My Favorite No-Frills Air Fryer Is on Sale for Prime Day

Of all the advancements in kitchen gadgetry in the last decade, the air fryer has taken center stage. There are basket models, oven varieties, and double door designs, and they’ll all effortlessly crisp your favorite foods. With so many options to choose from, especially during Amazon Prime Day, picking a winner is tough. In this fierce competition for your counter space, I’d like to nominate the Instant Vortex Plus for Miss Congeniality. 

No, the Instant Vortex isn’t the biggest, baddest of them all. It doesn’t have dual-zone cooking or multiple fans. It’s no beauty queen (but it’s attractive), and it doesn’t come with 12 functions. However, what it does have matters more: It’s compact without being uselessly petite, its display is approachable and intuitive, and it is just plain good at its job.

I’ve been using the Instant Vortex for over a year in my apartment, and I’ve never been let down. The machine is reliable and consistent. I roast, bake, crisp, and dry foods in it with great success every time. My French fries are crispy as fuck. Peppers roast and blister in no time. I bake pies and cheesecakes in it for Thanksgiving.

This is the air fryer that is not interested in putting your other appliances out of business, it’s here to assist. It’s light enough for me to move around my Brooklyn kitchen with limited counter space, and it’s dead simple to control. Let’s not forget how easy it is to clean—with just a grate and basket, I can easily hand wash it without too much of a fuss. And it happens to be 54% off right now which is a steal, frankly, especially since it’s bound to be your new favorite tool. 

(If this is your first air fryer, brava to you, it’s a great one to start with. Try cooking some of my favorites, like these cheese-stuffed biscuit balls, crunchy mac & cheese bites, air fryer stuffed mushrooms, or these truly delightful bacon-wrapped banana bites. For more ideas, check out this list of damn delicious air fryer recipes.)