Instant Pot air fryers have been a great alternative to Ninja for years – this new family-sized release proves they still are

Instant Pots are very popular in the US, but on this side of the Atlantic, the brands' air fryers really steal the show. So much so that the Ideal Home ranking of the very best air fryers has had an Instant air fryer near the top for years now. So how does this new release fair?

In a nutshell

The USP of the Instant Pot Vortex Dual 8L is that it has two 4L drawers that can be set to different temperatures. Synced together, these different elements can be ready at the same time, or mirrored to create an 8L capacity.

When I was testing it, I found that it has a range of usefully different cooking modes, is simple to use, and easy to clean. I think on the whole, it makes a good family gadget that’s pretty affordable compared to some others on the market.

I put this air fryer through its paces, testing it on staple air fryer ingredients and trying out the various features, most of which came off as a success.

Product specs

• Type: Air fryer
• Dimensions: 40 x 38 x 31 cm (WxLxH)
• Weight: 7.25kg
• Cooking modes: 8: – Air Fry, Bake, Grill, Dehydrate, Roast, Reheat, SyncCook and SyncFinish
• Power: 1550-1850W

Who tested this air fryer?

Ellen Manning

Ellen Manning is a freelance journalist specialising in food and drink, writing about everything from restaurants to home cooking, and the all-important kitchen gadget. She is a regular gadget tester for Ideal Home, having put everything from blenders to coffee grinders, microwaves and air fryers through their paces. She tests each gadget extensively to make sure it’s worth spending your hard-earned cash on, and gives her honest opinion on what the results are from the point of view of an average, amateur home cook.

Unboxing the air fryer

The Instant Vortex Dual Drawer 8L Air Fryer isn’t a small box, which is unsurprising given its size and the fact it claims to cater for up to eight people.

That said, it’s surprisingly light for a gadget quite so big, which is refreshing not only in lugging the box into the kitchen but unboxing it too. Simplicity seems to be the watchword here - no unnecessary packaging, and far fewer bits and bobs than some other similar air fryers. Just the air fryer itself, a very brief instruction manual and the base trays for each drawer.

However, there is possibly such a thing as ‘too’ simple in some cases - not in terms of the air fryer itself, but that oh-so-simple instruction book.

Yes, it’s nice not to have reams and reams of pages to read through, but this is at the other end of the scale and has a few brief key instructions then refers you to several QR codes to find more in-depth guidance.

A great option, but for some of us, we just want to pick up an instruction book and find out what to do without having to faff around with QR codes. I gave up in the end, and decided to wing it.

Fortunately, it's intuitive and I like the simple display.

Numbers one and two denote which drawer you’re controlling, along with presets based around cooking style including air fry, bake, grill, dehydrate, roast, and reheat.

There’s also SyncCook and SyncFinish options which do what they say on the tin - either sync the drawers to the same temperatures and cooking time, or cleverly line them up so the contents of both will be ready at the same time.

Those features are great if you’re cooking dinner for a gang and want it all to be ready at the same time. According to the advertising, you can simply ‘set and forget’ which you kind of have to, given that - unlike so many modern models - this air fryer doesn’t have windows to look through.

Not a huge deal, but some people do like to watch their food or have a little peep. If the windows are a dealbreaker, the other air fryers in Instant's range are perfect for this.

Cooking

Chicken

My go-to first test for an air fryer is a simple chicken breast. For this, I only need drawer number one, so in I pop the chicken on top of the tray that sits in the bottom (and is a bit of a squeeze to get in, it turns out, but does fit nice and snug if you push it in).

A few sprays of oil and on I pop it at 180C for 20 minutes - the temperature and time I usually set for something like this. It preheats super quickly, and soon we’re well on our way to cooking.

As mentioned, unlike some air fryers, the Instant Vortex Dual Drawer 8L Air Fryer doesn’t have windows in the front of its drawers so if you want to take a look you have to open it up, not that that’s a big deal.

The cooker pauses automatically and the display helpfully informs you that it’s ‘open’, so you can take a look, use a temperature probe, or whatever else you want to do. I check periodically, and it’s definitely up with the more efficient air fryers I’ve used.

