Instant Pot - Vortex Plus 6QT (No ClearCook)

Yeah. I guess it depends. We have a 6l Instant Vortex and it's just about right for my wife and I. I can fit a couple of chicken breasts, some potatoes, and veggies. It's a fairly spacious basket. So you might be right. Look at the size of the basket as much as the stated liters.

Not really. Every once in a while if I'm cooking up a large batch of chicken thighs (like the ones you get at Costco) I'll have to cook a couple with everything else. And then put the rest in while we're eating. Or if I'm making some pretty big burgers. I'll have to cook the fries first, then put them in the oven to stay warm while I cook the patties. But it's very rare that we ever need a larger basket.

We have a 6qt Instant Vortex Plus. It's just right for my wife and I. Just enough room inside without taking up too much counter space.

I bought the Instant Vortex Plus 6QT Air Fryer last summer and I love it. It has a window as well and I found it crisps my food much better than my COSORI. Also has an effective broil mode.

I find the window extremely helpful for keeping an eye on food that you don't have a actual air fryer recipe for. You're kind of guessing at what it would be and that window allows me to look at the progress without opening it up over and over again.

can't go wrong with an instant vortex

air fryers need a little room to air fry, even for a single person. if it were me, I'd get an instant vortex and toss the toaster!

don't get something that does 10 different things. get a basket style air fryer. they're the simplest, easiest, and best air fryer you can buy. they're also the easiest to clean. it's exactly what you want. you essentially toss some food in oil, throw it in the basket, and push "start." my favorite is the instant pot vortex (I like the one with the window): [https://instantpot.com/collections/air-fryers-1/products/instant-vortex-plus-6-quart-stainless-steel-air-fryer-with-clearcook-and-odorerase](https://instantpot.com/collections/air-fryers-1/products/instant-vortex-plus-6-quart-stainless-steel-air-fryer-with-clearcook-and-odorerase) instant vortex air fryers are frequently rated #1 in the endless comparisons. Ninja air fryers are also popular but the surface on mine flaked off, which seems to be a fairly common complaint, so I'd recommend instant vortex over ninja. Good luck!

this is the one I'd recommend as well. Instant Vortex 👍

that's a great way of putting it. however, I will say the Philips design is showing its age. Long story but I wound up buying 4 air fryers (Ninja, Philips, Instant, Typhur). The Philips was easily the worst. Didn't reach its proper temperature (I checked with an oven thermometer) and it was the hardest to clean due to the extra part and aging design. I wound up returning it. Was it a lemon? I don't know but it was twice as much as the Ninja and Instant, and half as good. the Instant Vortex is my favorite at that price point. It's essentially perfect. The Ninja cooked well but the surface almost immediately started to flake.

The Typhur Dome is a high end air fryer, and what you're looking for! (I have an Instant vortex and a Typhur Dome.)

this question gets asked a lot in this sub, and people almost universally respond with what they have and that they like what they have. Instant Vortex is great, but Typhur is the "high end" air fryer if that's what you're looking for. (FYI: I've bought Instant, Ninja, Philips, Typhur. Philips bills and prices itself as "high end" but had the worst performance of the lot!).

this question gets asked periodically in this sub and rarely answered directly. people generally respond with "this is what I use and I like it!" I had the same question. I was looking for the best air fryer without concern for budget. What is the GOAT? So (long story) I researched as much as I could and actually wound up buying a few! What I found was that it doesn't really exist. Air fryers are generally made to be cheap, and there really is no "Rolls Royce" of air fryers. Not only that, the cheap ones can work even better than some of the expensive ones. I bought a Ninja, a "premium" Philips (the most money), and an Instant Vortex. The expensive Philips was the WORST performer (I used an oven thermometer to confirm). Philips helped pioneer air fryers, but they've gotten long in the tooth and haven't developed their line at the same rate as their competitors. The Ninja and Instant heated better, and even pre-heated better (which the Philips advertises as being particularly good at, which it's not. The Ninja and Instant were superior). However, the Ninja had some surface issues. Ninja makes some wonderful nonstick pans, but the nonstick coating on their air fryers is not the "good stuff," and almost immediately started to flake off with even gentle hand washing, something I've seen is a fairly common complaint based on other people's comments. The Instant Vortex unequivocally outperformed both of them. So my "money is no object" choice turns out to be the reasonably priced Instant Vortex.

