To accompany the chips, I cooked some sausages. Using spray oil to give them a light coating fat, I placed them in the AF400UK at 180ºC with the timer reduced by 20% compared to the cooking instructions. After the time had elapsed, the sausages were perfectly cooked: crisp and browned evenly all over. But what makes it so good? For one, it’s absolutely bursting with features, all of which help to make the device easy to use and efficient for all cooking scenarios. There are six cooking options: air fry, max crisp air fry, bake, roast, dehydrate, and reheat. The only thing it’s missing is the option to grill. Ninja clearly wants you to buy a separate health grill for that. In my tests, each and every function has worked as expected, even when I tried dehydrating some oranges ahead of my weekend of negroni sipping. The Ninja favours a dial over a touchscreen system (like the Instant Vortex Dual Zone has), which makes operating it really simple. You're not restricted by the preset temperatures or timings either, as you can use the two sets of arrows to set your own cooking course.

Everything here can be cleaned in the dishwasher once you’re done, meaning there’s very little clearing up to deal with. Performance The easy-to-use digital control panel with a countdown timer makes it easy to see how much cooking time is left. When it comes to cooking, timing is everything. Withtwo independent zones,you can mix and match cooking programmes, times, and temperatures across both drawers to create delicious meals in moments. We were impressed by the Sync feature, which allows you to cook two different foods with different cooking modes, temperature,s and durations, to be ready at the same time. Alternatively, you can set one zone with a cooking mode, temperature, and duration, and press the Match button to duplicate the settings in both zones, doing away with fiddling with the controls again. Due to not having the oven on the kitchen is not overheated so I imagine cooking in the Summer will be so much more comfortable too!That said, despite having quite a big, deep butler style sink it only just fits in my sink. If you’ve got a small sink you might struggle to fit it in. Although since it just needs some warm soapy water in it - you don’t really need to be able to fit the whole thing into your sink to give it a good clean. I forgot to say that you can set each drawer at a separate temperature and time or sync them to finish at the same time! Thankfully, that's it when it comes to controls, making simplicity a huge benefit of this air fryer. The haptics and sounds this appliance makes also won't grate on you unless you're very sensitive to machine noises. Cooking Quorn nuggets and sweet potato fries Cook the same food in both zones to make twice the amount of food in the same amount of time! Or easily cook two different foods with the same cooking instructions.

If you’re looking for an air fryer that can do it all, I truly think you’re not going to get any better than the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer AF451UK. This appliance is easily one of the best in its class. Not only do you have a choice of six different cooking methods – from air fry and roast to bake and even dehydrate – but there’s a super smart dual cook feature that can ensure two different foods are correctly cooked, simultaneously, and are ready to eat at the same time. The addition of the Digital Cooking Probe is also a game changer for those who regularly cook meat dishes, especially big roast joints of beef or lamb, as it cooks the meat to your desired level without needing your constant attention. The large capacity of the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer AF400UK makes it a bulky appliance. Measuring 32.5 x 41.5 x 27cm / 13.9 x 12.8 x 17.1inches (h x w x d) and weighing 8.8kg / 19.8lb, this isn’t an appliance you’ll be storing in a cupboard and lifting out every time you need it.The other controls of note are the 'Sync' and 'Match' buttons, which is where the Ninja Dual Zone really comes into its own. The Sync function means that the two baskets will finish at the same time regardless of the timings or temperatures of the individual drawers, while Match means that whatever you apply to one basket will be auto-applied to the other, cutting down on programming time. If you want to use the two drawers together, you have a choice of two modes: Match and Sync. Match applies the same settings to both drawers, letting you double-up portions. Sync allows individual settings, but the AF400UK ensures that both drawers complete cooking at the same time.

Another Ideal Home favourite is the Instant Vortex Plus dual basket air fryer. It’s smaller than the above Ninja, offering up just 7.6 litres of cooking space. Like the Ninja there are several cooking modes and you can cook with different modes at the same time. But the big feature that sets this air fryer apart from the rest is the viewing window in the front of each cooking drawer. So you can watch your food as it cooks and monitor browning without opening it up every five minutes - a game-changing upgrade. Cleaning When it comes to cooking, timing is everything. Perfect for families and large households, the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone 9.5L Air Fryer does the thinking and timing for you. Cook 2 different foods with different temperatures, times and settings in 2 separate cooking drawers – and have both ready to serve at exactly the same time using the SYNC feature! More people to feed? MATCH settings across both zones to make double the amount of food in the same amount of time!testing and calculations based on recommended cook time for sausages, using air fry function versus conventional ovens With six cooking options, two cooking drawers and a large capacity, this air fryer from Ninja will make mealtimes a breeze. Handy Cooking Take mealtimes to the MAX with the large capacity air fryer that cooks 2 foods, 2 ways, and finishes at the same time. In my opinion it’s way too big for single person households unless you host a lot. And if you have a teeny kitchen, you’ll need to be prepared to find space for it, since it’s quite wide and tall. Furthermore, it’s one of the most expensive Ninja air fryers - a fact that can’t be ignored in your decision about whether to buy. There are several great reasons to buy this air fryer. Namely, its huge capacity makes it the perfect choice for families or people who like to entertain a lot. And then there’s the undeniably useful flexibility of being able to switch between one larger cooking zone and two smaller ones. At this point it goes without saying that it’s simple to use and cooks superbly.