I don’t care if it’s from a fast-food drive-thru or fresh from a three-star kitchen: Nothing will pick me up faster than some French fries — as long as they’re crispy. Sometimes, the best ones come from your freezer, where you can stash your choice of straight-cut, crinkle, or homemade. In fact, our editors recently tested the best ways to cook frozen French fries, and one of our favorites was a combination of a microwave, a heat-safe glass food storage container (like our favorites from Glasslock), and an air fryer. But which air fryer should you choose for evenly cooked and crispy results?
Luckily, we know our air fryers. After testing dozens, from an affordable Cosori TurnBlaze to a premium Typhur Dome 2, our best overall remains the Instant Vortex Plus XL 6-Quart Air Fryer. It also happens to be the air fryer I use at home, and I quickly realized why our editors have kept ranking it number one over the years.
Instant Vortex Plus XL 6-Quart Air Fryer
Amazon
Don’t let the extra-large size mislead you. The air fryer itself occupies about as much space as a medium pizza box, and at just over 1 foot tall, it tucks comfortably under most standard cabinet spaces. The XL refers to the air fryer basket, which is wide and square, offering ample room for evenly crisping batches of French fries. Whether I’m cooking my favorite fast food-style frozen fries or some classic crinkle fries, the heating element ensures each piece is nicely crisped by the end of the cooking cycle. Of course, it also excels at cooking other foods, like chicken thighs, tofu, and vegetables, having left me particularly impressed when it crisped bok choy and sweet potato tots without burning either ingredient.
This air fryer features six settings, including air fry, bake, dehydrate, broil, reheat, and roast. When I’m not air-frying proteins and sides for dinner or baking a quick single-serve dessert, the function I use most frequently is the reheat option. It spins the fan more slowly, and you can set the temperature as low as 95°F to ensure leftovers heat all the way through the center before crisping on the exterior. Not to mention, it performs just as well when my leftovers are still in the restaurant tray or placed on a layer of aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup.
Fresh cut fries in the Instant Vortex Plus 6QT XL Air Fryer.
Food & Wine
Cleaning this air fryer is surprisingly easy, which I appreciate because I hate washing dishes. Even after months of regular use, the crisper rack and basket haven’t become gunked up with pesky, stuck-on oils, and I haven’t had to resort to harsh cleaners or soaking to remove cheese, chicken skin, or caramelized sugars. A non-abrasive dish scrubber and dish soap are plenty, so I haven’t once felt the need to place the pieces in the dishwasher, which can wear down the nonstick coating over time.
On nights when I don’t feel like cooking, let alone washing dishes afterwards, the Instant Vortex Plus preheats more quickly than any other air fryer I’ve owned. I never have to wait more than a few minutes before it prompts me to add food. Halfway through the cooking time you set, it automatically beeps to remind you to flip what’s inside. In the case of French fries, I simply give the basket a quick rustling around by its comfortable front-facing handle. My main complaint with the basket is that, like many pod-style air fryers, it’s not optimized for tall roasts. I suggest spatchcocking chicken and other poultry for more even cooking and to prevent burning the top of the skin. The only other significant issue I have with this air fryer is the beeping. I imagine its loud and repetitive signals are helpful for someone wanting to hear them from another room or floor of a home. In my apartment, however, it causes a visceral reaction, making me wish for a mute button.
Basket height and beeping aside, I can’t complain about this air fryer. On the contrary, I can only give it praise. Its relatively compact and intuitive design makes it easy to use right away — minimal reading required. And the performance speaks for itself, whether you’re cooking salmon filets or a half-bag of frozen French fries. Grab the Instant Pot Vortex Plus for yourself, and it won’t be long before you join the crowd of nearly 55,000 shoppers who have given it five stars.
Shop More Air Fryers at Amazon
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Typhur Dome 2 Air Fryer
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Ninja Compact 4-Quart Air Fryer
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At the time of publishing, the price was $130.
Dining and Cooking