Instant Pot Or Air Fryer

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Instant Pot Or Air Fryer: User Friendliness

Introducing the Instant Pot Pro Crisp Air Fryer

With both devices, you need absolutely no cooking skills whatsoever to cook fantastic meals with ease. The only difference is that with an instant pot, there is a slightly steeper initial learning curve. This is simply due to the fact that there are more cooking functions to get to grips with, of which most can be activated at the touch of a button.

Types Of Instant Pot Air Fryer

Instant Air Fryers are the only genuine Air Fryers on this list. The drawer design makes it easy to flip ingredients and safer to operate. Clearly, its the best type of Air Fryer.

Using the Air Fryer Lid accessory for Instant Pot is not that straightforward. Though the heating element has some sort of heat protection, its still going to be dangerously hot.

The only use case that I can see with this type of machine is when you want to pressure cook your chicken before air frying it. Well, pressure-frying, in a way, produces a juicier end product.

Finally, if you love making pizza, Air fryer Ovens are the way to go. You can fit an 8-inch pizza with the Instant Vortex Pro. And if you need something bigger, the Instant Omni Pro can handle a 12-inch one.

The Difference Between These Two Time

The difference between the Dreo Air Fryer and Instant Pot.

Like all millennials who got married in the late 2010s, my wife and I became the proud recipients of two electronic bundles of joy the Instant Pot and an Air Fryer that have both birthed dozens upon dozens of delicious meals that even I a registered Luddite learned to master.

So, whats the difference between these two time-saving appliances, and which ones will bring you the kind of joy I feel every time I load up my boys with raw chicken and potatoes? Lets find out.

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Create Delicious Meals With Less Oil

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The Spruce / Chloe Jeong

Air fryers have gained popularity for producing crispy, evenly browned “fried” foods without the use of an actual deep fryer. They work by circulating hot air around food, similarly to a convection oven, and eliminate the need for much, if any, cooking oil, resulting in grocery savings and less cleanup.

Many consumers are convinced air fryers produce a superior fried finish on French fries, tater tots, and chicken wings, compared to a standard oven. They can even be used to make homemade chicken tenders and potato chips, making them worth the investment for fried snack food lovers.

Many air fryers are programmed with multiple cooking functions and can double as a toaster oven, convection oven, warmer, rotisserie, indoor grill, and more. With so many options on the market, it can be tough to choose the one that’s right for you, so we sent the top-rated air fryers to our experienced product testers to review. They cooked French fries, wings, and more, and tested out each appliance’s special features and additional functions beyond air frying. They specifically rated each air fryer on its design, heating capacity, performance, versatility, and overall value.

Here, the best air fryers, based on our extensive testing insights.

What Is The Air Fryer

Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid is Available on Amazon for $80

In simplest terms, this gadget fries the food with hot air. However, an air fryer does not actually fry food. It is more like a convection oven that circulates hot air rapidly to cook food evenly making it crisp, similar to deep-frying, but without the vat of oil.

Air frying is a healthier cooking alternative for those desiring dishes like chicken wings or fries.

100 of the BEST Instant Pot Recipes

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We Tested The Instant Pot Air Fryer Here Is Our Honest Review

Kitchen counter spaces across the nation were being filled with incredible gadgets this year and the number one was our beloved Instant Pot. Now, Instant Pot introduced its new buddy Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven to share some cooking time.

There are plenty of other brands cornering the air fryer market. Instant Pot took its time to see the true needs of their consumers to develop one that was just right.

How Does It Stack Up Amongst The Rest

The real difference among air fryers comes down to convenience. It has a 10-quart capacity, which rivals many air fryers on the market, which tend to be around 5-quart size. Many air fryers are built in an egg shape, the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer looks more like a traditional countertop oven with 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. Thats dinner for the whole family on the table without preheating your oven.

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Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer: The Main Differences

After understanding some great features and capabilities of the Instant pot and Air fryers, its time to compare the differences. This will help you to make the right decision on which to buy between the two and decide which is the better long-term addition to your kitchen. We already know one difference in how the two work and process food, but now we look more different.

Instant Vortex Plus Dual Air Fryer Vs Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer: Which Air Fryer Should You Choose

Instant Pot Pro Crisp Air Fryer – One-Pot Magic

Its the fight of the fryers

If youre looking to indulge in tasty treats such as fries and chicken wings without worrying about the health implications of deep-frying, or just want to speed up cooking times and spend less time slaving over a hot stove, using one of the best air fryers will save you both calories and time.