[America's Test Kitchen recommends](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9vRSbiB9c&) the [Instant Vortex Plus 6-Qt](https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Technology-Functions-Dehydrates-Reheats/dp/B096N28SZP/). It's what I purchased after seeing their recommendation and it works well. It's the first air fryer I've ever used/owned though.

It's the one I have but it's the second one I bought. I originally bought the cosori wifi enabled and returned it. The alarm/beeper/buzzer was ungodly loud and had no volume control. I like the one I have. Works well, I use it quite a bit.

Definitely go for Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook. [(The stainless steel + odor erase version is even better.)](https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Vortex-ClearCook-Reheat-Dehydrate/dp/B096N28SZP?th=1&psc=1) If you aren't satisfied, there's also Ninja Air Fryers, Cosori, Cuisinart, etc. Personally, I have the Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook and it's awesome. It hasn't disappointed me yet.

Love my instant vortex

I have the instant vortex and it is hands down the best air fryer and most versatile I’ve ever had. Yes, miles beyond the ninja, contrary to what this sub says most of the time

Downvote me all you want people, this thing is going strong for 4 years now and it’s got a rotisserie! I don’t have the shake anything 😎

Sorry for your expensive. I've had 4 different types and brands of air fryer. My instant vortex is my favorite by a large margin, and been going strong for over 2 years.

I absolutely love mine. I have the instant vortex. The fry basket rotisserie attachment alone is worth it to me. However. Look at multiple UNBIASED reviews. They are not all created equal. But if you don't want to do that type of research. You want one that is an air fryer first that also has other settings and NOT a convection oven that also has an air fryer setting. They are not the same.

I bought a insta pot vortex on black Friday. Fucking love this thing. Is it loud? It's my first air fryer so I don't know shit

I got the instant vortex plus and it's loud as hell. I should probably experiment with it more, but tbh it's in the graveyard. I would absolutely use a fancy toaster with an air fry setting but I already have a fancy toaster that I use the hell out of, just without that feature. 

I have the Insta Vortex Plus and I've never looked back. It's got an oven style door, opens down and a glass--wipes right off--plus the door removes easily though I've never really had to take it off. It's a toaster, oven, airfryer and has a rotisserie that I used (with a basket) to boot.

I like my InstantPot Vortex 6qt basket. 7 different functions. I use it nearly daily.

I have a 6 quart basket style vortex from instant pot. It is the perfect size for one or two people. I have never had a problem with food coming out “dry“ as long as I’ve prepped it properly. One of the things that I probably cook the most are chicken thighs (bone in skin on). The only prep I do with that is to season them before putting them in. When I cook pork, I do pork loin and sometimes brine it first. I love doing steak bites in mine. One of the things I find the basket style perfect for is “baking sheet meals“. But I also do veggies, potatoes, desserts. I don’t recall ever having a problem with the food being dry.

Air fryers are the literal best!! It’s the best for making food quick too. Highly recommend! We have the instant vortex plus and it has 3 shelves and we use it multiple times a day. We don’t have a toaster anymore either so we just use this.

I love my Instand Vortex Plus. My wife and I use it every single day because it's been so reliable and easy to clean. Of course, it takes up quite a bit of space in my already cramped kitchen but it's well worth it. I used to own a forgettably-named Chinese air fryer with a basket that was replaced after it tried to burn my house down and I'll never go back to the basket version again.

I have an Instant Vortex Plus. I love it. It's easy to use and easy to clean and I can't recommend this enough.

