Ninja - Max XL Air Fryer (AF161)

So I have two air fryers. Both are ninjas. One is single and one is dual. I do agree the single is better. It's really convenient to have three air fryers when making something like air fryer chicken, roasted veggies & fresh french fries. I can make all three at the same time and eat at the same time. Super convenient. Also if making wontons and spring rolls. I have a pretty busy job, a young child & a husband who doesn't cook. So for me worth it to have all. I also have enough space in my kitchen.

My sister got me a ninja max crisp for Christmas and it's friggin' excellent. 

I have a Ninja that's got Super-Crisp (450F) technology.

Any air fryer is a “convection cooker.” The “air fryer” name is a sales gimmick. Just like the “instant pot” label is a gimmick for a pressure cooker. I have owned a Breville Smart Oven for several years and would buy another one. I also have a Ninja upright in my second home. I like the Breville better, but the Ninja is fine. I cook a lot. I have a high end stove with a convection oven. If it were me, I would keep it. The Breville does everything that your toaster oven does, but better and faster. It also can roast and bake without having to use your regular convection oven. Of all the countertop “convection” ovens, it is probably the best. This was a very thoughtful gift from your relatives. As far as cooking with it, we love chicken wings. The Breville cooks the best chicken wings fairly fast and better than a regular convection oven and roasts vegetables beautifully. (Probably because of the smaller cubic area.) Also reheating on the Air Fryer mode is a game changer, much better than your microwave. To use it well, you do need to familiarize yourself on how it works. Watch some YouTube videos where the Breville is used. Read the instructions so you can learn how to use the various modes. Familiarize yourself with it before making a decision to return it and by all means, go ahead and treat yourself to a carbon steel wok as well. It is not an either or proposition. You deserve both!

I have the Ninja mega drawer and use it for baking. Get the bigger one though as the compact one isn’t deep enough (I had both).

I imagine “best” is a matter of trade offs and perspective, just like most things. Our Ninja XL has completely replaced our full-size oven, we love it and use it almost every day. There’s a really cheap air fryer in my office’s break room, I realize sometimes budget is the most important thing for some people, but I would never buy something like that one that rarely works, cooks uneven, and looking at the melting plastic parts it looks like it’s going to cause an emergency someday.

I have the Ninja XL and love it, however, you might want to consider just buying one you like with an extended warranty. Normally I avoid those like the plague but they make sense for something like this. Get a 4 year warranty on a $150 AF, knowing with high usage you will cash in.

I love my ninja XL or whatever it is.

I have a Cosori toaster oven style air fryer (some of my kids are all bougie and have Breville and the other a Ninja). All are terrific because they can all make a frozen pizza to perfection. Yes, longer pre-heat compared to a basket...by maybe a minute. My kid with the Ninja XL can make a full dinner with sides all at once for her and her husband, so that versatility is off the charts. I find with the mesh basket tray on my Cosori that I don't have to flip foods and they're much easier to space out to allow the circulation that is the science behind why an air fryer works.

I have the toaster oven style. Got the Ninja Flip one, loved it! Then I got the Ninja XL, love it even more! The Flip takes a bigger tray, but the XL takes two smaller trays. Flip would be great for a single person, the XL is great for my partner and I. I can't imagine trying to cook in one of those tiny basket type. They were never an option for me.