Instant, the brand behind the Instant Pot multicooker, and Ninja are two of the biggest brands in the air fryer market and both offer an array of basket-style air fryers that circulate hot air around foods to create a crisp, crunchy finish while using minimal oil.

Ninja has marketed a dual-drawer air fryer, the Ninja Foodi 2 Basket , which lets you cook two different foods at the same time, for a couple of years, and now rival Instant has followed suit with the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Air Fryer .

Both air fryers are similarly priced: the Instant model will set you back $199.99 / £199.99 – unfortunately, its not currently available in Australia, while the Ninja version costs $179.99 / $199.99 / AU$449.99. So how do they measure up? We pitted the Instant Vortex Plus Dual air fryer against the Ninja Foodi 2 basket air fryer to find out, and to help you choose the right appliance for your kitchen.

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Meal Prepping For Beginners

Another way to get your meals ready faster is to start doing meal prep. Meal prepping for beginners can be as simple as making a dinner plan and shopping for the entire week in advance. When you get your groceries home take time to thoroughly wash and store your produce. If you have extra time and its something that will keep well in the fridge, you can prepare the produce by cutting or chopping it and storing in airtight containers. Otherwise, doing this step the night before youll need it works, too.

Cooking large batches of grains in your Instant Pot is another meal prep tip you may find useful if you need them for your weekly recipes. The same goes for cooking meats ahead of time and then using the cuts or shreds in multiple recipes throughout the week. Prepping helps you get a meal together more quickly when time is of the essence.

You Can’t Fit Much In The Air Fryer Basket

To be fair, this is my complaint with most air fryers, but there are some air fryers and toaster ovens with air fry capabilities that can fit larger amounts. We are a family of 2, so it works ok for us for most applications, but if you are a family of 4 or more, or enjoy making large portions for leftovers, you’ll have to cook your food in multiple batches which is a pain really defeats the purpose of air frying!

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What People Love About The Air Fryer

Here are some of the most popular features and benefits of using an air fryer:

  • Crispy food with little to no oil much healthier option to frying!
  • Reheat fried food enjoy those fried chicken wings the following day!
  • No preheating or very little time before the air fryer starts cooking at full heat.
  • Speed from frozen to golden in minutes!
  • Adjustable temperature
  • You can check on food midway through cooking, in fact it notifies you to flip food over.
  • Small batches without heating up the kitchen, great for sing servings.
  • Safe and easy, it turns itself off when time is up.
  • Easy to clean in a dishwasher or by hand
  • Ability to dehydrate foods like fruit, nuts, seeds, beef jerky.
  • Versatility you can roast veggies, bake cookies, fry chips!

How Easy Is It To Build

Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Review

The instructions offer one page on cooking, which shows you the preset duration and temperature. So, it’s not prescriptive, but allows room for experimentation.

Thankfully, the model is very intuitive to set up, because it only has three parts: the cooker, air fryer basket and pull-out tray. The only assembly you need to do is to slot the cooking tray into the basket, which is helped by a carry loop and silicone corners that protect them from scratches.

Two indents beneath its outer casing make moving it around the counter easy to do. Its non-slip feet are also incredibly effective.

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Which One Is Faster

It depends on the type of ingredients you want to cook but since the air fryer features only one cycle, its faster than the instant pot.

The instant pot needs to build up pressure before the cooking can begin. Additionally, an air fryer can be utilized as an instant pot and not the other way around.

The instant pot represents a multicooker. Meaning, its more versatile. The air fryer is less versatile since it can only make fried food.

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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The Air Fryer Function

I was a little worried that the Instant Pot wouldn’t be able to circulate air as well as a traditional air fryer, but was pleasantly surprised by the result! So far I’ve used it to make fries, chicken wings, crispy chicken thighs, home fries, chicken nuggets, and carnitas with great success. I also like that it is built to tell you when to flip your food for even cooking.

One word of caution with the air fryer function I find it to be a little bit less powerful than a traditional air fryer, so when I’m following air fryer recipes I typically add on another 5 or so minutes to achieve the perfect crisp!

Best With Toaster Oven: Cuisinart Toa

Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid – Parmesan Pork Chops and Roasted Asparagus

Your regular toaster oven just got smarter with this compact toaster oven and air fryer in one. It can air fry up to 3 pounds of food, it can roast a 4-pound chicken, and it can bake a 12-inch pizzaand thats just the beginning. Its also an efficient toaster that heats from both the top and bottom for even browning whether youre making toast for breakfast or baking chicken.

This oven isnt just for high-heat cooking, though, since it also has low heat settings ideal for proofing bread dough or dehydrating fruit and meat for homemade snacks. Our tester successfully used it to dehydrate apples, garlic, ginger, and herbs. The digital display looks modern and is easy to set, too.

