Air Fryer vs. Immediate Pot

It’s seemingly you’ve heard of each the Airfryer and Immediate Pot. Each are model names (from Philips and Immediate Manufacturers, respectively) whose reputation has led to them turning into what Kleenex is to facial tissue – model names now generally used as generic shorthand for whole classes of merchandise

Each are well-liked multifunctional dwelling kitchen home equipment providing a wide range of totally different cooking capabilities from roasting to air frying to sluggish cooking, in a single gadget. Under, we’ll evaluation the variations between the 2 so you possibly can work out which might higher fit your wants and finances.

Air fryers are small, countertop convection ovens that help you prepare dinner meals to make them crispy with minimal oil. They arrive in fundamental fashions that air fry, bake, and reheat (just like the Sprint Compact Air Fryer) and extra totally featured fashions that additionally roast, dehydrate, toast, and air broil (just like the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 8-Quart 2-Basket Air Fryer). Air fryers are available in two predominant kinds – enclosed basket fashions, and those who resemble a conventional toaster oven with air fryer options.

Immediate Pot is a model of multicookers. Early fashions just like the Basic Duo mixed options of a stress cooker and sluggish cooker that was designed for working professionals to simply serve home-cooked meals for his or her households after a protracted day at work. A few of these multifunctional kitchen home equipment have now advanced so as to add air fryer options.

Costs of air fryers and Immediate Pots range based mostly on their measurement and the variety of totally different cooking features supplied. The smallest, easiest air fryers have a Producer’s Prompt Retail Worth (MSRP) starting from $40 to $60, whereas probably the most fundamental Immediate Pots with out air fryer options are priced between $69.99 and $89.99. Pricing for air fryer fashions that landed in the midst of our scores vary between $99.99 and $129.99. Nonetheless, toaster-oven-style air fryers like Cuisinart’s TOA-60 AirFryer Toaster Oven and its Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven value between $229.95 and $299.95. Immediate Pots with air fryer options run between $149.99 and $249.99.

As the recognition of air fryers and Immediate Pots has grown, there was a proliferation of options and convergence of performance between them. Air fryers, particularly the dearer, oven-style fashions like the 2 Cuisinart choices in our Greatest Air Fryers of 2022 scores, now supply options that may embody low temperatures for dehydrating, proofing, braising, and sluggish cooking, in addition to roasting, toasting, broiling, baking, and air frying capabilities.

Some multicookers – together with higher-end Immediate Pot fashions just like the Immediate Pot Professional Crisp & Air Fryer 8-Quart Multi-Use Strain Cooker and Air Fryer – supply a number of options, together with stress cooker, sluggish cooker, steamer, sauté pan, meals hotter, sous vide cooker, air fryer, roaster, mini oven, broiler, and dehydrator. Moreover, the gadget could help you prepare dinner rice and make yogurt.

In the event you’re wanting features like sous vide, braising, steaming, and rice cooking, you’ll wish to select a multicooker just like the Immediate Pot, as each kinds of air fryers (baskets and toaster ovens) use circulated sizzling air to prepare dinner meals and don’t help these features. Consider you possibly can’t put liquids in an air fryer.

Air fryers and Immediate Pots are solely as wholesome because the meals you put together in them. Each of those countertop kitchen home equipment permit dwelling cooks to organize wholesome meals and each additionally permit for higher indulgences.

Air fryers use sizzling air to “fry” wholesome components like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and candy potatoes utilizing minimal oil, which makes them decrease in fats and energy when in comparison with deep fried, pan fried, or oven-roasted meals. They will additionally prepare dinner skinless rooster breasts and thighs, salmon filets, and different low-fat proteins, producing meals that’s moist and tender inside and crispy outdoors, with a minimal coating of oil.

Immediate Pots can prepare dinner utilizing the sous vide technique for flavorful meals that’s tender and juicy. They will additionally steam, braise, and sluggish or stress prepare dinner wholesome meals. These cooking strategies – particularly sous vide, which cooks meals at decrease temperatures in sealed packaging, and steaming, which cooks meals shortly – can protect nutritional vitamins and minerals misplaced when meals are uncovered to larger warmth, oxygen, and fat.

On the indulgent finish of the spectrum, air fryers can produce restaurant-style french fries and fried rooster, doughnuts, rooster wings, and extra. They will even bake cookies, truffles, cinnamon rolls, and different desserts.

Immediate Pots can produce cheesecake, pies, puddings, and different candy treats, in addition to mashed potatoes, rooster pot pie, and lasagna. As with different cooking strategies, artistic dwelling cooks could make more healthy variations of their favourite meals by selecting lighter recipes and components.

A fast Google search on air fryer and Immediate Pot recipes reveals the diploma to which skilled and residential cooks have utilized their creativity to what could be ready in each of those well-liked countertop kitchen home equipment.

The commonest meals to organize in an air fryer embody potatoes, candy potatoes, and onion rings, in addition to Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rooster wings, and rooster tenders. Dwelling cooks additionally use air fryers to make home made potato chips, doughnuts, burgers, and taco meat. You is likely to be shocked to be taught you could make mac and cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and bagels in your air fryer, in addition to candy treats like home made toaster pastries, smores, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and chocolate lava cake. Some fashions supply low-temperature settings to proof dough and dehydrate fruit and veggies to make fruit leathers, along with apple and veggie chips.

Immediate Pots are equally versatile. Widespread savory recipes embody meat and vegetarian chilis, pot roast, quick ribs, pasta sauces, risotto, soups, and stews. You may also put together decadent desserts and different candy indulgences like cheesecakes, puddings, pot-de-cremes, and pies, in addition to brownies, cinnamon rolls, and bread puddings. Some fashions function low-temperature settings to make home made yogurt.

As with all family home equipment, we suggest you seek the advice of the consumer handbook supplied by the producer of your particular unit for care and upkeep directions. Failure to take action could end result within the voiding of your product guarantee. We additionally suggest you clear these home equipment between makes use of to stop the buildup of grease and/or meals particles and to clear odors launched through the cooking course of.

As a basic rule with air fryers, between makes use of you possibly can take away sure elements like trays and baskets for cleansing and wipe down different surfaces to take away grease and meals particles and eradicate odors. Some elements and equipment are dishwasher-safe; others will should be hand-washed. You’ll wish to guarantee that the unit has cooled fully earlier than making an attempt to scrub it. And as with different shopper electronics, don’t submerge the air fryer in or fill it with water.

Immediate Pots and different multicookers usually have detachable internal cooking pots and lids that you’ll want to scrub between makes use of as directed by the producer. Some elements and equipment are dishwasher-safe, however others would require hand-washing. As with air fryers, you may wish to make certain your multicooker has fully cooled down earlier than you clear it to keep away from burning your self and/or damaging the nonstick surfaces.