Instant claim this cooks up to 50% faster, using up to 80% less energy, than a traditional oven, and while I haven’t done the maths on the energy consumption, it definitely seems to cook quickly.

After about 15 minutes the chicken looks done, and a quite probe test proves I’m right. Despite the speed, the air fryer is fairly quiet at 55dB, and the chicken is cooked evenly and still pretty moist. I’ve also only got to clean one drawer which is handy, so while it’s suitable for catering for big families, it’s also fine if you just want to cook for one or two people.

Bacon

The next test is bacon, so I decide to take advantage of both drawers and pop a couple of slices in each, using the SyncCook setting to set them at the same time and temperature.

Again, the bacon cooks super quickly and is evenly done, with the little trays inside ensuring any fat or water drips away, leaving behind crispy bacon with well rendered fat. Another win.

Homemade chips

My next go-to is homemade chips - made from scratch by peeling potatoes and cutting them into fairly chunky chips, then tossing in oil and seasoning. We always start with a standard 15 minutes, and in most air fryers I’ve tested this isn’t enough and they need to go back in.

I give them the occasional shake to move them around, and I’m thrilled to find that the Instant Vortex Dual 8L has pretty much done the job of cooking them in the initial 15 minutes. A few of the thicker ones need a few minutes longer, but for the most part my chips are done nicely - crispy on the outside, fluffy inside.

This air fryer apparently has EvenCrispTM Technology that creates the perfect crunch with 95% less oil compared to deep frying - and while these aren’t quite the same as deep fried chips (are air fried chips ever comparable?), they’re pretty good.

It’s worth pointing out that my test has been with a relatively conservative amount of chips, since I’m only doing enough for one person, so trying to cook more could potentially affect the crispiness, but you could always use the second drawer if you’re catering for more people.

Frozen food

I team my chips with another air fryer testing staple - frozen breaded cod. The Instant Vortex Dual blurb reminds us that it’s great for cooking both fresh and frozen food, so this is the perfect test. It also means I can try the SyncFinish function as the instructions on the fish say to allow 25 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than my chips.

I don’t find this setting the easiest to sort out, but it could be operator error and a little bit of me thinks it’s just as easy to get one drawer started, then manually start the second one. But I suppose if you want to leave the room and not have to worry then it’s a good feature.

With both drawers going, it’s still pretty quiet, registering a few decibels lower than some other air fryers. I check the fish before the end of the allotted time and am pleasantly surprised to see it’s already cooked - confirmed by my trusty temperature probe. The bread crumb is nice and crispy and the fish moist inside, with the bonus that it seems to have cooked even quicker in this air fryer than it should.

What's it like to clean?

Like most air fryers, this is fairly easy to clean - its exterior wipes clean and the drawers are apparently dishwasher-safe, but in fairness are pretty easy to just pop in the sink and give a wash. Their non-stick finish means nothing’s really stuck to them, so any bacon fat or residue from the chicken washes off easily.

How does it compare to similar models and predecessors?

As dual drawer air fryers go, this is pretty impressive. It looks good, has bigger cooking capacity than some rival models and previous models, and cooks super efficiently - exceeding my expectations in terms of cooking times.

It’s fairly simple to use, without over-complicating things, but has handy features like being able to cook two elements at different times and temperatures, as well as setting them to align, or setting them to finish at the same time.

It’s pretty handy for cooking for one, but I imagine would be useful for a whole family too. It’s also easy to keep clean, and has all the safety features you’d expect from a family-friendly kitchen gadget.

If you do want an Instant with windows, our top-rated choice with that feature is detailed in our Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket Air Fryer review. Our favourite Instant air fryer ever? The very reasonably priced Instant VersaZone (as per our review).

Should you buy the Instant Pot Vortex Dual 8L Air Fryer?

This air fryer keeps things simple with the addition of some handy features to make cooking multiple elements or family-sized amounts easier. It cooks efficiently, is easy to clean, and is a bit simpler than some of the more over-complicated models out there.

Its ease of use makes it perfect for families, but the two-drawer design means you could use it for smaller meals too if you wanted. At £129.99 with free delivery, it’s not a bad price at all for a gadget of this size and quality, doing what it says on the tin without breaking the bank.