Ninja MAX AF160UK air fryer review

If you've been thinking of investing in an air fryer, then you'll want to know more about this 5.2L Ninja Air Fryer MAX.

Everybody's talking about air fryers and with good reason. Quick, energy efficient, and needing little to no oil, there's a range of benefits to these kitchen appliances - but knowing which air fryer is right for you isn't always easy. The Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK is a great choice and ticks a number of boxes when it comes to being one of the best air fryers for a family of four.

At 5.2L capacity, there's enough room in this gadget to feed a large family, plus there are six different cooking methods to choose from too; air fry, max crisp, bake, roast, dehydrate, and reheat, so you can make a range of meals - including some of the best air fryer recipes we have on site. And if you're a newbie to air fryers and don't know where to start, this Ninja air fryer comes with a handy instruction booklet and recipe guide to get you started.

In addition, Ninja enjoys an exceptional reputation for their multicookers and air fryers, and their bestselling kitchen products are designed to make cooking more efficient, and dedicated to innovation and quality.

In Ninja's own words: "It’s never been easier to create your favourite dishes at home – whether you’re expert or experimental, a confident chef or kitchen newcomer." They add, "Every Ninja product is engineered in-house and developed to deliver speed, power, and incredible results."

That being said, we wanted to see for ourselves if the brand's air fryers lived up to their reputation, which is why we put the Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK to the test...

• VIEW AT NINJA - £169.99

 Design

Capacity: 5.2L | Dimensions: 36cm x 25cm x 32cm | Wattage: 1750W | Colour: Grey

First of all, this Ninja air fryer is large, so you'll need a decent amount of countertop or cupboard space to store it. But despite its size, the kitchen appliance is lightweight, making it easy to maneuver. So, if you are struggling for counter space, you won't have any difficulty lifting this Ninja air fryer in and out of your cupboard.

"The machine has a sleek, modern design, so it looked great sitting on our kitchen countertop. Although we did have to move a few things around to make room for it. The Ninja air fryer is taller than it is wide, so it doesn't take up as much room as you might think," says Goodto feature writer, Ellie Hutchings.

"In addition, the display on this appliance makes it really easy to use. The different functions are all labeled, and once you've selected a cooking method all you need to do is press the arrows on the temperature and time buttons before selecting start to get the air fryer working its magic."

The sleek surface of this air fryer means it's easy to wipe down too, should you make a mess when cooking, while removable parts such as the crisp plate are dishwasher safe, making this machine easy to clean and maintain.

"It's really handy how easy the crisp plate is to remove from the bottom of the air fryer pan - even with oven gloves on," Ellie says. "When I was cooking with it, sometimes smaller pieces of food would fall through the plate and become trapped in the bottom, but once I removed it I could scrape everything out so that nothing was getting wasted."

Comfort and features

This Ninja Air Fryer MAX comes with a range of useful cooking options: air fry, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate, and max crisp. This means there's a huge range of foods you can cook in your air fryer - and it takes far less time than using your oven, and considerably less oil than deep-fat frying.

Ellie says, "I'd never used an air fryer before, so I found the 'Quick Start & Recipe Guide' than came with this model really helpful. When I first came to use the air fryer, I wasn't really sure what 'max crisp' meant, but the guide had the answers, as well as some really handy tips and tricks for air frying, and some delicious recipes too."

With the 5.2L basket, you can cook for several people at once using this Ninja air fryer. Ellie used some of the recipes provided in the guide when putting this machine to the test.

"It took a couple of attempts to get the food cooked to perfection - the first time I tried making homemade chips some were slightly raw in the middle, while others were a bit too crisp. However, on reflection, I think this was more to do with the irregular size I was cutting the potatoes than the fault of the air fryer. Once I got around to trying some of the recipes, I felt like I'd gotten the hang of it."

"We tried the Greek-style potatoes and the roasted carrots and peas with butter, honey, and herbs - both were delicious and I'll definitely be making them again. The potatoes were beautifully crisp but still fluffy in the middle, and they only took 18 minutes to cook. Meanwhile, the peas and carrots were also delicious, and had a lovely tender texture."

Ellie adds that for the best results, while cooking, it's a good idea to check on your food and keep tossing it in the air fryer every so often. However, if you haven't got time to fuss over dinner you can leave the air fryer to do the work while you get on with something else.

"This air fryer has quite a distinct beeping noise, so you'll always know when cooking is complete. But if you do find yourself caught up in something else, the device goes into standby mode after 10 minutes without interaction, so you don't need to worry about the machine wasting energy once the food has finished cooking."

Value for money

At the time of writing, the Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK is priced at £169.99 on ninjakitchen.co.uk, so it's certainly an investment, but the pros of this kitchen appliance make it worth it.

Firstly, air fryers are energy-efficient appliances and cost less to run than a standard oven, so you could save money on your energy bills if you're using your air fryer regularly. Ninja says that this model can save you up to 55% on your energy bill.

And not only can air fryers save you money in the long run, but they also save you time. A good rule of thumb is to reduce the amount of time you cook something by about 20% if you're using an air fryer instead of an oven - meaning you can get dinner on the table quicker when you've got a busy evening. 

There are health benefits to air fryers too, as they require less oil than baking or frying. Ellie adds, "I felt like I've found myself using the air fryer to make meals that have a wider range of vegetables in them than perhaps I would if I had to use my oven, just because it's much simpler and takes less time."

On whether the Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK is good value for money overall, Ellie says, "Definitely. You can cook whole meals for several people using this air fryer - and you can even bake desserts in it too. The range of cooking modes means there are pretty much limitless options in terms of what recipes you can try, so I can see myself using the Ninja air fryer really regularly.

"I was expecting it to be complex to use, and perhaps more difficult to get my head around than it would be worth. But actually, it was really easy to get to grips with. If you cook for several people often and have the space to store it, I would recommend investing."

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