Every air fryer tested in our family kitchen ends up getting a nickname, and the Tower Vortx Dual Basket became known as the “exploding air fryer.” Full disclosure, that really is not as dramatic as it sounds, and no actual explosions occurred. But if you want to find out how and why it earned that nickname, how to use it, and some of its pros, cons, and quirks, then this review is for you.
Table of Contents
What Is the Tower Vortx Dual Basket?
The Tower Vortx is a budget dual drawer air fryer with two equal-size drawers, each with a 4.5-liter capacity. Its temperature range sits between 30 and 200 degrees Celsius, giving you the option to cook a wide variety of foods and even dehydrate ingredients.
Appearance-wise, it is pretty compact. Placed on the worktop next to an 8.5-liter Cosori, it is noticeably slimmer. However, the obvious sacrifice made to bring this air fryer in at such a low retail price is its finish. It is very plasticky with a high-gloss surface that attracts fingerprints and dust. This will bother some people more than others, but it is worth knowing before you buy.
The hot air outlets are positioned at the back of the air fryer at the top, and there are fenders lower down to prevent it from being pushed too close to the wall. Even so, you will want to pull it out a little from the wall when cooking.
The 12 Presets Explained
On the front of the Tower Vortx Dual Basket, there are 12 different presets, each with a default time and temperature setting that matches the image shown on the display. One quick note: if you have middle-aged eyes, you might find yourself squinting at the display because the icons are very small. It would have been better if they had been made slightly larger.
It is also worth remembering that preset timings are only a guide and will frequently need adjusting to suit what you are cooking. In most cases, less time than the preset suggests is needed, with the exception of baking larger items like a cake in a 2-liter loaf tin, which actually required more time than the default.
Here is a rundown of each preset and what it is best used for.
- Preheat warms the drawer for 3 minutes before starting a cooking program. The manufacturer recommends this particularly to achieve a char-grilled effect when cooking vegetables, chicken, or steak. It is worth keeping expectations slightly realistic about what char-grilled means in an air fryer, but it is perfectly adequate for things like steak.
- French Fry is used for cooking frozen or homemade chips and roast potatoes.
- Meat is one of the hottest presets and works perfectly for sausages, burgers, or roasting chicken.
- Drumsticks also runs on the highest temperature setting but with a much longer preset duration. The suggested time is 20 minutes, though in testing, chicken legs were fully cooked in just 15 minutes.
- Steak benefits from preheating beforehand. In testing, steak cooked in around 5 minutes, although it was finished off on the hob by a budding young chef.
- Cake can be used for muffins, cakes, pastries, quiches, and bread.
- Shrimp is a short-duration preset for cooking seafood, with chilled prawns ready in just 5 minutes.
- Fish works well for breaded cod, salmon fillets, fish fingers, or any other fish you fancy.
- Pizza cannot be used for a full-size pizza made with raw dough, but it works well for small shop-bought kids pizzas or homemade naan bread pizzas topped with tomato sauce and cheese. One thing to be aware of is that loose pizza toppings can blow around a little under the fan. Wet mozzarella stays in place much better than grated cheese.
- Vegetables has a default temperature that is on the lower side. Personally, a higher temperature is preferred when roasting vegetables.
- Reheat is excellent for warming up leftovers, especially pizza slices or sausage rolls, giving them a crisp finish rather than the limp result you get from a microwave.
- Dehydrate can be used to dry out fruit and vegetables for healthy homemade snacks. Although the program runs for a long time, it uses very little energy, so there is no need to be hesitant about using it.
Also Read : 6 Things You Must Know Before Buying Air Fryer
How to Use the Presets
Using any of the presets is straightforward. Turn the machine on, select the drawer, choose your preset, make any adjustments to time and temperature, and then press the start button.
The display also shows two useful features: Match Cook and Smart Finish. Match Cook is a simple way of duplicating the settings chosen for one drawer to both drawers at once. Simply press Match Cook, select the preset you want, and press start. Smart Finish allows you to cook two different dishes that require different amounts of time and have both finish at exactly the same time. Program each drawer as normal and press Smart Finish before hitting start.
If any of this feels slightly overwhelming, the Tower Vortx Dual Basket comes with a chart that provides times and temperatures for many popular foods, along with five simple recipes to get you started. For anyone completely new to air fryers, there is enough included in the instruction booklet to help you get going with confidence.
Quirks and Things You Need to Know
Now, about the exploding nickname. The Tower Vortx Dual Basket does not actually explode, but it is very beepy. At the end of a cooking cycle, or if it is left turned on with the drawers open and nothing cooking, it produces a series of beeps that sound almost exactly like the countdown you hear before a bomb goes off in a movie. After a few days of having it in the house, the children started yelling “it’s going to explode” every time the beeping started. It is impossible to think of this air fryer any other way now.
One other thing that is slightly frustrating is the time and temperature controls. Tower is a British brand, and in the UK people read left to right, yet this air fryer has the plus temperature control on the left and the minus on the right. Every other brand does it the opposite way. You do get used to it, but it feels like an unnecessary quirk, especially since sister brand Russell Hobbs has the same layout.
Another notable quirk is that the preheat option functions as a standalone cooking preset. When it finishes, the air fryer turns off and you have to turn it back on and start a new cooking preset. Other air fryers have preheat as an add-on to the main cooking cycle, which works much more smoothly without the stop-start interruption.
The crisper plates in this model are almost completely flat, which means they sit very low in the drawer and allow less hot air to circulate underneath them. They do have silicone bumpers on each corner, which can be removed for washing. It is also worth noting that the instructions do not confirm the drawers are dishwasher safe, so it is best to assume they are not and wash the drawer and plates by hand in the sink.
Warranty Information
The Tower Vortx Dual Basket comes with a 3-year guarantee, made up of one year of standard coverage plus a further two-year extension if you register the appliance after purchase. Fewer than a third of people actually register their appliances, so if you have just bought this air fryer, make sure you register it right away. It is very easy to forget, and you will regret it if something goes wrong down the line.
- Affordable budget price with two equal 4.5-liter drawers offering generous cooking capacity
- Smart Finish and Match Cook features make cooking two different dishes at the same time easy and convenient
- Wide temperature range from 30 to 200 degrees Celsius supports everything from dehydrating to high-heat roasting
Specifications Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tower |
| Model | Vortx Dual Basket |
| Drawer Capacity | 2 x 4.5 Liters (9 Liters Total) |
| Temperature Range | 30 to 200 Degrees Celsius |
| Number of Presets | 12 |
| Key Features | Smart Finish, Match Cook, Preheat |
| Presets Included | Preheat, French Fry, Meat, Drumsticks, Steak, Cake, Shrimp, Fish, Pizza, Vegetables, Reheat, Dehydrate |
| Hot Air Outlet Position | Rear Top |
| Crisper Plates | Flat with Removable Silicone Corner Bumpers |
| Dishwasher Safe | Not Confirmed, Hand Wash Recommended |
| Guarantee | 3 Years (1 Year Standard + 2 Year Upon Registration) |
| Finish | High Gloss Plastic |
| Country of Brand Origin | United Kingdom |
Final Thoughts on the Tower Vortx Dual Basket
The Tower Vortx Dual Basket is a capable and affordable dual drawer air fryer that covers all the basics well. It has a good range of presets, useful features like Smart Finish and Match Cook, and a wide enough temperature range to handle everything from dehydrating fruit to roasting meat. A few quirks, such as the reversed temperature controls, the standalone preheat function, and the beeping, may take some getting used to, but none of them are deal-breakers. For the price, it offers solid value for everyday family cooking.
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