The one with the glass front that folds down. It's the Instant Vortex Plus. Easy to clean and my best purchase in decades. This thing will make you excellent steaks, hamburgers, roasted vegetables and it has a rotisserie mode, in case you want your fries to be tumbled while cooked and a "spit" that secures your whole chicken. EDIT: Sorry, you can't use the rotisserie if you have the air fryer packed with any other ingredients, like QVC claims. Damn thing is wonderful and I'm loving how easy it is to clean.

I like my instant vortex

Same! I’ve forbid my husband from using it. It seems like it’s killing us?! New a month or so ago? I want to send it back!!

I love my Instapot Vortex.

Dunno. Mine didn’t smell

We have the Instapot vortex and use it on the daily!

Instant Vortex. Have been using mine for two years or so, after my el-cheapo air fryer gave up the ghost. Easy to clean, cooks well, good size.

My Instant Vortex Plus is about 9 months old with no issues.

I got the Instant Pot Vortex Plus last Christmas and I have used it quite a bit. It isn’t great for everything so I wouldn’t consider it the only tging you need in your kitchen. I read you should not use many cooking sprays on the non-stick coating in an air fryer so I got an inexpensive spray bottle and put vegetable oil in it to spray my air fryer or food in it. I usually don’t bother preheating my air fryer before putting my food in. It just sits in the air fryer during the preheating time. I did not use liners for a long time but got some silicone liners for my air fryer recently. I did not find clean up too hard without them but they are nice to have.

What kind of air fryer is it? What are you trying to cook? I have the Instant Pot Vortex Plus. The machine turns on when you insert the basket and then you select what function, temperature and cooking time you want and push start. The machine then will run for a couple of minutes and then beep and say on the screen to add food. You don’t have to factor in the preheat time in the cooking time as it does it automatically. Halfway through the cooking time it will beep and say turn food. When it reaches the end of the set time it stops and you can remove the food. If the food needs more time you can start it up again for however long you think it needs. Kind of like using a microwave. I usually just put my food in my air fryer and insert the basket and let it just be in there during the brief reheating time. When it says to turn food I pull the basket out and either shake it or turn over the food and put it back in. On my air fryer you can pull the basket out whenever you want and the cooking will pause and restart when you insert the basket unless you cancel the cooking cycle or unplug the machine.

Since you mentioned how hot it gets on the outside, I thought I would share my experience. We've used a breville toaster oven forever, and since it even fits a pie, we almost never use the actual oven anymore. A friend let us borrow a spare instant vortex air fryer and we loved it, so we thought we would try an air fryer toaster oven so we could still just have one appliance. It did not do nearly as good a job at "air frying", but the big issue was that it absolutely radiated heat because there seems to be no insulation in there at all, to where it actually heated up the kitchen more than the full size oven does. We returned it, kept our toaster oven, and just added an air fryer to our repertoire. 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for the reply. I have an Instant Pot Vortex Plus, which is great, but I often have to stage food and keep stuff warm, so want to try a dual. Might give the Paderno a try, it has good reviews and it's $150, wife likes blue.

I like my Instant Vortex, it has a window on the front and a light so you can see inside while it’s cooking. So far it’s been a breeze to clean and use.

I second the Instant Vortex. The window and light were what sold me on this model. It's been wonderful.

We love our Instant Vortex basket model. We also have a counter-top convection oven that we like, but it sounds like you already have one of those.

I have an Instant Vortex and its been great for years!

After looking at reviews for a long time, i went with the Instant Vortex Plus. Was that or the Cosori Premium II Plus. Turbo blaze was more than double the proce where i live (not US) on black friday otherwise that wouod have been an option (design, temp and variable motor but missing viewing window), but did not want to sacrifice the viewing window and light + i prefer the design of the Instant A LOT over the Cosori Premium. The Turbo blaze is very nice though.

We love our Instant Vortex air fryer. It has two shelves plus a rotisserie and cooking cylinder for tater tots, etc.

