Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket Air Fryer review - could this prove a better air fryer than the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone?

The Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket air fryer has long been a favourite of the Ideal Home team. It will tick all your boxes if you're looking for a standout family-sized appliance for around the £130 mark. 

We think it's without a doubt one of the best dual zone air fryers that money can buy, and after owning it for over a year now, it's still the air fryer I use every day - high praise from someone who tests kitchen appliances for a living. 

What makes this air fryer so great? Well, it's everything that went towards us crowning the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer our top-rated best air fryer back in 2021 and more, with heaps more space and the chance to use a different function in one basket compared to the other. Here's the full low down on why this is our favourite more affordable dual-zone air fryer.

Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket product specs

• Material: Plastic
• Colour: Black
• Capacity: 7.6 litres
• Modes: Air fry, roast, bake, reheat, grill, dehydrate (able to use 2 different functions at once)
• Weight: 8.05kg
• Power: 1700W
• Size: 38.4 x 31.7 x 40.3 cm (h x w x d)

Unboxing the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket and first impressions

Like all Instant products I've encountered the packaging for this air fryer was minimal, and the top handle made it a lot easier to get it up the stairs from the front door. It's quite a lot bigger than the Instant 6-in-1, which I used to have at home, but it's not an overbearing box, and it's not super heavy. 

The first impression out of the box with this air fryer is that it is unbelievably sleek, just like its predecessor. It has a touchscreen interface that slopes slightly and two sets of controls, one for each basket. The air fryer is only illuminated with those controls when turned on, so most of the time it'll just look sleek and inconspicuous on your countertop. The font used on the interface is lovely and the haptics are just delightful; you're bound to feel satisfied when you're setting it up. 

The touch screen is made up of the temperature and time at the top, with a progress bar underneath. Then you have the banner that shows instructions throughout the process 'Add Food', 'Shake Food', 'End', etc. To get to the function you want, you use the bar below, which has those six functions that we discussed earlier: Air Fry, Bake, Grill, Reheat, Roast and Dehydrate. 

To program each basket you press the number that corresponds to the basket underneath, and you can match up whatever is inside using the Sync buttons on either side. If you want to customise temperature or timings rather than using a preset, then that's possible with this model too. 

If you were to buy this air fryer I'd imagine that you'd be very impressed as it came out of the box - especially if you're hyper-aware of the kind of appliances you give space to in your kitchen.

What's it like to cook with?

One of my go-to meals with this air fryer is chicken and Mediterranean veg for dinner. It's one example where the dual basket system works so well, as you get so much more space for your money. 

It comes out perfect every time, shaving at least 5 minutes off the time this would take in the oven, and achieves a wonderful crisp that I don't think you'd get otherwise.

The preheat function with this machine is also very handy in this case and not something you get with every air fryer. Every time you program your air fryer to start, it'll take about two minutes to preheat, and then give you a beep to let you know it's time to put the food in. That means your air fryer will be perfectly hot and give you a few minutes to prep whatever you want to put inside. 

If you are looking for veggie alternatives or find cooking tofu a struggle, an air fryer is a genius purchase. The secret? Coat your tofu in cornflour and spices, spray with oil and then leave in the air fryer for 15 minutes to crisp up perfectly (and healthily!). 

The tofu pictured is an air fryer staple of mine in the Instant Vortex, and the crispiness you get with this particular model is unbeatable. Again, the dual drawer system comes in so handy for air frying greens to go alongside the main protein. 

What would owning an air fryer be without beige food? Perhaps more nutritious, but a lot less helpful when it comes to quick filler meals. Such staples in my home include nuggets, goujons and of course, the humble chip. 

This is another time when the technology of the Sync and Match drawers comes into its own, as the packet timings of chips and nuggets can be different, and you want to just be able to throw things into the air fryer and get on with other stuff while they cook. Thanks to the space with the huge capacity of this air fryer there's also plenty of space for greens to brighten up the beige and make things a bit healthier. 

Cleaning

The cleaning of this air fryer is simple. If you've used the single-basket version, then it's exactly the same, with just two baskets to clean instead of one. If you're completely new to it, then all you need to do is either hand wash the baskets, including the grill or pop them into the dishwasher. 

The only other job left to do? Give the exterior of the appliance a wipe to banish fingerprints, ideally with a microfibre cloth. Obviously, this air fryer is quite big, so it's best to make sure that you don't have any overhanging cupboards above it as it works, to avoid condensation and all kinds of damp problems.

How does it compare to similar models?

Let's start with the big comparison: the original single drawer Instant  Vortex Plus 6-in-1 air fryer. The RRP of the single drawer model is £119.99 (it's £149.99 with the added odour filter) compared to a jump to £199.99 for the double drawer (again, it's more at £219.99 for the odour filter).

So that tots up at an extra £80 for the larger option at the very least. If you need to cook for a few people, and you want the added versatility, I think it's definitely worth the investment, as you get 1.9 litres of space for your money. If there's no need for you to have two drawers, stick with the single, there's no way it can do you wrong. 

The other big name that draws comparisons here? The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer has an RRP of £199.99 for the 7.6 litre version. This is the air fryer of the moment and is constantly selling out; treatment that it deserves due to just how good it is. But arguably, the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket is just as good in my opinion and deserves to share some of the hype. Granted, it can't quite reach the temperatures the Ninja can, but it definitely wins in the style stakes, and you can find it in stock more easily.

Should you buy the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket?

There's only one answer to this question: absolutely yes. I test air fryers for a living, and I've had a fair few in my home by this point, but this is the one that has stood the test of time. It's so easy to use, looks great and crisps up everything you put in like a dream.

It also has loads of other uses to make it worth your money. That includes the ability to reheat and bake, as well as grill. The capacity works for me in a household with two other people, but it would suit bigger families too. For the same price as the Ninja, and being much easier to find, it's the air fryer I recommend to family and friends when they ask. 

About this review, and this reviewer 

I tested this air fryer at home for several weeks before writing this review, in accordance with Ideal Home's testing criteria. In order to come to a conclusion I cooked lunch and dinner with this air fryer most days. I've now owned this air fryer for over a year, and still love it and use it every day.

This air fryer was kindly sent to Ideal Home for testing by Instant Brands UK.