Air fryers have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and when it comes to the gold standard, lots of people turn to Ninja for their wide range of appliances. Now, why people buy an air fryer varies for all sorts of reasons, but one big reason people like them is because, in many cases, they can cook faster than a typical convection oven. Plus, they give you extra cooking space, especially on days when your oven is already packed. So, with Christmas just around the corner and the big dinner to prepare for, treating yourself to a new air fryer could be a great solution.
Although Ninja models are popular, their air fryers don’t necessarily need to break the bank. In fact, one of their most affordable options is currently under £110 at Argos (so cheaper than on the Ninja website, where it’s £149), and according to shoppers, it’s particularly good for making some of the classic Christmas dinner trimmings. The Ninja Foodi 4-in-1 Dual Zone Air Fryer is a dual-zone air fryer with a 7.6-litre capacity.
With two drawers, this air fryer can cook two different things at the same time on two different settings. So, that means you can cook two different elements of your dinner that require different cooking functions and temperatures simultaneously. And if you want everything to finish at the same time, just press the ‘sync’ button.
Alternatively, if you want both drawers to cook in the same way, you can use the match button. This is particularly handy if you’re cooking a lot of the same item. Just spread them out across the two drawers, set the temperature and cooking function, and press match to ensure both drawers are identical.
The air fryer has four cooking functions: air fry, max crisp, roast, and reheat. If you want something with a wider range of cooking functions, you’d be better off looking at the Ninja Foodi Max, an upgraded version of this one, which retails for £199.99 at the time of writing (down from its usual £269.99).
In a review, one shopper praised the Ninja Foodi for helping them perfect their roast potatoes—arguably one of the finest elements of a Christmas dinner. In their review, the customer said that they used the roast setting, their “roast potatoes were absolutely delicious and everyone commented on how nice they were”.
They added: “I have also used the air fry setting for sausage rolls, turned them over halfway through a 12-minute cook time so they reached a nice golden colour all over. I found it very easy to use, and I love the fact that if you program draw one, you can hit the match button and it will automatically match and sync to draw two.”
Ninja themselves also recommend using their air fryer range for “crispy roast potatoes in under 30 minutes”. You can read their full recipe for these speedy potatoes here.
Elsewhere online, food blogger Helen (who runs the website HintofHelen.com) says this is the exact air fryer she uses for her “best roast potatoes” recipe. “These roast potatoes really are the best you can make – made simple and much quicker in the Ninja Dual Air fryer,” she said. You can read Helen’s full recipe on her blog here.
Of course, that’s not all the air fryer can be used for. You can also cook an assortment of meats – in fact, according to Ninja, each drawer of the Foodi can fit a 1.6kg chicken.
They also say that the air fryer cooks frozen food, such as fish fingers and sausages, “75% faster than fan ovens, including pre-heat time” (based on their own independent studies).
The drawers are also non-stick, making them easier to clean. The air fryer itself measures 26.5 x 38 x 31.5 cm, so it is wider than a double-stack or smaller model, but great if you have a little extra counter space.
And even if it’s your first time using an air fryer, shoppers say it’s relatively straightforward to use. In a review on the Argos website, one shopper said: “Bought this air fryer to try it out, found it easy to use and does what it’s meant to.”
Another first-time air fryer user said: “This is our first air fryer and we’re still getting used to it, but so far so good. We chose this one because of the four different types of cooking methods and the ability to use a different method in each compartment, which is very convenient.
“The trays were a struggle to get out of the drawers at first, but once we figured out the edges were rubber, we realised they could be removed with more force. Can do so much more with these than expecte,d and using our regular oven less and less.”
