Instant Pot - Vortex Plus 13L Air Fryer Oven

Welcome to the cult. Me welcome to cult, too, I guess. I've always been very anti air-fryer. Felt like a solution without a problem. I already have a regular convection oven, why do I need a tiny convection oven? My feelings were exactly the same on toasters. Then last week I was making a bagel - toasting it in the big oven - and then having a thought that this is just a bit silly. Anyway, all praise to Costco's sales gods and yesterday I picked up a good deal on an Instant Vortex Oven 13L. Went for an oven-style rather than a tray-style for the added flexibility.

Decent enough. It's definitely quicker than the oven. Still learning optimal settings/cook times as they are shorter than they would be in a standard oven / what the packaging often says, even if it has specific air fryer instructions. So far I've done a couple frozen items, and mostly just toasted some bagels. On the frozens - I did did jalapeno poppers and they came out crisp. On the bagels, it became very evident that the heat distribution is not entirely even and there are some hot spots. It's not awful, but there is a visible gradient to the toastiness level. Clean up has been fairly easy, too. I thought about the Ninja 10-in-1. At least at MSRP the Ninja is like 2x as expensive, although goes on sale often, but the best sale I've seen on it still has it be about 30% more expensive than the Costco deal on the Instant. I think "30% more" is just the story of the Ninja - it's about 30% bigger, 30% hotter, preheats 30% faster. I ultimately wanted the smaller unit due to countertop space constraints, but if you're looking for an alternative to not having a standard size oven, maybe the Ninja is more appropriate. I did not have that need - I have a regular oven if I need to cook more. One thing that definitely gave me pause on the Ninja is that there were more than a handful reviews saying that basically it's great while it works, but it also broke shortly after the warranty ran out. At least in my anecdotal experience that jives with my experience with Ninja/Shark brand products. They perform well but then also fail early and often. My track record with Instant products has been quite a bit more reliable, so I do trust them more.

For what it is worth, I used this other post to help me, and I obtained the Vortex Plus XL, which is fine. I didn't have any problem with it. [https://www.reddit.com/r/VerifiedWiHookups/comments/1ix4dya/the\_5\_best\_air\_fryers\_that\_ever\_exists/](https://www.reddit.com/r/VerifiedWiHookups/comments/1ix4dya/the_5_best_air_fryers_that_ever_exists/)

The instant pot vortex one is quite on sale right now and works well. I would also get a small microwave if you do lots of little things that require that.

I purchased the same Vortex Plus with front window from a thrift store with the "Close Basket" error. The only solution for me was to open the unit and replace the micro switch.  When you close the door, a cone shaped extension, visible on the top front center housing, gets pushed up to the micro switch.  If the micro switch is faulty, you'll always get the "Close Basket" error.  This used unit has been working for close to 2 years.

I bought one back in July and since I unpacked it I haven’t used my oven once. There may be better ones but it’s worked well for me. I like the dial to change time and temp.

I'm pretty happy with my Instant Vortex Plus. The one with the window is $89 at Amazon. No app.

I have the Instant Vortex Plus. It's the most used item in my kitchen, bar none.

My plus has been running great for over a year now

I have the same one and the same issue. I managed to figure out the trick to use it. After you put the basket back in keep your hand on the handle then put your thumb on the top of the air fryer just below the button/knob and press down with it while pulling the basket handle up. Works for me every time. Still not great it happens but at least it becomes usable.

I did some research and a few people who's opinion I trust seem to prefer the basket type. I'm now on my 3rd one. We are a family of 3 and the 6 quart size fits us best. Somebody said that if you buy one to big, it still works. If you buy one to small, you can't make it bigger. I had a bad experience with zero support from my last one. It was a brand called Bella. I would avoid them like the plague Just got an Instant brand Vortex Plus (same folks who made my Instant Pot) and I love it. It has better circulation than either of my other two. It is fun to use, and beautifully engineered. I got it on Amazon for $79, I think the regular price was $99

I think my Instant Vortex Plus is good, it has air fry, bake, roast, dehydrate, and broil. Is there better - I don't know.