Ninja Crispi DualZone Review

Design and features

• Clever dual glass baskets
• Convenient functions and proper tactile controls are welcome
• Maintenance can be a little finicky

The Crispi DualZone is essentially a supersized Ninja Crispi Pro, with a similar design and control scheme but a bigger overall capacity. My sample even came in the same Bone colourway.

The 7.6L capacity makes this a smaller dual-zone air fryer, split into a pair of narrow but deep 3.8L baskets. Each dish has its own crisper plate and a tight-fitting lid, so you can store cooked food in the same container. The lids felt surprisingly flimsy, unlike those on other Crispis I’ve tested.

One downside is the hefty plastic base on the underside of each dish. It provides the handles and lets you set hot food down safely, but the small crevice where the glass meets the plastic makes cleaning trickier than I expected.

The controls are classic Ninja, with physical buttons and dials plus a clear digital display. There are eight functions: Air Fry, Roast, Max Crisp, Recrisp, Bake, Prove, Dehydrate and Keep Warm. That’s one more than the Crispi Pro, which makes this a very versatile air fryer.

It can also reach 240°C on functions such as Air Fry and Max Crisp, so it avoids a common problem with cheaper air fryers, which can leave some foods lacking crispiness.

Ninja says the glassware, crisper plates and lids are dishwasher-safe, which helps with stubborn stains. I washed mine by hand, and without bulky handles on the front, the dishes were easier to clean than the baskets on the larger dual-basket air fryers I’ve tested.

Performance

• Excellent overall results
• Roast and Air Fry deliver crispy, tender results
• Recrisp revives leftovers, while Prove and Bake handle loaves well

I cooked a wide range of food across the Crispi DualZone’s functions, from a Wagyu beef joint to garlic knots and a couple of loaves. I was impressed with the results, and the two zones are a real advantage when cooking a whole meal in one go.

I started with a Wagyu beef sirloin joint on Roast, giving it ten minutes at 200°C and then turning it down to 160°C for a further 30 minutes. It came out at 60°C in the middle, which made it medium rare, and it was very tender. Broccolini went on Roast at 180°C for ten minutes, with the temperature turned down to 160°C after five. The tops were crispy and the stems still had a little bite. Potatoes roasted at 200°C were well done after 15 minutes of a planned 20. A tray of chips on Roast at 200°C was ready after 18 minutes of a planned 25, and I then switched to Max Crisp at 240°C for a further five minutes to finish them.

On Air Fry, chicken cordon bleu kievs went in at 180°C for 20 minutes and came out well done. I then browned some mince nicely in 12 minutes at the same temperature. For garlic knots, I put three in each basket, used Match to copy the settings across, and cooked them at 200°C for 12 minutes, turning them halfway through. They were springy and full of garlic, and among the best I’ve made in an air fryer.

I cooked fishcakes, crab cakes and a haddock Wellington at 200°C for 20 minutes, using Match to apply the same settings to both baskets with a single button press. Everything was crispy in the time allowed, and the haddock Wellington didn’t have a soggy underside, which isn’t always the case in an air fryer.

Oven chips went on Air Fry at 200°C for ten minutes, then on Max Crisp at 240°C for five more, and came out crispy outside and fluffy inside. I reheated leftover fishcakes on Recrisp at 170°C for 15 minutes, and they came back to life without turning soggy or overdone.

Roasting was just as good. Roast potatoes and carrots at 190°C for 30 minutes were well roasted, and broccoli at 180°C for 12 minutes was done. A pork shoulder on Roast at 190°C was well done after 16 minutes. I also cooked sausages on Air Fry at 190°C for 12 minutes, finishing with six minutes on Max Crisp while a beef joint reheated in the other zone. Three pieces of salmon went on Air Fry at 185°C for a planned 20 minutes but were ready in 15, and came out moist and flaky.

Baking was a tougher test. I proved two cheese and onion loaves on Prove at 35°C for 40 minutes, then baked one at 190°C for a planned 25 minutes. It needed 35 minutes in total, and I then turned it over for a further ten minutes to finish the underside.

Should you buy it?