You may have noticed how popular air fryers are right now. And with a cost of living crisis looming large, it's no surprise how many of us are now fans of these kitchen appliances given how little energy is required to cook using an air fryer compared to an oven.
In fact, a recent study from Unconventional Connections found that when cooking roast chicken, an Instant air fryer consumed on average 0.44 kWh per kg of raw chicken; an average of 84 per cent less energy than when cooking the same recipe in the oven.
But with so many air fryers out there to choose from, which should you go for? We put one air fryer, the Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase, to the test.
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Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase overview
The Vortex Plus uses rapid air circulation to crisp or cook food, meaning you can enjoy your meals with all the rich, crispy flavour of deep frying with little to no oil.
Pros
• Multi-purpose with six different smart programmes
• Easy to use
• Large 5.7L basket
• Dishwasher-friendly
• Requires very little if no oil
Cons
• May be too large for some kitchens
Key features
6 cooking programmes
The Vortex Plus combines six cooking programmes in one appliance: Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Grill and Hydrate. So whatever it is that you're cooking, you can simply select the best programme and easily adjust the cooking temperature from 35°C to 205°C.
ClearCook
The see-through window of this air fryer (along with the light) means that you can easily check on your food's progress without having to open the basket.
OdourErase
The inclusion of the built-in OdourErase air filters on this model of the 6-in-1 prevents any food smells from infiltrating your home. The filters will last for approximately 900 minutes of cooking time and replacements can be bought online.
Testing the Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase
Having never used an air fryer before, I was looking for an appliance that would be easy to use, could fit in a decent amount of food and could be used regularly.
It can feel a bit daunting getting started with a new appliance, but I was pleased to find that the Vortex Plus was pleasantly straightforward. Very little needed putting together and before I knew it, I was giving it a clean and performing a test run. The appliance comes with a short guide but on the whole, it's really quite easy to work out without it.
Most of us tend to associate air fryers with chips, so my very first go with the Vortex Plus was with some potato wedges. Before cutting my potatoes, I turned on the air fryer and selected my settings: air fry - 16 minutes - 170°C and pressed start. The appliance then set about preheating (as demonstrated on the digital display) which took no more than a couple of minutes before it alerted me to add my food. I chucked the wedges into the large air fryer basket, reinserted it into the cooker and off it set to work, the countdown timer starting. Part way through the cooking cycle, the air fryer bleeped and the display requested I 'Turn Food'. Although this can be ignored and will proceed after 10 seconds, I dutifully removed the basket and tossed the chips before inserting the basket back in.
In no time at all, the Vortex Plus bleeped, alerting me that the cooking cycle had finished. While it is easy enough to add more time if you wish, I was happy with the finished result of my wedges. Even my sceptical husband was impressed with how crunchy they were on the outside and how fluffy on the inside, all without any oil. Not only did the chips take a lot less time than when used in the oven but they were a lot tastier too.
Next, I tried out the air fryer with homemade cornflake and parmesan chicken goujons, cooking them with a spray of oil at 200°C for just 12 minutes. Just like with the chips, the results were really impressive, the coating of the chicken crispy and golden brown.
Being big poultry eaters in my house and wanting to take my chicken cooking to the next level, we decided to try roasting a large whole chicken for our Sunday dinner. Although it was somewhat snug in the basket, it all fit in and was cooking away in no time. The ClearCook window was so handy for keeping an eye on the bird as time progressed and the light has been a helpful addition on darker days. As instructed in the recipe, I flipped over the chicken halfway through.
The chicken took only an hour to cook, compared to the hour and a half it usually takes in our oven and it's unlikely we will ever cook a chicken differently again. The skin was perfectly crisp and the chicken itself was as tender as you can wish for. While we had rubbed the chicken in oil to begin with, there was no need to baste the bird throughout cooking as we usually would in the oven. Although we personally enjoy the smell of a roast chicken in the oven, there was much less present while it cooked in the air fryer thanks to the OdourErase.
Over the course of my month testing the Vortex Plus, I really enjoyed getting to know the different programmes and trying out both new and old recipes.
We have used all of settings except dehydrate which can be used to dry out food such as fruit, jerky and veggies.
Air fryer recipes we have made in it so far includes: baked potato, pizza bagels, chicken wings, boiled eggs (yes, really!), meatballs, roast potatoes, chocolate twists, cinnamon buns and much more. We even made use of the reheat function by crispening up some takeaway pizza which did a much tastier job than the microwave.
A huge plus for us is how easy the Vortex Plus is to clean. Both the cooking tray and removable air fryer basket are dishwasher safe and the cooking chamber itself can be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild dish soap.
How does the Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase compare to previous versions?
The previous model of this air fryer, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer, is very similar to the model tested but it does not include the OdourErase function. There's only £30 difference between the two models.
The even earlier model, the Vortex 4-in-1, costs just under £100 and can air fry, roast, bake and reheat while the Vortex 6-in-1 can also grill and dehydrate.
Final thoughts
I am a huge fan of the Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase and am kicking myself that it's taken me so long to join the air fryer club. Anything that reduces time and effort gets a big thumbs up from me, not to mention the money we have been saving while using it. It's simple to use, easy to look after and the finished results are undeniably good.
For the type of food that we like to cook, it's been a huge asset to our kitchen and now I don't know what we'd do without it (well, we'd have to use an oven, but you get my drift!). I also like to convince myself I'm eating healthier because if the air fryer, which actually isn't too far from the truth.
At 5.7L, there's no denying that it's a large basket (especially compared to competitors) and while it's been the perfect size for my husband and me, I do wonder how it would fare if we had a bigger family to feed. I can also see why a double draw option such as the Vortex Plus Dual Drawer 8-in-1 or Salter Dual Cook Pro Air Fryer would be attractive as fitting in multiple foods at once was tricky at times with our single-basket air fryer, especially if they need to cook at different temperatures.
Price wise, at £149.99, I do think the cost is reasonable for what you get and for the long-term benefit of saving money. There are cheaper alternatives on the market but they either have smaller baskets or don't offer the same amount of functions as the Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase, so it's worth weighing up what you personally require.
Product specification
Weight: 5.96kg
Dimensions: 39.2 × 30 × 33 cm
Size: 5.7L