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Instant Pot's Vortex Plus proves 2019 really is the year of the air fryer
Instant Pot's Vortex Plus proves 2019 really is the year of the air fryer
Earlier this year, my colleagues and I scoured the aisles of the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago looking for the hottest kitchen innovations. What we found were air fryers. Everywhere.
Now, Instant Pot has released its own air fryer (with six other functions, of course), called the Instant Vortex Plus. Looks like the combination cooking trend isn't going away anytime soon.
Air frying is moving from a dedicated special appliance to a mode on your toaster oven or even your full-size oven. Other cooking functions might soon follow, too.
Read more:Best air fryers of 2019: Philips, Cuisinart, Black and Decker and more
Cuisinart's newest toaster oven includes an air fry button.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Combining multiple cooking functions in one device isn't new. We've seen products like the Thermomix TM5 attempt it in years past. Adding an air fryer to a toaster oven isn't breaking news, either. Breville was the first to introduce the air fryer-toaster oven concept in 2018.
But the trend is exploding this year. At the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas, Frigidaire and Bosch both announced air fryer buttons on their newest full-size ovens. Cuisinart, Galanz Americas, Hamilton Beach and De'Longhi all showed off new air fryer toaster ovens for 2019 at IHHS.
And of course, there's Instant Pot. The brand known for its countertop multicookers released the combination air fryer in early July. The $119 Instant Vortex Plus is only available at Walmart and has a seven-in-one design with air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat and dehydrate. There's also a rotate option for rotisserie cooking.
Chris Monroe/CNET
It's sensible enough, given that many toaster ovens already perform a myriad of heating tasks such as baking, broiling, reheating and even rotisserie-style cooking. Most models we saw included the classic wire frying basket in one form or another, and other specialty functions like modes specifically made for pizza and cookies.
Combining (or as I affectionately call it, "Frankensteining") multiple functions in one device is more popular than ever before. Some companies are taking a simple approach. Black & Decker is releasing a sous vide-slow cooker combination device this year that's fine-tuned for those two functions.
Others are more ambitious when it comes to how many tasks one appliance can perform. Galanz, a Chinese company bringing its brand to the US for the first time this year as Galanz Americas, showcased a four-in-one appliance called the ToastWave that can microwave, convection bake, air fry and toast your food.
It's not just the heating element. Gourmia recently announced a new CoolCooker line that includes a pressure cooker and a multicooker with built-in refrigeration to keep foods cool until scheduled cooking begins.
The Black & Decker Sous Vide Slow Cooker performs both functions and includes a temperature probe.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Is it great to have fewer small appliances cluttering up your countertop? Yes. Is it cost-effective (in most cases) to buy a combo device rather than two separate appliances? Yes. Still, those perks aren't enough to convince me that a combination cooker is a smart buy.
For these to really be the right choice for most homes, they need to work well. I don't mean a passing C- grade for adequately accomplishing the tasks they advertise. I mean really work well. That's what will make these options truly worth it. After all, I'd rather have a great air fryer making an extra crispy batch of snacks and a great toaster oven for my morning bagel than one below-average combination of the two.
If small appliance makers can master the all-in-one style appliance, how does that affect their bottom line? Are they hoping these multitaskers will sell well enough to offset the demise and discontinuation of all their single-function models? Clearly, I have questions.
For now, I'll keep my task-specific workhorses around until a worthy jack-of-all-trades comes around.
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Best Air Fryers of 2022, Tested by Us
Best Air Fryers of 2022, Tested by Us
These small kitchen appliances became popular for a reason: An air fryer is excellent for making quick snacks like wings, fries or veggie snacks without all the oil. But it's also our favorite way to reheat leftover pizza, fried foods, lasagna and chicken. We also did some math and it turns out these energy-efficient air fryers will save money on your electric bill if used in place of a big oven. Starting to see the appeal?
If you're still not quite sure what an air fryer even is, CNET's complete guide to air fryers has everything you need to know before you buy. If you're ready to bring one in, you'll probably want to know which is the best air fryer in 2022. That's why we've tested over a dozen models from cheap air fryers, to compact models and even air fryers that double as an Instant Pot.
