Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer review: A hot product in the Black Friday sales – is it worth the hype?

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer is the UK's best-selling dual-zone air fryer. As part of Ninja's stylish and functional range of kitchen appliances, this air fryer has two cooking drawers with a substantial 7.6-litre capacity. What sets it apart is its Sync and Match functions. Cook different types of foods using both drawers and sync them so they finish cooking at the same time. It means a vegetarian dish and a joint of meat can be cooked in separate drawers and finish cooking simultaneously.

We've all heard that air fryers cook food quickly using little to no oil, but there are other things to consider, including the size and number of functions. If you're after a dual air fryer, the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer must be a contender for the thousands of positive reviews its had online. One user commented: "It took me a short while to get used to cooking in a slightly different way, but now I absolutely love it."

Ninja is a premium, highly rated brand, but competitors have developed air fryers with similar functions at a lower price point. So, we've decided to test this popular air fryer to see how it performs.

Product Overview

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer is a premium appliance currently on offer at £119 from Argos. Ninja claims: "It cooks up to 75% faster than traditional frying."* Take the guesswork out of cooking times by using the six pre-set cooking functions. Alternatively, use the digital control panel to set temperature and time precisely. A dual drawer air fryer takes up more counter-top space than a single drawer model. This Ninja has a footprint of H39.7 x W37.0 x D31.5 cm, plus factor in room for ventilation. It regularly goes on sale so look out for the best Ninja offers during Black Friday.

*Tested against fan ovens and traditional frying methods.

Alternative products to consider are the Salter Dual Air Fryer (RRP £139.99) which has Sync and Match functions and a slightly larger 8.2L capacity. It claims to save up to 59% on energy bills and has 12 pre-set cooking functions. At a slightly higher price point, the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Dual Air Fryer (RRP £199.99) can be used as a single-drawer or dual-drawer air fryer (with the addition of a separator). It has an overall capacity of 8.5L and claims to use 80% less energy than a standard oven. It also has eight cooking programmes, SyncCook and SyncFinish programmes.

How it was tested

This appliance was tested in a domestic environment. It was used daily to cook a variety of foods. Our tester provides an honest review of its performance, usability and build quality.

Testing the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer

I had never used an air fryer before and wondered if it could really shorten the cooking time by that much. It was especially appealing to me as after a long day at work, you want a quick meal that takes little time to prepare. Unlike an oven, no preheating is required. My main hope was that it needed to be big enough to cook dinner for at least four people. With six cooking functions, there are plenty of different modes to try. You can crisp, roast, reheat, dehydrate and bake your favourite foods, even from frozen.

Usability

Initially, I was apprehensive about how to use the different functions, particularly as there are two zones, but the clear controls and the Quick Start Guide made it easy. It's great that you can set both drawers to Sync or Match so that everything cooks at the same temperature and time, thanks to the DualZone technology.

Inside the booklet, there are pages full of charts that list different types of food (both fresh and frozen), how long you should cook them for, the temperature the air fryer needs to be at and if you should add any oil, which is particularly helpful for newbies like me.

The first food I had to try was, of course, chips. Normally I would make homemade chips in the oven, coating them in oil beforehand but with the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone, l didn't need to add any (although next time, if I were using a seasoning I would perhaps toss them in a very small amount beforehand to make sure that it sticks to it). To make sure that the texture was perfect, I began with the Air Fry mode and then pressed Max Crisp at the end and I was blown away at how crunchy they were on the outside but how fluffy the interior was.

As for size, it's more than capable of making a meal for a family and if someone is late to the party, you can simply use the Reheat function to warm up their food. I would say that if you're preparing a large amount of food that should be quite crispy, you need to regularly open the drawers and give them a bit of a shake to make sure that everything gets fried evenly. Note that cooking pauses upon opening the drawer.

Build

With its matte black exterior and shiny chrome-effect handles, it’s a stylish appliance. Just be aware that the handles will show finger marks, so it will need regular cleaning. Each drawer holds 3.8L so that's a total capacity of 7.6L. You could roast a small chicken in each drawer.

Crucially, it’s a large and heavy countertop air fryer (8.2kg) that will need a dedicated spot as it’s too bulky to move around. It stands quite tall because there is an air intake vent in the top section of the appliance. Additionally, there is an air outlet at the back of the unit, too, so it needs a bit of clearance around it to allow air to escape.

If you’re cooking for one person, you can use just one drawer to cook or reheat leftovers. This is a great energy-saving appliance because the drawers have independent controls. Additionally, it’s also a reasonably safe way of cooking as the body of the appliance stays cool to touch.

Cleaning is made simple due to the dishwasher-safe components (the non-stick crisper trays are detachable and the drawers can be placed into the dishwasher), although I prefer to hand-wash mine to increase their longevity. Most things don't seem to stick to it which is brilliant, but if there is a bit of tough food residue leftover, I simply pour in some warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid and leave it to soak for a minute or two and then it wipes off easily.

Our tester’s verdict

I love how simple the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer is to use. It's made me more creative and spontaneous with my food choices as I now have more time to prepare my lunch and dinner because it cuts the cooking time drastically. Each meal feels healthier as I'm using less oil and I'm able to cook two things at once, without fussing over different pans and the oven. Whilst you can cook a whole small chicken inside each drawer, I would've liked to have more space to be able to fit a larger one in, but I understand that this may be tricky as there are two zones instead of one.

Conclusion

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer remains the UK’s best-selling dual zone air fryer. It’s slightly more expensive and doesn’t have massively different features than competitors, such as the Salter Dual Air Fryer and Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Dual Air Fryer. So why is it so popular? Potentially, it’s down to the Ninja’s build quality and ease of use. One user commented: “I am so pleased I chose the Ninja AF300, being new to air fryers, it was so easy to use and clean." Another user commented on the range of foods that can be cooked: "Very impressed with the product's versatility and trying out some of the recipes in the booklet provided, which has introduced more variety for family meals."

Whether you use the pre-set cooking functions or set the time and temperature manually, this energy-saving and convenient dual-drawer air fryer allows you to prepare a roast dinner in less than an hour. It benefits families and individuals as you can cook with one or both drawers. Its ease of use means it’s accessible to all, be it elderly loved ones or teenage grandkids who want to prepare snacks. In addition, if you’re following a healthy diet, this low-fat form of cooking offers fast, convenient food that’s versatile and tastes wonderfully crispy.

Alternatives to the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer

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Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who enjoys cooking and spending time with her many pets.