Foodi 6-in-1 Smart 10-qt. 2-Basket Air Fryer with DualZone Technology DZ550

I bought a large double basket air fryer. It has a large size basket and under that is a smaller depth basket that doesn't take large items but will take things about 2 or 3" high. I thought this would be great since I like cooking a couple of things at a time. Wrong! Not so great. It wasn't clear (at least to me) in the information on Amazon about how a dual basket fryer works, at least the counter type that you plug into a wall socket (I plug ours into a 20 amp circuit). The two baskets do not cook at the same time. One cooks for a specific time and the element turns off and the lower one turns on and cooks for a specific time and then turns off and the top one cooks again. It goes back and forth like this, based on the time each basket is set so that they finish at the same time. The problem with this is that your cook time has doubled or even more because they aren't both cooking at the same time. To me, that defeats the main feature of an air fryer, faster cooking times. I might as well use the oven or stove top. I can see why, it's because if both elements and fans were running at the same time it would probably exceed a 15 am outlet. I'm not sure if it would a 20 amp, I've not done the math, but it doesn't matter, when you use two baskets the internal computer controls the cooking time for each basket. There might be those out there that don't do this, I haven't looked, but I have never used the 2nd lower basket in my air fryer for this reason. I almost sent it back but it does great with just the one basket. I just wish I had caught the fine print about it before I bought it and I would have bought a large single basket fryer and saved some money. So look closely at the ones you are considering and see if they do the same thing. Maybe lower power rated fryers (which limits cooking) might not do it this way, but higher watt ones seem to.

This one does the same, it cooks one basket, stops, then cooks the other basket, stops, goes back to the first, stops, etc. This doubles the time that it takes to cook using both baskets. If taking more time isn't a big deal, it sounds pretty good. It has a lot of features. But I (and probably a lot of people) use air fryers to cook the food a lot faster than using the stove or oven. And so it tastes better than using the microwave to just nuke it. I'm not saying it's bad per se, but for me, it's not what I'm looking for and would rather have one big basket that can go up to 450 degrees and cook really fast than a two basket fryer that cooks the same speed as the stove. I just pointed it out because they do not spell this out in the information on dual basket fryers. On this one I had to look at the 3 star comments to find some that verified it does this. I hate it when manufacturers do not tell the whole story about their product because they know people won't like it. Air fryers are great! Just not this feature, in my opinion.

I'm not sure about it. I went off Amazon and looked at some of the reviews on review sites. I noted it was recalled in 2023 for catching fire, so make sure the one you get is after 2023. They never really addressed the both baskets cooking at the exact same time, they kept referring to the sync mode. Wattage is 1750, but I don't know if that is a single basket or both baskets combined, they didn't address that. I did note that on some of the food that was cooked that I have cooked, that the times seem a lot longer than what I can cook with one basket by itself. But they didn't really specify their cooking temps either. I go by the recommended temps and times on the food if they have air fryer listed. If you are prime, it's easy to return if you find it doesn't work out. Even if the dual drawers had worked out the way I thought they would, I found that I've never needed them. I have my old smaller air fryer that if I need to cook two items, I can use it. I'll just plug it into the 2nd 20 amp circuit I have that the microwave is on (all kitchens should have multiple 20 amp outlets), but I've never pulled it off the shelf. It also depends on family size. It's only my wife and I, so when we cook something we don't need to cook a lot of stuff. A larger family or those that fix larger meals might find the dual baskets beneficial. Even if not as fast as a single basket, it's better than heating up the oven during the summer. Good luck with your choice, what ever it is.

I’ve use a Insta Pot 2 quart air fryer. It worked great for me for 5 years. I just replaced with a 5 quart Ninja. Besides being larger which is no biggie cause it’s just me, I have problems with stuff blowing around in the Ninja which wasn’t an issue with my Instant Pot AF. Also, the old Insta Pot AF had a roast option. I noticed most but not all portable models, no matter the brand, replaced the bake option with dehydrator. Perhaps there are folks who do dehydrate, but I personally don’t know anyone interested in such a feature. I’m thought about gifting the Ninja and going back to a Insta Pot AF EXCEPT the model Ninja I have has a ceramic coating which I love and is supposedly healthier than Teflon.

Yeah, a 5-quart Ninja sounds totally reasonable for what you described 👍 If you’re usually cooking stuff like 4 pieces of chicken, veggies on the side, or meals for two, that size is kind of the sweet spot. You get enough surface area so food isn’t stacked on top of each other (which matters more than total volume), but it’s not massive or annoying to store. If you were meal-prepping or cooking for 4+ people regularly, I’d say go bigger, but for a couple with normal portions, 5 qt is more than fine. That said, before you pull the trigger, you might want to compare it with a couple of other popular options. I’ve written reviews on: • [Cosori TurboBlaze](https://sharkfryer.com/air-fryer-reviews/cosori-turboblaze-air-fryer/) – really fast, strong airflow, great if you like crispy results • [Philips 2000 Series](https://sharkfryer.com/air-fryer-reviews/philips-2000-series-review/) – very consistent cooking and solid build quality Different air fryers handle airflow and basket shape differently, and that can matter just as much as size. The Ninja is a solid pick, but it’s worth a quick comparison so you don’t end up wishing you’d gone another route later.

That’s the one we have. It’s perfect for 2.

I actually had to look it up again cause last time I searched for a double zone airfryer that cooks simultaneously, this one was the best among all. Turns out your point is valid but there's a bit of confusion here between stacked dual-basket air fryers and side-by-side dual-zone models. The Ninja DZ550 does not fully cook one basket, stop, then cook the other. Both baskets cook at the same time. Each zone has its own fan and heating element. What happens is power sharing. Since it runs on a standard outlet, the unit manages total wattage, so neither basket is blasting at absolute max constantly but neither basket is ever “off” while the other cooks. Hot air is circulating in both zones the entire time. Also smart Finish can make it look like one basket waits, because the shorter cook is delayed so both finish together. Some vertical designs really do alternate heat between baskets, and agree that defeats the whole cook fast game. If OP wants one giant basket at max temp, that's a fair preference.

Exactly. The extra time is real but it's still noticeably faster than alternating models, so for most people it's a worthwhile tradeoff. Especially if you're cooking two things that need different temps or times, that's where the dual zone really shines.

Dual baskets are really convenient if you cook more or expect guests every now and then. So if you are to be leaking more towards the dual basket then don't look at anything except the ninja dual basket catalog. Ninja single baskets like the af101 holds up quite well and so does the dual basket ones. But honestly first think if you really need it, since it's just you and your husband a single baskets will do most of the time. Dropping this if you want to check dual and single baskets options: https://www.smart-threadup.com/article/best-air-fryers-2026