Best air fryers in 2022
Brian Bennett/CNET
When we tested air fryers originally, the Ninja proved itself the best air fryer model for chicken wings. That's still the case, but in our latest round of air fryer testing we found this machine also cooked many other things well, landing it in the top spot on our updated list. The Ninja was the most powerful air fryer we tested, blasting chicken wings to crispy goodness the fastest. Speed is a big draw since it means you'll get that desired crispy outer layer faster with less risk of drying out the inside of a chicken wing, french fry or whatever else you're making.
The Ninja also made frozen mozzarella sticks that were nicely browned with bubbly cheese inside. They started out frozen and were transformed into crispy, crunchy and gooey cheese bombs in 6 minutes flat. If you're into fries, the Ninja won't disappoint either. Frozen french fries turned out golden brown and delicious in just 10 minutes in both rounds of testing.
One thing to note is the Ninja lacks a special cooking method or mode for vegetables, so, much as in our previous testing, the fresh Brussels sprouts emerged a tad overdone, even burnt in spots. This simply requires a little bit more checking when you're air-frying certain foods for the first time.
The Ninja also has very simple controls, whereas some air fryer interfaces were overly complicated or had buttons and dials that just didn't make much sense. With the Ninja, there are only four buttons to control the cooking mode -- air-fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate -- as well as simple buttons to control the temperature and time. That's about it and, honestly, that's really all you need. The Ninja also has a simple, solid build with what feels like high-grade plastic. The basket slides into the base securely with no wobble.
Brian Bennett/CNET
This oversize air fryer is easy on the eyes. The Dash Deluxe has the largest cooking capacity of any of the ovens we tested, with a 6-quart cooking basket. It also has some undeniable retro appeal and is available in a few fun colors. The appliance we tested was aqua, though it also comes in red, black and white. This model has all manual controls with no presets and was exceedingly simple to operate, and it comes with an air fryer recipe guide.
Aesthetics aside, the Dash fried up batches of wings, Brussels sprouts, tater tots and french fries that were all cooked evenly and well. In our first round of testing, we found it easy to overshoot when air-frying a mozzarella stick if you're not careful. For us, that's a good thing and only means the air fryer has considerable power that you'll learn to manage.
I rarely rely solely on food manufacturer recommendations or oven presets, but rather use them as a loose guide and do lots of peeking and checking along the way. The Dash has exactly zero presets and no cooking modes such as roast or dehydrate, and still got the most important jobs done.
The Dash is also solidly built, although not quite as solidly as the Ninja. It's also on the heavy side, so this is one you might need to find a permanent home for instead of moving it around your kitchen. If you like this model but prefer a smaller size, you can get the compact model for under $55 right now.
Nutribullet
I'm going to level with you, air fryers can be a little bulky. In fact, they're one of the larger countertop appliances you can purchase, and if you have a small kitchen with limited countertop square footage, you're going to have to account for that. One workaround is nabbing a hybrid countertop oven that serves as a toaster, convection oven and air fryer. The Ninja Foodi is my favorite and it even flips up to sit no more than 7 inches from the wall when not in use.
Another option is buying a smaller solo air fryer, and Nutribullet's new Magic Bullet Air Fryer is our pick for the best compact air fryer in 2022. This model obviously won't hold as much as the others on the list but in our testing, it showed good power so you could cook fairly quickly in batches if need be. The Magic Bullet has a 2.5-quart cooking basket, which is enough to hold about eight wings or two servings of french fries in a single batch.
The Magic Bullet Air Fryer crisped chicken wings and Brussels sprouts nicely and got the fries to golden brown as fast as any other air fryer on our list. (I imagine the small basket accounts for this machine's fast cooking.) It also has simple analog dials and wasn't noisy while in action.
Ninja
If you've got a small army to feed, you're going to need more air fryer basket space and Ninja's Foodi model with two baskets has 8 quarts of it -- 4 quarts on each side. The beauty of a two-basket model is you can cook your meats in one basket at the appropriate temperature and cook sides or vegetables on the other since they often require a lower temp. Or you can just cook boatloads of chicken wings using both sides and feed the entire neighborhood on game day.
The Ninja may be large but it still has tons of superconvection power, with both sides reaching 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also set the timer for up to an hour at a time. The Ninja model has easy digital controls and the baskets are simple to clean.
Need more info, check out our full review on the Ninja Foodi Dual-Basket air fryer.
Instant Pot
If you're eyeing an air fryer but also an Instant Pot or another multicooker, let me save you some money and kitchen space. The Instant Pot Duo does all the work of the popular multicooker -- pressure cooker, slow cooker, steam and saute -- but comes with a separate air fryer lid and cooking function as well.
