristics as fried foods, with significantly lower levels of fat, since they remove high-fat and high-calorie oils from the typical cooking process.
Air-frying triggers a chemical reaction, the Maillard Reaction , the browning color and flavoring of food, like many other cooking methods.
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