Air fryers are all the rage right now, but some that are more sought after than others. The Tower Vortx Dual Basket Air Fryer has been in huge demand, with the larger models selling out as soon as they come in stock.
Why are they so popular? Well, many shoppers have been comparing them to the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryers , which can be up to £100 more expensive.
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And they've also been raving about how little they cost to run, which is the main reason people are so keen to buy them amid the cost of living crisis.
We've previously reported how one customer said the 9-litre Tower fryer had slashed her electricity bill by £10 a week - a whopping £480 a year.
With that in mind I jumped at the chance to try one out to see whether they're as good as everyone is making out.
The 8-litre version is sold exclusively by Very, for £149, and it's had five star reviews from customers who say it 'works like a dream' and 'doesn't send my smart meter into the red zone like my oven and grill'.
I decided to keep it simple for my first attempt - with the kids' favourite, chicken nuggets and chips. My traditional oven would usually take at least 10 minutes to heat to the desired 200 degrees Celsius - usually more as it's pretty ancient - but among the many benefits of these fryers is how quick they are. There's no preheat required, you just whack the stuff straight in and off you go.
And the real beauty of this one is that if you're cooking more than one product, taking varying lengths of time, you can set an individual timer for each drawer.
So in this case, with the handy Tower instruction booklet recommending just six to eight minutes for frozen nuggets (I know, I didn't believe it either) and 12 to 16 minutes for frozen fries, I set the left draw for 12 minutes and the right one for 20.
I clearly have trust issues, but as I was standing over the thing to check on it anyway, I knew I could whizz them out as soon as they were ready and then cancel any remaining time.
It might sound complicated and it's easy to be put off, especially if you're a bit set in your ways like I am. I really can't be dealing with faffing around with a button for this and a dial for that.
But the digital touch panel couldn't be simpler - you literally turn it on, pick your setting, set your temperature and your time and that's it.
There are six cooking functions to choose from, but air fry is the only one I've used so far, although I'm sure the others - roast, bake, dehydrate, defrost and reheat - will come in handy.
Both the nuggets and chips were done at the top end of the estimated cooking time, around eight minutes and 16 minutes respectively, but that's much quicker than the 12 minute and 20 minute oven times given on the packets, plus you'd have the preheat time on top of that.
Both tasted great, the fries in particular much crispier and tastier than you'd get from a normal oven. But it was the cost that impressed me the most. Having measured the electricity use with a monitor, it showed exactly how much it cost to cook the food - 15.36p.
I was already won over by the quick cooking time. But with a bill of just 15p to make nuggets and chips, now I can see exactly why these fryers are flying off the shelves.
To order one from Very, visit the website here. If it says unavailable, check back soon as stock is regularly replenished.
The Tower Vortx fryers are available in different sizes including 4-litre, 7.6-litre and 9-litre and can be ordered from retailers including Argos, Amazon, AO, B&M, Boots, Freemans, Wayfair and the Tower website itself.
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