I found the air fryer function worked as well or better than most of the solo air fryers I tested. One reason, and something you might consider a drawback, is that the cooking capacity is relatively small, which generally translates to better air fryer results since the hot circulating air hits the food harder, hotter and faster. Instant Pot's Duo model made incredible crispy "fried" chicken, wings, veggies and other classics, but know that you'll likely have to cook in batches if you're making food for a group.
It's also a solid deal. The Duo Crisp can often be found at an affordable price, which can be a deciding factor for those looking for the best air fryer that fits a tight budget.
Gourmia
Gourmia Air Fryer
Best budget air fryer
If you're not looking to drop a full Ben Franklin on your air fryer, know that you don't have to but can still nab a quality air fryer oven for relatively cheap. Of the many we tested, the Gourmia was among the least expensive, but it performed quite well in most of the tests.
This 5-quart oven cooked chicken wings especially well, with crispy skin and juicy centers, and we found the power nearly on par with the Ninja and Dash ovens. It also made very crispy french fries and toasty mozzarella sticks with a gooey center.
One small drawback of this machine is its slightly clumsy build. The basket didn't slide into the oven as flush as you might want and that could ultimately lead to problems, though it didn't affect my use of it in any way. This air fryer also has a lot of presets, which I don't generally care for since they don't account for how much food you're cooking or the size of, let's say, a chicken wing or thickness of your french fries. I find it's always better to use a rough preset recommendation and a lot of progress checking the first few times you cook something. That way you'll learn about the oven and its power for yourself.
All that said, this 4-quart digital air fryer has a lot of oomph for the price and it's a great size for most kitchens.
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp air fryer and multicooker turned out some excellent air-fried chicken.
David Watsky/CNET
Other air fryers we tested
Brian Bennett/CNET
Instant Vortex
One popular option is the Instant Vortex. It's priced in line with the other air fryers in this group. The Vortex is made by the same company that created the groundbreaking Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. Despite that, though, we weren't blown away by the food we fried in it.
Using the recommended settings, mozzarella sticks came out a tad soggy with exteriors that weren't quite crispy enough. Chicken wings and fried chicken were acceptable, not incredible, and less juicy than what other fryers produced. My Brussels sprouts ended up overdone too. And frozen fries were done but cooked unevenly.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Dash Compact Air Fryer
The Dash Compact Air Fryer is different from its bigger sibling in important ways. Specifically, the small air fryer is underpowered and bears a rock-bottom price tag. While the Dash Deluxe is a powerhouse, the Dash Compact struggled to air-fry almost everything we put inside it. Both french fries and Brussels sprouts were underdone and unevenly cooked.
Mozzarella sticks emerged from the air fryer basket hot, but weren't all that crispy. The only bright spot was chicken wings. They took 30 minutes but I was treated to skin with some crunch.
Brian Bennett/CNET
GoWise USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer
You may not have heard of this brand, but this offering from GoWise is a solid choice. It didn't cook the skin of my chicken wings evenly. That said, french fries came out crispy, crunchy, with creamy interiors. The fryer also roasted Brussels sprouts well, no mean feat for this group of appliances.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Chefman 2.1 qt. Analog Air Fryer
Another relatively affordable choice is the Chefman Analog Air Fryer. It's tiny too, offering just 2.1 quarts of food-frying capacity. The appliance did deliver tasty mozzarella sticks and decent chicken wings. However, it undercooked my Brussels sprouts and frozen french fries. We also found the Chefman's timer control confusing. This dial is labeled in numerical increases of 10. The numbers, though, are separated by groups of four dots, not nine as you would expect.
Brian Bennett/CNET
PowerXL Vortex Air Fryer
You might consider purchasing the PowerXL Vortex, but we recommend against it due to its steep price and mediocre frying performance. We had satisfactory results cooking chicken wings in it. However, my mozzarella sticks exploded when we fried them as directed by the product manual. The machine also overcooked Brussels sprouts and the french fries it prepared were merely OK, not outstanding.
DeLonghi Rapid Crisp
David Watsky/CNET
The DeLonghi Rapid Crisp was one of the most expensive models we tested and it just didn't live up to the price tag. While I really liked the design, sturdy build and appreciated the small viewing window for watching cooking progress, I found the buttons and interface very clunky. There was no way to set an actual cooking temp -- only presets -- and even those weren't very intuitive.
