Ninja AF100UK air fryer review: small, yet powerful

Because the smallest air fryer obtainable from Ninja, the AF100UK can be their least expensive mannequin at £129.99. With its 3.8 litre capability it’s an awesome dimension for 2 individual households, however it may cook dinner as much as 900g chips, so will serve 4 at a stretch.

It’s the proper alternative for smaller kitchens, it requires minimal area in your worktop and in the event you don’t need to go away it out on a regular basis, this light-weight air fryer is straightforward to elevate out and in of a cabinet. It’s not only for air fried chips although, it may additionally roast, dehydrate and reheat. So it’s equally helpful for warming final evening’s leftover pizza or drying contemporary herbs out of your backyard.

It may be the smallest and least expensive mannequin from Ninja however this air fryer isn’t missing something in relation to efficiency. All the pieces I made in it was crisped and browned to perfection, plus it’s quick and really simple to make use of. It’s definitely top-of-the-line air fryers in the marketplace.

Very best Dwelling rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

Causes to purchase:

• Easy to make use of
• Compact footprint
• Dishwasher secure
• Recipes and cooking charts included
• Nice efficiency

Causes to keep away from:

• Costly for dimension
• No automated preheat

Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer

Specs

• Materials: Plastic
• Color: Gray
• Capability: 3.8 litres
• Modes: Air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate
• Weight: 5.2kg
• Energy: 1550W
• Dimension: 36 x 25 x 32cm (h x w x d)

Unboxing

This Ninja air fryer is available in a sturdy field that’s not too large to elevate onto the kitchen worktop. On opening, I used to be happy to see it’s protected by simply recyclable cardboard inserts, with little or no plastic within the field. It comes with a useful fast begin information that features some recipes for inspiration in addition to cooking charts. The cooking charts offer you guideline cooking instances and temperatures for frequent meals, which is especially useful in the event you’re new to air frying.

The air fryer itself has a easy management panel that doesn’t take a lot figuring out and I didn’t have to seek the advice of the instruction booklet in any respect. It’s acquired a button for every of the cooking features: air fry, roast, dehydrate, and reheat. The time and temperature settings are managed with up and down arrows for every and whichever one you’re adjusting can be displayed on the small display.

The non-stick ceramic coated cooking pan pulls out simply due to the massive deal with. It comes with what Ninja name a crisper plate, which is a perforated cooking plate that enables air to flow into round meals, in addition to permitting extra oil to drip away into the pan under. The crisper plate is detachable, however when in place three rubber ft grip the pan so it stays put even when tipping meals out.

Utilizing the Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer

As I’ve already talked about, there’s not a lot to familiarize yourself with, the uncomplicated management panel makes it simple to get cooking right away. And though I didn’t really feel the necessity to learn the instruction handbook, a fast flick through it alerted me to the actual fact a preheat is advisable. Ninja suggest preheating the air fryer for 3 minutes earlier than including meals. However in contrast to another air fryers I’ve reviewed, it doesn’t have a preheat stage inbuilt. It’s a must to begin it up with the timer set to 3 minutes. That is mildly annoying as a result of when you’ve added the meals after the preheat, you then need to reset the time and temperature for cooking.

One other level price noting is that there’s no reminder to shake or flip your meals half manner by means of cooking, so that you’ll have to recollect to do that to make sure you get even outcomes. When you choose the air fry perform, it doesn’t keep in mind your earlier settings, it all the time defaults to 200oC and 20 minutes. I don’t thoughts this, however in the event you steadily cook dinner the identical meals, you would possibly end up wishing it remembered the time and temperature from final time.

It may air fry at temperatures between 150oC – 210oC and the timer will be set from one minute as much as one hour. The timer will rely down and an audio alert will let you already know when your meals is prepared. This isn’t a silent equipment, it emits a low pitched hum that’s equal to my extractor fan on it’s center setting.

Cooking bacon within the Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer

To air fry bacon I adopted the urged time and temperature within the cooking chart. Earlier than including my bacon, I set the air fryer to preheat for 3 minutes at 180oC. Then I positioned the bacon on the crisper plate, however there’s solely sufficient area for 3 to 4 rashers. I managed three on my first try however squeezed in 4 the second time I used it. Though if you wish to cook dinner extra you could possibly most likely get away with overlapping them slightly, as a result of they are going to transfer aside as they shrink.

