It took me a while to invest in an air fryer, but once the Ninja Foodi Max dual zone was in my kitchen, I never looked back. It really is that good, which is why it takes the top spot in our round of the best Ninja air fryers. However, the time came recently when I had to downsize, and I simply couldn't afford the real estate the Foodi Max required in my kitchen, so I handed over my beloved device to a close friend to 'keep safe'. And went on the hunt for a smaller – but hopefully equally capable – machine.
The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 air fryer with ClearCook and OdorErase was top of my list. Not only is it over 10cm smaller in width than the Ninja, it scores an impressive five-stars across a number of retailers, and came highly recommended by a few friends, particularly for its odour eliminating technology. Living in a small home, smells from the kitchen can quickly fill my whole house, so having a machine that could reduce strong cooking smells was highly attractive. So when I saw the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 air fryer on sale for under £100, I didn't hesitate.
The Instant Vortex 6-in-1 air fryer gets an average 4.8 out of 5 stars in over 300 reviews on Argos, with 98% saying they would recommend this product. And based on what I have seen of it so far, I would have to agree, particularly at this price.
The Instant Vortex air fryer is really easy to set up and use, I simply plugged in, had a quick read through to see what the display numbers were and I was away. There are six cooking programmes, although I have yet to try them all. My biggest test was bacon, which is a food I will actively avoid cooking sometimes as the smell lingers for such a long time. And I can't tell you the difference it's made. It's not disappeared completely, but the smell for such an odour-heavy food is now just very subtle, and doesn't hang around for hours after cooking.
The ClearCook window makes it brilliant for checking on cooking progress without having to open, and the non-stick cooking basket and trays make maintenance really easy – particularly with the help of this how to clean an air fryer guide.
One review over on the Argos website, from someone named Alpertoo, aged between 35 - 44 from Bristol, is one of many with similar feedback: "I bought it at a discount. It is silent, cooks great, and makes less smell than the other air fryers. I use it for almost everything. French fries, meat, meatballs, chicken, fish... It has excellent features and options."
If you're not sure whether one of these machines will suit you, our kitchen expert reveals what she wishes she'd known before buying an air fryer, which might just help your decision either way.
Shop more air fryers
If you're after an air fryer to give you that authentic BBQ taste, the Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551 might just be the one for you. It promises perfectly chargrilled food, and features all of the high-level functionality you'd expect from Ninja machines.
Tefal’s air fryer stands out from the crowd thanks to one simple addition – a paddle. This seemingly simple feature means food is moved around continuously, the result being beautifully even cooked food. A great all-rounder for a family.
If you are tight on space, the Ninja AF100 model is ideal for smaller kitchens, as well as beginners and anyone on a budget. It has four cooking modes, and easily has enough space to cook three-to-four portions.
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