I've used the Ninja Dual Zone air fryer for years now as the barometer to test new air fryers against - it's still one of the best you can buy

Ever since I reviewed the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone MAX Air Fryer back in 2022, I've been using it as the barometer to test shiny new air fryers against. That's because if there's one air fryer that's the nation's favourite, it's this double-drawer Ninja, which also has the performance to match its popularity.

The Ninja Foodi MAX is available in two sizes (7.8L and the larger 9.5L) and in recent years, it's received snazzier updates, with the possibility now to pick up a model with an included temperature probe or to buy it with copper accents or in white.

Across the country, it's fair to say this air fryer has seriously impacted how many households get their cooking done. It inspired the arrival of a generation of the best dual-zone air fryers on the market from competing brands too.

Though this Ninja Dual Zone no longer holds the top spot as the best air fryer out there in our rankings (that plaudit now goes to the exceptionally versatile Ninja FlexDrawer), I think it's still your best choice if you want a straightforward two-drawer product. Here's why this air fryer is still, arguably, the most popular household appliance of the 2020s.

Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK 9.5L Air Fryer product specs

• Material: Aluminium, Plastic
• Colour: Black
• Capacity: 9.5 litres
• Modes: Max Crisp, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate and Air Fry
• Weight: 8.8kg
• Power: 2470W
• Size: 32.5 x 41.5 x 27 cm (h x w x d)

Who tested this air fryer?

Molly Cleary

Molly is the Kitchen Appliances Editor for Ideal Home and is always on the lookout for the next must-buy product for your home. Covering all things appliance-related, with an emphasis on air fryers, she regularly heads to Future's Test Facility in Reading to thoroughly put products through their paces.

She initially tested the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone air fryer in Reading alongside a host of Tower air fryers and has used it every time she's tested air fryers in the years since.

Unboxing and set up

When I initially tried out the Ninja Dual Zone, I put it head to head against a range of Tower air fryers. Out of the box and when on the countertop, the Ninja is the clear winner for me design-wise. Yes, they are all black, boxy and not too attractive, but the Ninja at least has symmetry and a not-too-offensive control panel.

The Ninja favours a dial over a touchscreen system (like the Instant Vortex Dual Zone has), which makes operating it really simple. You're not restricted by the preset temperatures or timings either, as you can use the two sets of arrows to set your own cooking course.

Each of the non-stick drawers are clearly labelled with a one and a two, to save you from getting confused when you're trying to replace them, and the dial lets you choose from the six functions available: that's Max Crisp, Air Fry, Roast, Reheat, Dehydrate, and Bake if you need a reminder.

The other controls of note are the 'Sync' and 'Match' buttons, which is where the Ninja Dual Zone really comes into its own. The Sync function means that the two baskets will finish at the same time regardless of the timings or temperatures of the individual drawers, while Match means that whatever you apply to one basket will be auto-applied to the other, cutting down on programming time.

Thankfully, that's it when it comes to controls, making simplicity a huge benefit of this air fryer. The haptics and sounds this appliance makes also won't grate on you unless you're very sensitive to machine noises.

Cooking

The holy grail of air fryer food, the humble nuggets and chips combo was my first test with the mighty Ninja dual-zone air fryer straight out of the box. From the freezer, the nuggets were supposed to take 15 minutes in the oven, while the sweet potato fries should've taken 20.

I set the actual timings of both in the Ninja to 10 minutes and 15 minutes respectively instead, to test out efficiency, and used the 'Sync' setting so that they would be done at the same time to serve up. In practice, that meant that the drawer with the nuggets was held for five minutes before the cooking began. It's a pretty convenient setting, as it means you don't have to return to your air fryer to program it again or remember to chuck the nuggets in.

As you can see from the photos, the Ninja was so powerful that even after I'd shaved 25% off of the timings, the chips and nuggets were still somewhat overcooked. As well as being a reflection on my lax timekeeping, this goes to show just how powerful the Ninja is.

This first test taught me it's wise to scale down by half and then check on the progress with the Ninja, as it works so quickly and with so much heat, that it's better to be safe than sorry. Years later, the Ninja is still as powerful as ever and I still find I need to carefully chop down the amout of time I think foods will take, as this air fryer almost always cooks faster than you'd expect.