I set the timer for eight minutes, however after 5 minutes the bacon was cooked and the fats had crisped up sufficient for me. A lovely quantity of fats had dripped into the pan under the crisper, which positively made it really feel more healthy. And with no bacon grease to wash up from wherever aside from the pan, it was mess free compared to pan frying and even grilling.

Heating frozen fish within the Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer

In my expertise breaded meals all the time crisp up rather well in air fryers and this Ninja was no exception. After the three minute preheat, I positioned two frozen breaded haddock fillets onto the crisper plate and opted for the settings urged within the cooking chart, which was 200oC for 14 minutes.

Though I checked them a few instances, I didn’t flip them. Regardless of this, each fillets have been evenly cooked and had crisped up effectively on the bottom. The breaded coating had an awesome crunch, but the fish was nonetheless moist. And one of the best half was that the 14 minute cook dinner time was far faster than the 25 minutes they’d have taken in my oven.

Making chips within the Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer

For thick reduce chips I adopted the recommendation within the fast begin information which suggests soaking the chips in a bowl of chilly water for half-hour earlier than cooking. This removes extra starch and creates a greater chip, however it’s important to ensure you pat them dry totally earlier than cooking. I take advantage of a clear tea towel for this half.

The information suggests between ½ and three tbsp of oil, I opted for one which was loads to coat 500g chips. I cooked on the urged 200oC, Ninja says they’ll take 23-26 minutes, however mine have been performed in 23. With simply a few good shakes throughout cooking, I used to be rewarded with golden crisp chips that have been fluffy within the centre, precisely the consequence I used to be on the lookout for.

Roasting greens within the Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer

Having made plenty of protein and carbs within the air fryer, I made a decision I higher cook dinner some greens for stability. I chopped up some crimson onion, pepper and mushrooms and coated in a single tablespoon of oil plus some seasoning. This tasty mixture of greens is considered one of my favourites for including to all types of cold and hot pasta dishes, however to attain the evenly charred, roasted texture I like, can take an hour or so within the oven.

After flicking by means of the cooking charts, I guessed at 200oC for 20 minutes, which turned out to be spot on. The cooking pan was initially fairly full and I gave it a superb shake each 5 minutes to make sure all of the greens cooked up evenly. I used to be tremendous pleased with the consequence, that they had an exquisite evenly charred texture on the surface, however contained in the peppers and onions hadn’t gone too tender or soggy.

Because the greens cook dinner, plenty of steam is emitted which vents out of the again of the air fryer. The vent factors upwards, so I observed condensation forming on the underside of the shelf above. That is simply prevented although by barely altering the place of the air fryer subsequent time.

Cleansing

The shiny plastic exterior of the air fryer wipes down simply with a moist material and doesn’t dry with smears. Although I did discover it barely irritating that the silver deal with reveals marks in the event you seize it with greasy or moist arms. Having stated this, I like that the management panel has a matte floor that doesn’t mark with fingerprints.

The cooking pan and crisper plate can each go within the dishwasher. I washed them by hand a number of instances and so they got here clear actually shortly due to the non-stick floor.

Do you have to purchase the Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer?

There are many causes to purchase this air fryer and only some minor downsides that I can consider. I loved its simplicity, there’s nothing difficult or fussy to get your head round. What’s extra, it really works rather well, it shortly and evenly crisped and browned every thing I put in it. I might have most popular a preheat stage constructed into the settings however having to set it individually was solely a minor grumble.

For the value of the AF100UK you will get bigger capability air fryers from different manufacturers, so it’s a tad on the costly facet. However having stated that, in the event you’re not on the lookout for a bigger capability mannequin, it is a nice air fryer and it doesn’t take up an excessive amount of area in your worktop.

About this overview, and the reviewer

Helen McCue is a contract contributor who skilled as a Dwelling Economist. After beginning her profession within the meals business, she moved into house equipment critiques, utilising her cooking abilities and expertise to place all types of merchandise to the take a look at, and over time has reviewed a whole bunch of house and kitchen home equipment for a wide range of publications.

Having fully renovated her present home, Helen critiques kitchen home equipment from her open plan kitchen at house in an exquisite Berkshire village. When she’s not working, Helen will be discovered having fun with the native countryside or dreaming about her subsequent home renovation challenge.