Air fryers and instant pots are all the rage these days. While they both are very versatile, quick to use and require little clean up, there are some big differences between the two that need to be considered when deciding which to purchase.
Instant Pot
The instant pot can cook many types of food. Instant Pot advertises that it can ferment, warm, simmer, slow cook, boil and pressure cook as well as saute and sear. It can do all of this while speeding up the process by as much as 70% and using 70% less energy than you would cooking with traditional methods. All of this means that the slow cooker recipe you were planning on making for dinner can be made in just a few minutes compared to a few hours. You can also make yogurt, can your favorite foods, or make delicious restaurant quality meat.
Air Fryer
An air fryer cooks using convection to circulate hot air. Advertisements for the air fryer boast that it can cook all the foods you love, but make them healthier because you don't need to use oils like you would with a deep fryer. The food will turn out just as crispy and delicious as if it were deep fried. An air fryer can air fry things like meats, vegetables, and it can even roast nuts.
So which should you pick?
It depends on your needs. Personally, I would go with an Instant Pot because it has so many settings and seems overall more useful and timely. The air fryer also seems to promote more unhealthy food options. If you watch the infomercial, they claim that the mozzarella sticks and onion rings are healthier because they are not cooked in oil. What they don't tell you, is that mozzarella sticks, onion rings, etc. are not healthy at all, EVEN before you put them in oil.
Which would you pick, and why?