It also showed a little less power than some of the others, taking a bit longer to crisp chicken wings and Brussels sprouts, although it did cook the fries and mozzarella sticks beautifully. Despite packing a bit less punch, this model still did a suitable job and has a nice compact shape so I wouldn't call this a complete failure of an appliance, just not worth the $200 you'd need to shell out.
Beautiful Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore
David Watsky/CNET
This air fryer offering from actress Drew Barrymore's new kitchen line performed well in the four rounds of testing. It showed good power and cooked chicken wings to a nice crispy outside and kept a juicy inside after about 25 minutes. It also handled the fries and mozzarella sticks with ease. The air fryer's interface is also pretty slick, although I liked the Ninja's slightly simpler control panel a bit more, which is one of a few reasons it edged out this unit for best air fryer overall.
That said, this is a great option and clocks in at about $30 cheaper than the Ninja. It also has a pleasing design with smooth matte plastic (which does smudge a bit). It comes in a few colors, including a dashing sage green.
How we test air fryers
To date, we've tested well over a dozen air fryers to curate this list. Each air fryer was evaluated for its power, consistency, ease of use, design, features and overall performance. In total, we've clocked over 50 hours of air frying using various popular air fryer foods. Below is a more detailed breakdown of our testing methodology.
At the recommended settings, my mozzarella sticks resulted in a cheese explosion. Thankfully the Dash Deluxe air fryer has a nonstick basket that's easy to clean.
Air fry, Bake, Roast, Broil, Dehydrate, Reheat, Warm
Colors available
Black, Gray
Aqua, Black, Gray, Red, White
Black
Gray
Silver
Black
Price
$120
$64
$60
$200
$120
$69
Ease of use
When frying items with each appliance, we recorded how it went, noting occurrences like overcooking, undercooking and burning. We paid attention to the labels, controls and displays or buttons if any of the machines had them. We also took note of how loud each air fryer was while it operated.
How they cook
To get a sense of how each air fryer in this test group handles, we ran a battery of four tests on each product. Each test focused on one food: mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, Brussels sprouts and frozen french fries.
Fries from the Dash oven came out crispy and nicely browned.
David Watsky/CNET
Before we began these units, we consulted each model's manual for relevant cooking directions. If the manual didn't provide specific instructions, we applied uniform procedures to each air fryer depending on the type of food we were preparing. For fries, we set the fryer to 380 F. After preheating for 5 minutes, we cooked the fries for 12 minutes and gave them a shake somewhere in the middle.
The Ninja's chicken wings were perfectly crispy on the outside and still juicy on the inside.
David Watsky/CNET
For chicken wings, we preheated to 400 F, then fried them for 30 minutes. We also made sure to flip them with tongs every 10 minutes. For mozzarella sticks, we preheated to 350 F and cooked for 6 minutes. For Brussels sprouts, we preheated to 375 F and cooked for 15 minutes. Before cooking, we rinsed and cut the sprouts in half and tossed them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
At the end of each test we looked for several criteria. Those included how evenly the items were cooked, how well done they were and, of course, whether they had a sufficient level of crispy, crunchy, fried deliciousness comparable to deep frying.
What is an air fryer and how does it work?
Despite the name, an air fryer doesn't fry at all. Rather, air fryers are more like a supercharged convection oven, circulating hot air with a fan and hitting food more rapidly than most ovens. That causes the outside of food to cook more quickly without drying out the inside and giving a crispy, fried-like outer shell to wings, fries and other foods.
Most air fryers come with a grated rack or perforated basket so the air can travel through and hit the food on all sides.
Air fryer buying guide
What size air fryer should you get?
While there are several features to consider, the size of your air fryer is likely the most important decision you'll make. If you're typically cooking for one or two people, a 2- or 3-quart air fryer should be large enough. Consider adding another quart of capacity to your air fryer for every person that you're regularly cooking for. A family of five, for instance, should be fine with a 5-quart model. If you plan on regularly cooking full meals for a family including meat and veggies or sides, you might consider a larger, dual-basket air fryer like the Ninja we've recommended above.
All that said, the smaller the air fryer you can get away with the better. I've found that smaller air fryers such as the Magic Bullet 2-5-quart model and Instant Pot's Duo Crisp net better results since food is going to get blasted faster and more often than inside a larger model. But smaller air fryers mean less overall capacity, so you may have to cook in batches.
