As Julie Andrews sang to the Von Trapp children, “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.” So where do we start? Well, you’ve got to find one, and hopefully by the time you are reading this, they are easier to find then they are at the time I am writing this.

Where Can You Find the Omni?

So before I start talking about how to find an Omni, I will preface it by saying that at the time I found one (September 13, 2019), it was quite the ordeal. At the time I am writing this, Instant Omni’s can only be found in specific Walmarts. Rumor is that in December, the Omni Plus will be available and possibly you can order them on Amazon. Until then, here are the things I learned on my hunt to find an Instant Omni 9 in 1 Toaster and Air Fryer.

1. Utilize the Walmart App

I live in NYC and Walmarts near me are few and far between. Not only that, but tolls, traffic, and time make it impossible to just drive around to different Walmarts searching shelves. The best way to narrow it down is to use the Walmart app.  Make sure “NextDAY Delivery” is not selected and then type in “Instant Omni” in the search bar.

Click on “At Your Store” tab. If one does not show up, then click on the “Change” link to find other stores near you.

A list of stores near you will come up and you can click on those one at a time until you find a store that says they have some in stock. If you can’t find one in a store near you, change the zip code location and try ones farther away.

 

 

 

2. Call the store.

Once you find one through the app, you are going to want to purchase it right away. DON’T. I tried 3 times to buy them through the app. I would purchase it and get an email about 24 hrs later that they were no longer in stock and my purchase was canceled. I am not sure if that happened because they were sold out before they pulled them off the shelf for me or if the website was wrong. Either way, it was very frustrating. So if you find a store that has one in stock, call the store and ask them to check.

3. Go to the Store and buy it in person.

Once you have confirmation they have them in your store, I highly recommend going there and buying it in person. However, if you do buy it online, know that if they run out before they put it aside, they will refund your money.

Now that you have one, you can watch my video on unboxing and how to get started or scroll down to learn about each of the modes.

 

WHAT MODE DO I USE?

The great thing about Instant products, is their ease of use and their pre-set modes which they call Smart Programs. However, it can be confusing as to what makes each mode different and which mode you should use to cook your own recipes. I found it helpful in converting and creating my own recipes for the Instant Omni and other products, if I know exactly what each mode does so I can compare and contrast and set it to the perfect mode, temperature, and time.

First, here are the pre-set times and temperatures that default when you press each mode for the first time or reset it. However, the Omni will default to the last time and temperature you used previously.

• Air Fry:        400 degrees F / 18 mins
• Toast:            Temp 2 / Level 3
• Bake:             350 degrees F / 40 mins
• Broil:             450 degrees F / 10 mins
• Roast:            365 degrees F / 40 mins
• Dehydrate:   135 degrees F / 8 hours

Here are the specifics of each mode:

Air Fry

Temperature Range : 180 – 450 degrees F

Time Range: 5 – 45 mins

Functions available: Rotate and Preheat

Functions unavailable: Bottom Heating Element and Fan Adjustment

Bake

Temperature Range : 180 – 450 degrees F

Time Range: 1 min – 4 hours

Functions available: Top and Bottom Heating Elements, Preheat, and Fan Adjustment      (Hi/Lo)

Functions unavailable: Rotate

Broil

Temperature Range : 350 – 450 degrees F

Time Range: 2 – 20 mins

Functions available: Fan Adjustment (Hi/Lo) and Rotate

Functions unavailable: Preheat and Bottom Heating Element

Roast

Temperature Range : 180 – 450 degrees F

Time Range: 20 mins – 4 hours

Functions available: Fan Adjustment (Hi/Lo), Rotate, and Preheat

Functions unavailable: Bottom Heating Element

Dehydrate

Temperature Range : 85 – 175 degrees F

Time Range: 30 mins – 72 hours

Functions available: Rotate and Fan Adjustment (Hi/Lo)

Functions unavailable: Preheat and Bottom Heating Element

Toast

Temperature Range : 1 – 5 Level

Time Range: 1 (1:20 mins) – 6 (4:20 mins)

Functions available: Top and Bottom Heating Elements

Functions unavailable: Fan, Rotate, and Preheat

*On the functions that do not use the Bottom Heating Element (Air Fry, Broil, Roast, and Dehydrate) you can place the cooking tray on the very bottom level above the heating elements to help with drips.

Inserting the Rotisserie Spit

Unlike the Vortex Plus, the Omni does not have a lever to engage the Rotisserie spit when inserting and removing it. To insert/remove the spit, you simply place the pointed end of the spit into the circular housing on the right side and then slide the square end onto the bracket on the left.

 

A Few More Tips

• If you have a crazy dog like mine, that gets annoyed with beeping sounds, you can turn off all sounds by holding in the Temp and Time knobs for 3 seconds.
• You can reset all the Smart Programs to their default Time and Temp, by pressing and holding your finger over the “CANCEL” button for 3 seconds.
• Wipe down and spills or stains before starting the Omni oven again. I use a damp Norwex cloth which works great.

 

• Use the wire rack in different positions and flip upside down to bake food.
• When baking cakes or delicate desserts, press the “CONVECT” button and change the fan to “Lo”.
• To preheat the oven faster, choose a mode that uses both top and bottom heating elements. Then once it preheats, hit cancel and then change to the desired mode.