We love our Big Boss air fryer but it was a pain carrying it back & forth to our motor home & it won't fit in our appliance pantry without evicting something else. Our son gave us his Instant Vortex Plus & we love it as much as the Big Boss. The rotisserie for French fries sealed the deal so the Big Boss stays in the motor home full time now & the Instant Vortex Plus lives in a corner on the kitchen counter. My Instant Pots, 3 & 6 quart, still have to travel back and forth, though. I should hit up the thrift stores for at least a 6 quart to keep the Big Boss company.

I love my Instant Vortex. You love your Instant Vortex. Why make things complicated?

I have the Instant brand (think Instant Pot) Vortex. It works for my wife and I , however if we had a large family, we might want a bigger one.

I have both the Vortex and the model OP listed - the Vortex lives in the basement now. Great unit, but the Foodi just does more, and has more space, even if it takes slightly longer to cook.

I have the turboblaze and love it. Performs way better than my previous Instant Vortex.

My original Instant vortex recently died. I ran out, and bought a Gourmia from Costco that really performed poorly vs my old Instant Vortex. It did so poorly I won't even mention it here. I decided to test out a few of the top recommended Air Fryers in the $100 price range, and for the past week my house has been full of air fryers. TL/DR I chose the Cosori Turbo blaze Here are my findings. Instant Vortex plus Pros: Insanely quiet. Several times I had to double check if it was even on. Window for monitoring food. Even cooking. Very intuitive settings, with a nice knob for adjustments. Aesthetically pleasing to look at. Best non stick coating I have tested Cons: 400 degrees maximum heat doesn't cut it in 2024 Mandatory preheat is still very annoying. (They force you to wait 4 minutes until it begins cooking cycle) Pretty large height barely fit in my space. Cosori Turbo Blaze. Pros: The DC motor isn't hype, this thing gets hot very fast. 450 degree heat is very nice to have. No mandatory preheat, but yet has a preheat button if you have the time. Very compact, yet spacious. Not as quiet as the Instant, but probably half as loud as my original air fryer. Fantastic cooking results, and by far the best browning. Cons No window. Annoying settings buttons that are very unresponsive Plain Jane Aesthetic. While quiet, the pitch of the sound is the most prevalent of all the air fryers I have tested Most smelly initial burn off of all (has all but gone away after 10+ cooks) Which one stays Cosori Turbo blaze wins the spot in my kitchen. The instant wins every category ease of use, sound, looks, window etc, but the food out of the Cosori is much better IMHO. I cooked a few challenging dishes side by side in both. Chicken wings, the Cosori finished 7 minutes faster with much crisper skin. Being able to bump to 450 made all the difference in finishing the wings. From raw frozen chicken tenders, Cosori was the only one to get a decent crispy on the outside before the internal temp got too high. Last night I made Tofu. I decided to make the playing field even. I set both 2 400, and did the optional pre heat on the Cosori. I set both to 20 minutes, but the Cosori reached my optimal level of crisp in just about 11 minutes, with the Instant taking about 16-17 minutes and not being as evenly cooked. I really prefer the Instant AF, but the food quality of the Cosori won me over, and it is going back.

My beloved original instant vortex has finally died after 5+ years of constant use. Assuming all AF are basically the same I ran out to the store and bought a Gourmia on sale. On paper it seems like it should be equivalent or better, it even goes up 50 degrees higher, however in practice the food is nowhere near as good as from the Instant vortex Thisgs take forever to cook, and have inconsistent browning. . I have ordered both the Cosori turbo blaze, and the latest instant vortex to test out, but I'm curious if there are any higher end models worth considering? I know Cosori has the Dual Blaze which is slightly higher end but has mixed reviews, and the Dreo combi oven. Anything else worth adding to the list?

I'm honestly probably going to go back with Instant, but I use the AF so often that I would be willing to spend more if there was one that performed better.

I've had a Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6QT XL for a few days and I'm liking it. It is America's Test Kitchen number one air fryer.

