Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer review

One of the key decisions when choosing the best air fryer for your home is whether you go for one that has one cooking basket, or two. It can be a tricky decision as unless you've owned or used an air fryer before, how do you know which you'll prefer or require?

Thankfully with the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer, you don't have to choose as it can be quickly transformed from an air fryer with a single 8.5L basket into a dual air fryer with two 4.2L zones.

But how does it perform? To help you work out if it's worth the cost, we put the latest air fryer from Instant to the test.

Key features

VersaZone Technology

The removable divider in Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer allows you to pick between either one (8.5L) or two (4.2L) cooking zones.

8 functions in 1

It's not just about air frying with the VersaZone. You can bake, roast, grill, reheat or dehydrate plus there are SyncCook & SyncFinish features too.

SyncCook & SyncFinish

SyncCook allows you to cook in both baskets at the same time using the same program and setting. SyncFinish means you can cook in both baskets at the same time, using different programs and settings for each basket, but both will finish at the same time.

Testing the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer

We've been big fans of air fryers in my house since testing out (and loving) the Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase. However, I've always wondered two things: whether it would be big enough in the long term for cooking for more than two people and if we'd be better suited to two baskets instead of one to enable us to cook a mixture of foods.

I have truly nothing but good things to say about the Vortex Plus 6-in-1, so you can imagine how pleased I was to discover that Instant was adding a new air fryer to their portfolio and one that could cook either one large portion or two separate ones.

Design

I was a little unsure how well a larger air fryer would fit into my already crowded kitchen (what can I say - I love kitchen gadgets!) but the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone somehow doesn't actually feel like it takes up much more room than my previous air fryer. It is just as sleek and attractive though and I'm more than happy for to sit on my kitchen counter. It's not until the air fryer is switched on does the display spring to life and you are presented with an array of functions: air fry, bake, grill, roast, dehydrate, reheat, SyncCook and SyncFinish.

Usability

The Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone doesn't come with a ton of instructions and while I didn't really require much anyway due to my previous experience with the brand, I genuinely think any newbies wouldn't have any difficulty making it work anyway. It's incredibly easy to use, simply select your chosen function on the touch-screen display, turn the knob to set the time and temperature and press start and you're away. Once it has finished pre-heating, the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone prompts you to both add your food and then give it a good shake halfway through cooking.

Switching between one or two 'zones' is a doddle too. It's simply a case of double-pressing the knob so it splits from a single time and temperature into two for each of the zones and then removing or inserting the divider, depending on what you are cooking. While these are not separate baskets like with most dual air fryers but separate zones, I personally can see no difference in performance or results, only that because it's technically only one basket, you obviously need to pull the whole basket out to say, shake the food, rather than just the relevant basket.

Performance

I'm a huge fan of the SyncFinish function when using the two zones. It makes things so much quicker being able to pop everything in at the same time, set the relevant individual times and temperatures and then use the SyncFinish function to make sure both zones finish at exactly the same time. I could then wander away without needing to set myself a reminder to add in the next lot of food. You also don't need to tweak the timings and can ensure both sides cook at their specified temperature individually.

At no point have I been disappointed in the results when cooking in the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone air fryer. My chips have been crispy on the inside and soft and fluffy on the inside while my chicken tenders have been succulent with a crunchy coating. I'm delighted to be able to produce such results without the requirement for lots of oil and in so much less time than when using an oven.

Air fry is by far my most used function although we have used the reheat option to warm up leftover chicken wraps and lasagna and have been pleased to find both cooked perfectly.

Cleaning this air fryer is pretty straightforward and the cooking basket, cooking tray and divider are all dishwasher safe. I did find that because the cooking basket is so large, it didn't fit into my sink when I wanted to handwash it but this just takes a little manoeuvring and you can get the job done.

Final thoughts

I love the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer and genuinely think it's up there as one of the best air fryers on the market, simply down to its ability to be able to switch between either one or two zones. Even if you mostly use one or the other, having the flexibility is a dream for those occasions when you may want to cook different types of foods without the need to use your oven alongside your air fryer. Overall, it's a really slick, simple-to-use machine that produces tasty results efficiently.

Costing just over £200, the price is in the same ballpark as the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer which has a slightly larger capacity of 9.5L and offers similar functions.

Features & Reviews Editor Emily Gilbert has been a journalist since 2016 and has worked across a variety of specialist and lifestyle brands both in print and online. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases, her favourite being gadgets for the home.