At last, this seems like the answer to my woes. Released last November, this appeared to be Instant Pot's answer to the Mealthy Crisplid. Then, a few weeks ago, I discovered a brand new product called the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid (it retails for $140 but Amazon sells it for $80), which you can use with your existing Instant Pot. Yet, I didn't buy the Mealthy Crisplid (I just wasn't sure about the brand) and I didn't want to get a whole new Instant Pot. The idea must've caught on, because late last year Instant Pot came out with the Duo Crisp, a combination pressure cooker and air-fryer, which has a similar concept. The lid houses the fan as well as a heating element, and you can use it to change your Instant Pot (or Mealthy multicooker) into an air fryer. Made by Mealthy, an Instant Pot competitor, the Crisplid is an air fryer lid that could also be used with 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pots. Last year, however, I did learn about an intriguing alternative, called the Mealthy Crisplid. To be honest, I don't really even have enough room for an air fryer. If you do want crispy "air-fried" foods, Wirecutter recommends getting a countertop convection oven instead, which obviously has a lot more features than just air frying.īut I don't have room on my kitchen countertop for a convection oven. However, as publications like Wirecutter and Cook's Illustrated point out, air fryers are nothing more than re-packaged convection ovens. The idea behind it is that it can "fry" foods with just hot air and without the oily mess that deep-frying entails.
That said, I found myself lusting after yet another trendy kitchen appliance: the air fryer. It's been over two years since I purchased my Instant Pot Ultra, and it remains one of my favorite kitchen appliances. The best part is that you can just set the timer and walk away, without having to tend to it like you would a stovetop version. Imagine braised short ribs in under an hour, or homemade pho in 30 minutes. Yes, it replaces your slow cooker and you can make yogurt in it (in some models anyway) but its real claim to fame is as an electric pressure cooker that can significantly shorten cooking time. Eventually it will fill with Hot Pocket crumbs and catch on fire.The Instant Pot has garnered a huge fan base in recent years, and for good reason. In the end, it's just a counter-top convection oven.
It's the best of both worlds and works a little bit harder to pretend to think about considering frying your food in a manner that would perhaps sort of imitate actual fried food. If you really want an air fryer regardless, get an air fryer toaster oven. They are a healthier option than frying in oil, but they don't fry.
Air fryers actually don't fry a damn thing, but instead bake food instead of frying it. They are overpriced machines that mimic the convection process with oil and less time but don't perform better than actual convection ovens. According to Wirecutter, the air fryer is an exciting new kitchen appliance that isn't recommended for most people and didn't cook food better than a regular convection oven or convection toaster oven. Don't air fry it, but also maybe don't buy it at all.ĭo not air fry anything at all. It's a sad attempt by Sony to cash in on nostalgia without actually doing much at all. If you have a 40th Anniversary Sony Walkman that doesn't play tapes and honors the original Walkman with a pithy soft cover and middling storage space, then I can see the urge to destroy it. First off, if you have an original Sony Walkman that plays tapes, cherish it.