I didn't like the gourmia one at all. Didn't seem to cook as fast as my instant vortex. I prefer the vortex or ninja ones

If may budget ka is [Instant Pot Vortex](https://s.shopee.ph/VsGwNfKWA) ang best option. Top air fryer iyan sa UK and medyo na-didiscover na rin sa Philippine. Bumili kami dahil ni-recommend siya ng tita ko and 4 years na namin gamit. 7 iyong pre-set functions niya kaya versatile talaga.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is a great choice. If you want other options, Ninja and Cosori are solid picks, with Philips being top-tier for crispiness. Instant Vortex Plus is user-friendly.

The Ninja Foodi and Cosori Pro are two of the best air fryers for even cooking, large capacity, and versatility. Instant Vortex Plus is another great choice with multiple functions like roasting and dehydrating. If you want something high-end, Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is excellent.

Ninja Foodi Dual Zone for multi-cooking, Cosori Pro LE for a compact design, Instant Vortex Plus for versatility, Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for premium features, and Philips Premium XXL for large portions.

Top air fryer picks include Ninja Foodi Dual Zone for multi-cooking, Cosori Pro LE for compact efficiency, Instant Vortex Plus for versatility, Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for premium features, and Philips Premium XXL for large portions.

I think the instant Vortex is hard to beat.

Love my Instant Vortex

Instant Vortex is wonderful.

Same I love my instant vortex for the windows and ease of use, but it doesnt convert the 2 baskets into one.

If you didn't already have the rice cooker (never used one) I would suggest the instant pot first. I use mine mostly for making chicken broth, which I use in cooking all the time. America's Test Kitchen gave the Instant Vortex air fryer their top choice, so they is the one I got. I guess it depends on what you like to cook and eat. I use both quite a bit.

The Instant Pot Vortex won the ATK comparison. I bought one on that recommendation, but bought two sets of pot grabbers like you take camping to retrieve the disposable aluminum dishes I use for freezing meal preps.

ATK= America's Test Kitchen. I'll see what I can find on pot grabbers. Stay tuned. I have the six quart Instant Vortex. I did have the air fryer adapter for my six quart instant pot, but it was way too small for two of us. If you're cooking for more than two people, I would get an eight quart.

I just got the Instant Vortex Plus. It does dehydration (and a bunch of other things), I’ve only tried air fry so far. Really love this thing. This biggest thing missing is my toaster oven was handy for warming plates or keeping food warm while prepping a meal. $100 on Black Friday and it’s America’s Test Kitchen top recommendation.

Well, first thing, air fryers don't really need oil except for maybe a little on raw meat (helps it brown the outside a bit). I've had an air fryer for several years that I use almost every day and other than a little spritz of avocado oil on meat or veggies I never use any oil. So that is not a factor in your decision. Personally, I would rather go with brand that has been doing air fryers for a while like Instant, Ninja, or Corsi. The one in that listing looks a little small so you'd be limited in what you can do with it. I have an Instant Vortex that has two large baskets so I can cook meat in one side and veggies/fries/etc. in the other basket and I absolutely love it, couldn't imagine trying to get by with one small basket after I've been using this one for so long.

I got mine last week. I’ve been using the Instantpot Vortex for the last two years and when i thought I was upgrading with this Ninja Doublestack, I ended up a bit disappointed.  - It has 2 cooling vents on the side that produce a lot of heat and my countertop gets really hot and wet.  - Also it’s starting/ending and button sounds are pretty loud.  - With regards to its cooking quality, again i am not impressed. My old one cooks from the top whereas the Ninja has its’s fans in the back and the cooking is not evenly done within the basket.  Honestly, I wish i could return it and get my money back so i could just get a the bigger Instantpot Vortex.

I been using my insta vortex daily for like 6 months. My brother has one for over a year and he never used his oven in his new apt. lol. So that's my pic. I hear the ninja is nice! Never used one but from exp insta vortex is good. From reviews the ninja sounds solid too. Either or!