Our tester was surprised and delighted by how quiet it was compared to other appliances. One of her favorite things to use it for was air frying bacon because it was quick and less messy than cooking it on the stove. She noted there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to timing , but was impressed with the ability to fine-tune the presets to her exact preferences.

The Spruce Eats / Renu Dhar

Capacity: 0.6cubic feet | Power Rating: 1800 watts | Dimensions: 21.73 x 15.75 x 17 inches | Warranty: 3 years

“The Cuisinart Digital AirFryer Toaster Oven is more than just an air fryer and toasteryou will end up using it every day for roasting, baking, dehydrating, reheating, and more.” Renu Dhar, Product Tester

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Which One Is Healthier

It all depends on the type of food youre cooking and the amount of oil you use. Both appliances designed to make life in the kitchen easier by speeding up the cooking process.

However, if it were to run a comparison, Id have to give the edge to Instant Pot cookers because they use steam to cook the food and keep the nutrients inside. Air fryers use heat and a dab of oil to produce crispy textures, but they lose some of the nutrients in the process.

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  • Digital screen is easy to use

  • Substantial 2.75-quart basket

  • You dont have to rotate your food while cooking

  • Doesnt shut off when you open it

  • Housing gets hot

For a reliable and attractive option, we recommend the Philips Air Fryer Viva TurboStar. Philips isn’t as well known as Cuisinart or Breville, but they were one of the first manufacturers to bring air fryers into home kitchens.

The TurboStar has four preset functions for cooking popular meals , dishwasher safe parts, and a keep-warm function that makes sure your food remains warm and ready to serve while you finish other aspects of the meal. The digital display makes it easy to see the settings that are all controlled with a simple knob.

The proprietary TurboStar technology is also designed to cook foods evenly so you wont have to stop cooking to shake the basket of fries for the perfect poutine. Our reviewer cooked French fries, chicken tenders, and apple chips and everything came out exactly as expected. To make cooking even easier, theres a downloadable app that has 200 recipes designed for the air fryer.

The Spruce Eats / Lindsay Boyers

Capacity: 2.75 quarts | Power Rating: 1425 watts | Dimensions: 14.5 x 10.5 x 11 inches | Warranty: 1 year

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Do You Need An Instant Pot Or An Air Fryer

Looking for that new kitchen appliance to make cooking easier? You might be trying to decide between an air fryer and an Instant Pot. Both can take the fuss out of cooking certain dishes, but theyre two extremely different appliances, making it likely that one will suit you better than the other.

Air fryers are designed to crisp up food that you might otherwise cook in a deep fryer, while Instant Pots cook food that requires a liquid element, like soups, stews and rice.

Does Instant Pot Have An Air Fryer

Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Review

Obviously the Instant Pot Duo Crisp offers air fryer capabilities but it is not a standalone air fryer. But they do now make the Instant Vortex Plus 7-in-1 Air Fryer is one of the releases from Instant Brands in the air fryer market. This is NOT a combination with a pressure cooker. You can do more than just air fry though, as with most air fryer models, and you can also bake, broil, roast, etc.

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Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 8

The Instant Pot® that air fries!

The Instant Pot® Duo Crisp + Air Fryer is fast, versatile, and convenient, with 2 innovative, removable lids to help you to cook and crisp your favorite meals all in one pot. All it takes is cook, switch, crisp!

  • 11-in-1 pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, sous vide, air fryer, roaster, mini oven, broiler, and dehydrator
  • 2 convenient, removable lids to transform your Instant Pot into an air fryer
  • 11 customizable programs for quick one-touch meals
  • Innovative auto-sealing pressure cooking lid with a button for easy, stress-free venting
  • Stainless-steel inner pot with tri-ply bottom for perfect sautéing
  • EvenCrisp air flow gives you the crunch and tenderness of deep-frying with 95% less oil
  • Customizable temperature range of 105°F to 400°F for Air Frying Lid
  • Cook up to 8 portions, perfect for families, meal prep, and big batch cooking
  • Bring it to potlucks, parties, events and more
  • Up to 70% faster and more energy efficient than other cooking methods
  • Dishwasher-safe pressure cooking lid and inner pot for quick and easy clean-up
  • 10+ proven safety features, including Overheat Protection and safe locking lid
  • Accessories include a multi-functional stainless-steel rack, multi-level air fryer basket with base and broil/dehydrating tray, and a protective pad and storage cover
  • BPA/PFOA/PTFE-free cooking
  • 1500 watts, 120 V~ 60 Hz, UL & ULC Listed

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