Power XL Vortex Air Fryer Review

Is there such a thing as guilt-free fried food? For the longest time, I thought it was only a dream until we were sent the snazzy PowerXL Vortex Air Fryer and introduced to the benefits of air frying. As the name suggests, an air fryer uses heated circulating air to fry and cook almost any and everything you can think of, without submerging it in high-fat oil. The benefit of the heated air is that it can make the outside of the food crispy and crunchy while keeping the inside moist and warm. Instead of completely submerging the food in oil, air-frying requires just a tablespoon of oil to achieve a similar taste and texture to deep-fried foods. 

 

The first test of any product for us is how well it is packaged and how easy is it to unpackage. The PowerXL Vortex Air Fryer comes in a sturdy box with a lot of useful information on the outside and is very easy to unpack and take out. The shiny black look of the air fryer is very eye-catching and would make for a nice attractive addition to anyone’s kitchen counter, especially for those with limited kitchen counter space. The air fryer we received has a 5 qt capacity and takes up surprisingly small place. Its footprint would be similar to a regular-sized crockpot. However, given the small size, some of the larger sized frying projects (e.g. a full bird) may not fit in there. Also, note that the shiny black surface is not immune to finger smudges and would require regular cleaning to maintain the pristine look.

 

 

Unpacked and out of the box, the Vortex Air Fryer is very easy to get going. Just plug it in and lights and beeps come on. The included instructions are relatively simple to follow and while there are many lighted buttons to push, the two key ones (for temperature and time) are pretty easy notice and use. It is important to do the initial clean up as per the instructions to get rid of any initial unusual smells that sometimes come with such devices. 

While the Vortex Air Fryer may be easy to set up and use, getting the temperatures and timing right for different foods could take a little trial and error. There is a slim air frying cookbook that comes in the box that could get you started but as you expand the types of foods you want to air fry, there may be some mishaps (guilty as charged). However, once you understand the speed and power of this little device, it is pretty cool how versatile it can be. We have tried a range of things in there so far (from donuts to chicken nuggets) and are very happy with the final results. The clean up of the frying basket is pretty fast and easy, and there are no strong frying smells floating around the house for hours to deal with. Quick ‘fried’ foods with almost 70% fewer calories than regular oil frying, what could be better! 

Overall, we are pretty happy with the PowerXL Vortex Air Fryer and would recommend it for anyone looking to move from oil frying to a healthier alternative.

Product received. Thanks to PowerXL for providing us the product, all opinions are our own.