How long does it take for the plastic smell to go away? I just got one and can't handle the smell 😩

Right? It's so bad and the plastic smell gets into the food. Granted I've only had it for a day but I'm going to return mine if it doesn't go away. I don't know any alternatives that don't do that though! I was considering the Ninja AF101 but there were reviews about it smoking and catching on fire so now I'm paranoid about even getting a new one 🥲

I did that and it still stinks 😂 I just use it for reheating food now since I don't have a microwave lol the taste is less noticeable though

With glass or without? Any idea why the one with glass is cheaper?

Whatever capacity you get, make sure the basket is on the wider side rather than the taller side since food cooks best in a single layer. America's Test Kitchen recommends the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart in their latest air fryer cookbook.

My Instant Vortex Plus has a removable door. So not hard to clean so far even with drippier shit

I have a smaller one similar to the Instant Vortex Plus. I love it and have had it for around 5 years(?). Any ways, I’ve never tried the basket air fryers and couldn’t tell anything about them. Now, I’m currently single, but it will work for two people. Any more than that and not so much. If it’s munchies you’re making, it’ll work. Large meals for 4 or more would be an issue.

I love my large Instant Pot Vortex airfryer, it has been on sale the past few years during Amazon prime day. I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to 'extras' but I love the airfryer and I highly reccomend.

I've got a 6qt InstaVortex which works fine, I've used it for small amounts of fries and a full plate, and I use it for crunchy chickpeas as a snack now and then. I'd honestly just go for a 6qt single basket one, so you can use it for larger things or smaller. Did boneless skinless chicken breasts last week and they were amazing.

I have an instant vortex and I don't understand what an instant vortex doesn't do that you would need. This thing is really great.

I don't have experience with the Ninja model above, however I did buy a Philips Premium XXL a couple year ago due to good reviews and the fact that it wasn't made in China (Made in Turkey). However, last year, when my mom was interested in trying an air fryer to replace her toaster oven, I got her an Instant Vortex (from the Instant Pot people) because it was recommended on ATK. It's just a superior air fryer in every way. Easier to use, more quality of life features (like a beep when preheating is done vs guessing) and it was half the price of the Philips. In short, unless not buying products made in China is an important deciding factor, avoid the Philips.

Instant Pot Vortex Plus. Easier to clean, ultra quiet. Best reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen.

It’s not as pretty, but the style is much easier to clean and generally more effective.

People seem to love and have good experiences with the Cosori models. It was between those and the Instant Vortex for me, which I ended up going with and love. I like the window to be able to see how much more time the food needs without letting out heat or slowing down cooking time. However, the Cosori models look great too.

My 2 cents: I've had an Instant Vortex, which lasted 3 years of daily use. It was fine until the handle detached from the basket and couldn't be reattached. Replaced it with a Gourmia 2 months ago. It's fine too, The top fan seems significantly stronger - it blows cheese and seasoning off the top unless I weigh it down with a spray of oil. The biggest difference to me is that the Instant Vortex has a physical knob to adjust timer and temp (I prefer that), and no window the Gourmia has touch buttons and a window. The window is helpful.

I’ve had the insta pot vortex for a couple of years- I really like it, but all the window does is get dark and yellow, even wiping it down every time we cook. So you have to open it anyway to check. The other thing I don’t like is how easy the teflon scratches the screen pan- I’m definitely in the market now for glass or ceramic. Size wise and cooking wise, it’s been amazing

My instant pot vortex plus is a little less than 2 years and starting to fail. The display lines are half gone and I need to wobble it to detect that the door is closed. I think they went cheap on the parts and didn't properly protect their electronics from the heat. I thought instant pot was supposed to be a better brand. I loved it when I first got it, but I'm not buying from them anymore. I'd rather spend more for something that lasts.

Ya I got 4 years daily use multiple times on my instant vortex.

I have the instant oven and it’s worked amazing. Have had it forever but it’s not easy to clean the inside. So I just bought a basket style. I initially bought the Ninja dual basket and i was not impressed at all. I returned it. It just didn’t cook the food well. Not anywhere near as good as my other one. It shows you can out quite a bit in the baskets but it took forever. So I got the Instant basket 6Qt. It’s so much better. I’ve heard good things about Cosori but never tried one.