How powerful should an air fryer be?
Most air fryers are somewhere between 1,200 and 1,800 watts. Larger air fryers typically have more wattage and smaller models have less. Your midrange 4-quart air fryer should have about 1,500 watts. The small Magic Bullet air fryer has just 1,300, but that's plenty of power to cook food in the petite basket. Larger air fryers should have about 100 more watts per quart to make sure they hit those hot temps of 400 degrees F.
Should you just get a normal air fryer or a multi-function model?
That depends on the type of cooking you'll do and what other appliances you already have. I personally like having a solo air fryer, but I'm also a fan of the Instant Pot Dup Crisp that functions as both an air fryer and a multicooker (also a pressure cooker and slow cooker).
What kind of accessories does an air fryer come with?
Some fancy models may come with various accessories, but really all you need is an air fryer basket grate. They come standard with most air fryer models and help the superconvection to hit all sides of your food evenly.
Should I get a warranty for my air fryer?
Most air fryers come with a limited one-year warranty in case anything goes wrong right away. In truth, air fryers don't cost enough to justify paying extra for an extended warranty. If it's not included, I would save your money.
Best air fryer FAQs
How do air fryers work?
The trendy air fryer is a fairly simple cooking machine that employs extremely hot, fast circulating air to flash-roast food inside of a contained frying basket. While there's generally no or very little oil used, the results can be similar to that of traditional frying in that food comes out crispy on the outside and (ideally) moist on the inside.
Air fryers heat up fast, cook quickly and make healthier versions of traditionally fatty fried foods, so what's not to love? But they're not just for healthy versions of bar snacks. I use my air fryer for cooking skin-on chicken thighs to crispy perfection, veggies including mushrooms, peppers and onions, and even seafood like shrimp, scallops and salmon. And because most air fryer baskets are nonstick, cleanup is often as simple as a quick spritz and wipe with a soapy sponge. Many baskets are dishwasher-safe too.
What can you make in an air fryer?
The options for foods you can cook in an air fryer are vast, but some air fryer favorites include chicken wings, chicken tenders, french fries and mozzarella sticks. You can also make fish in an air fryer, including salmon, for a moist inside and roasted outer crust. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are great when made in an air fryer, as are certain vegetables like Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onions, peppers and carrots. Frozen foods such as dumplings, potato skins, Hot Pockets and tater tots can be made in an air fryer for a quick and easy snack or side dish. Air fryers can also quickly reheat food like last night's pizza or leftover fried chicken. Air fryers reheat food almost as quickly as a microwave and the results are generally much better.
Are air fryers healthy?
Yes. Generally speaking, air frying is a healthy way to cook. Cooking with an air fryer means you can get foods that taste like they've been fried but with very little or no oil. You can make healthier chicken wings, french fries and more cheese sticks without deep-frying or pan-frying in oil. Some foods do best in an air fryer with a light coating of oil but most, especially those with existing fat content, don't require any at all. Air fryers have become popular in part because they allow people to eat snack-type foods but with far less fat and fewer calories.
Air fryers use convection heat similar to a standard oven but moving at a faster rate. There are no magnetic waves or experimental heat sources to worry about.
What should you look for in an air fryer?
Power and size are the most important factors in finding the best air fryer for you. The Ninja air fryer that we liked best has 1,550 watts of power but you can expect an oven with slightly less oomph to also deliver solid results.
The best size for an air fryer is relative and will vary based on your personal requirements. A 4-quart model should be enough for most households and can easily hold five or six chicken thighs at once. There are also air fryers as large as 10 quarts that make cooking for large groups easier and some as small as 2 quarts that are perfect for singles and couples.
Other considerations include how intuitive the interfaces, dials and controls are as well as the build and durability of each air fryer. There are superpremium air fryers with loads of fancy bells and whistles but I tend to think they aren't really worth the money. The air fryer is a fairly simple machine to begin with, so it's best to avoid any that seem complicated.
Roasting Brussels sprouts well is tricky for an air fryer.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Why you should trust us
To curate this list of the best air fryers for 2022, we did well over 50 hours of air fryer testing using a variety of models at every price point. Even the smallest details are taken into consideration when making our picks, and we aren't shy about revising the list when newer, better models come into our test kitchen. For more, read about how we test products at CNET.