A little more nutrition was on offer in our next test, a piece of frozen fish and frozen veg medley. These foods were an opportunity to test the Match function as they were both meant to take 20 minutes in the oven, but I scaled down by half and went for 10 minutes on Air Fry for both.

Once again, the Ninja proved just how powerful it was in this test. After just ten minutes, the fish was nicely done but the veg was potentially more well-done than would be desired. It's definitely a lesson to be vigilant with checking on cooking progress while you're still on the learning curve with this air fryer.

The fact that you can't peer in on what is inside due to the lack of windows is what makes the Ninja a slightly less convenient buy for me than the Instant Dual Basket air fryer, but it's undeniable that the sheer power available with the Ninja is much higher. On the whole, though, this just goes to show just how worthwhile this air fryer is if you want to seriously cut down on cooking time and save on your energy bills.

Finally, we tested two more quick meal staples for good measure: fish fingers and bacon. This was another example of where the Sync function came into its own, with the bacon being set for eight minutes while the fish fingers needed 12.

This was definitely the most successful test, mostly due to more vigilance on my part with checking on the progress of both baskets. To prevent curling, I'd also recommend turning the bacon over at least once if you're going to use the Ninja.

Cleaning 

Once you do splash out on the Ninja, you're going to want to know how to clean it so keep it looking pristine. My top tips for this air fryer would be to separate the grill and the basket elements out and to clean them separately, and to invest in a Dish-o-matic to make the whole process a lot easier.

Cleaning all of the dual-zone air fryers on that inital testing day was a pretty similar experience, with both baskets needing a good scrub in the sink to get rid of grease and residue, especially as the last test in the series was cooking bacon.

Luckily, the baskets and grill element of the Ninja are also dishwasher safe if you can't stretch to the fuss of handwashing. There are loyal Ninja fans who say that the non-stick surface of the baskets can deteriorate with frequent dishwasher use, so it's up to how you proceed once you get your hands on one.

How does it compare to similar models?

On the day of testing itself, it was plainly obvious that the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone was by far the superior appliance. It was the nicest to program, while some of the Tower models had oppressive beeps and stiff drawers and it had by far the best cooking ability. It was the fastest and achieved an incredible crisp on nuggets and fish fingers, with the quality of the machine itself also being standout.

Since that initial testing day, other Ninja air fryers have provided the only real competition to knock the Foodi Dual Zone off its perch. The air fryer that managed to do so, after it received an easy 5 stars from our hard-to-please reviewer and in-house home economist Helen McCue was the Ninja FlexDrawer.

The Ninja FlexDrawer has everything that I loved about the Dual Zone plus the added versatility of a multi-zone drawer. You can switch between one Megazone and two smaller zones at any time, and program them accordingly, which means there's essentially no food you can't cook in your air fryer. That's why it's the best Ninja air fryer in my book.

The other Ninja air fryer that has threatened to take over in terms of sheer popularity is the Ninja Double Stack. Rather than side-by-side, this air fryer has its drawers stacked one on top of the other, for reasons of convenience and space saving. Our reviewer was a little less impressed than she expected to be in her Ninja Double Stack review, but I think that the overall design is the nicest of the three here.

Over time, as the Foodi Dual Zone has become an older model, its price has significantly dropped. That's why, if you're looking for a bargain Ninja air fryer, it's the one to opt for, with prices regularly around the £150 mark. It's also often discounted in sales periods when you can nab an even better deal using our Ninja Kitchen discount codes.

Should you buy the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone?

When I first wrote this review, my advice was that if your budget stretches to it, you should definitely invest in this air fryer. Now, my advice is the same but with the caveat that its the Ninja air fryer you should invest in if you can't afford the FlexDrawer.

After years of use at our test centre, the Foodi Dual Zone is still as reliably good as ever but the FlexDrawer pips it at the post when it comes to innovation. So, if you're cooking for a family or you love to experiment with different foods, this dual zone model is still a good choice, if your budget restricts. I don't think that'll change any time in the future.