We tested the Instant Vortex Plus Versazone – Here’s why we love it

If you are still on the fence about air fryers, the Instant Vortex Versazone will bowl you over. It gets full marks for its design and versatility, and your family will love the tender, juicy homemade dishes. 

It is hard to believe that some people still think of an air fryer as a fad and a nice-to-have. If you want to save energy (your own and Eskom’s), an air fryer can be a godsend. I tried a few air fryers over the years, and the Instant Vortex Plus Versazone 8-in-1 (1700 W) is my favourite so far. 

Performance 

For my test, I used a whole chicken, as air fryers normally struggle to cook it properly. Whole chickens often turn out dry in some areas and undercooked in others. I rubbed the chicken with olive oil, lemon juice and a herb mixture from Woolies. I air-fried it in the one basket on 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. I turned it halfway, and then I added some frozen oven chips to the other basket, and air-fried that on 205 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. 

The result was absolutely fantastic. 

Chicken: The chicken came out incredibly tender and juicy – exactly what you want from an air fryer. 

The second basket handled the oven chips perfectly, giving them a nice crispy exterior while keeping them fluffy inside. The 1700W power really delivers consistent heating. 

Dual cooking: Being able to cook two different items simultaneously is a game-changer for meal prep and family dinners. 

Why you should consider this: 

• Dual basket design – Cook two different foods at once with different settings 
• 8.5L capacity – Plenty of space for family meals 
• Clear Cook feature – Love being able to see the food cooking without opening the basket 
• Even cooking – No hot spots, everything cooks uniformly 
• Easy to clean – Baskets clean up easily 
• Versatile – the Vortex has 8 functions: Air fry, Roast, Grill, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate, SyncCook and SyncFinish 

Overall impression 

This air fryer delivers on all its promises. The build quality feels solid and it looks elegant, the controls are intuitive, and the cooking results are consistently excellent. The dual-basket feature really sets it apart from single-basket models. 

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Great value for the features and performance you get.  

Price: Around R4999