Smeg Combi Steam Oven: one-minute review

There’s no denying that the SmegCombi Steam Oven is a sleek and beautiful piece of kitchen technology that cooks food well in a variety of ways. I tried out the bake, convection bake, air fry, and steamer functions as well as a number of the preset recipe functions. Every single item I made came out perfectly delicious, though I did need to keep an eye on my food and I took a couple of items out early to prevent overcooking.

However, there is one major issue I had with the Smeg Combi Steam Oven. I cannot figure out exactly who this countertop oven is for or what it might replace in one’s kitchen. I already own an oven and a toaster oven and the Combi can’t replace either of those. It’s too small to replace an oven, unless you live in space that doesn’t have room for a full-sized oven. I suppose it could replace a toaster oven, but it has a much larger footprint than the (similarly-sized on the inside) toaster oven I already own. And while I’m sure you can make toast in it, like in any kind of oven, there is no designated toast feature on the Combi.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: price and availability

• List price: $999.95 (about £770 / AU$1,500)

That’s right, the Smeg Combi Steam Oven is over $1,000 once you pay sales tax. It’s available at upscale kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma and Crate and Barrel.

The Smeg Combi Steam Oven is only available in the US at the time of writing, but it may become available internationally at a later date.

• Value score: 3/5

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: specifications

SMEG Combi Steam Oven: design and features

• Beautiful mid-century aesthetic
• Two knobs to access a variety of functions
• Bake, air fry, steam, and more

The Smeg Combi Steam oven is advertised as a 10 in 1 oven. Just don’t call it a toaster oven! It’s a countertop oven that cooks in a whole bunch of different ways. According to Smeg, the oven uses "Galileo Multicooking technology: innovative airflow patterns and professional algorithms for outstanding results in a compact design.” It offers traditional cooking functions like bake and convection bake along with steam and air fry functions to perform a variety of cooking tasks.

The Combi has 33 automatic chef recipes that take the guesswork out of cooking meat, fish, vegetables, bread, pizza, and desserts. Just choose your preset, pop in your food, and get ready for some deliciousness.

The enamel mid-century design is sleek and gorgeous. You can choose from five different colors: black, white, red, cream, and light blue. It comes with the following cooking accessories: two grill racks, an enameled cooking tray, and a perforated cooking tray. The guides along the sides of the oven have two different positions so you can cook on the upper level, lower level, or both at once. The guides can also be removed so you can easily access the sides of the oven for easier cleaning. The window is large and the light inside is always on while cooking so you can keep a close eye on your food’s progress.

The top of the Combi opens up to reveal a water compartment, where you pour in water for the steam function. The interior of the lid has a cheat sheet with all of the chef presets listed as well as a QR code so you can access the owner’s manual, how-to videos, and other information. This water tank is why the Combi is so large - much larger than any toaster oven I’ve ever seen. However, the interior is virtually the same size as my large toaster oven, just two inches wider.

There are two dials for controlling the SMEG Combi Steam Oven and a screen between them. There are three menus you can access via the left dial: Traditional Cooking Menu, Steam Cooking Menu, and Chef Menu. The Traditional Cooking Menu lets you choose broil, air fry, bake, convection bake, convection bottom bake, warm, and defrost.

Within the Steam Cooking Menu, you can choose convection (for pure steam cooking), convection bake (for bake plus steam), and convection broil (for broil plus steam).

When you enter the Chef Menu, you can choose from among 33 presets for a variety of meats, fish, vegetables, desserts, and breads. The use of the dials definitely takes some studying of the user manual and some practice. It’s not necessarily intuitive.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: performance

So how did the Combi perform? Overall, excellent. I cooked a bunch of meals in the Combi and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch.

There was definitely a weird smell the first couple of times I used it, even though I performed the one hour burn off (empty oven on highest setting) to get rid of any residues left from the manufacturing process. And it’s quite noisy, getting up to 65 dB(A) at times.

However, unlike every toaster oven I’ve used, it doesn’t get hot on the outside. Even when going full tilt, it only reached a very touchable 76 degrees on the outside. The fan stays on while the oven cools down after cooking is complete, presumably to help it cool down faster. It does take some time to cool down, and a progress bar on the screen lets you know how the cool down is progressing.

I made two different kinds of (sweet potato) french fries: from scratch and pre-made frozen. For the scratch variety, I cut up a sweet potato and coated the wedges in oil and seasonings.

The frozen ones I just dumped out on the tray. I used the French Fry Chef Menu preset for both, which was actually a traditional baking mode rather than an air fry mode as you might expect. In both cases, the fries came out crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and totally delicious. I also baked a sweet potato whole using convection bake as I typically would and that also came out great.

I baked blueberry muffins using the Muffin preset from the Chef Menu, which includes steam. The muffins came out moist and delicious. I’d say the browning was a bit uneven; I took them out one minute early because I was afraid some of them might overcook. I probably didn’t need to do that, though.

I used the Roasted Vegetables preset many times, since I eat them just about every day. The most challenging vegetables I made in the Combi this way were brussels sprouts. I make them all the time; when I make them on the stovetop they tend to be slightly soggy but when I make them in the oven they tend to dry out (unless I use a ton of oil.) In the Combi, I used a minimal amount of oil, just a quick spritz all over. They came out crisp, tender, and amazing.

I also tried making vegetables in Air Fry mode, using a recipe I found online. I put broccoli, red peppers, and a frozen veggie burger patty in for 10 minutes at 390 degrees. Again, the veggies were delicious: crisp and tender. The burger was fully cooked, just right.

I had to make pizza in the Smeg Combi Steam Oven. There is a dedicated Pizza preset in the Chef Menu, but since Smeg is an Italian company, I know it was talking about homemade pizza. I wanted to make frozen pizza. In fact, I made two different ones over the course of my testing period.

In both cases, I followed the directions on the box. I did one in convection bake mode and ended up taking it out a couple of minutes early so it didn’t burn. I did the second one in regular bake mode, and actually had to add a couple of minutes to the bake time. In the end though, both pizzas came out perfect: lightly browned, fully cooked in the middle, not burnt anywhere.

I steamed frozen pierogies (potato dumplings) using the steam mode. The pierogies came out fully heated through, moist, and delicious.

I didn't make toast. Why? Because there is no dedicated toast function. Obviously you can Google how to make toast in any oven, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why Smeg didn’t include a toast setting in the Chef Menu.

Cleanup isn't exactly a breeze, because everything is hand wash only. The trays definitely take some elbow grease, but I was able to get them completely clean every time. The oven itself is another story. The instructions say to let the oven cool and then use a regular cleaner, nothing abrasive, to clean the Combi. I did exactly that, using Dawn Powerwash and a Scrub Daddy (gentle sponge).

When that wasn’t enough, I went out and bought some Dawn Professional Heavy Duty Degreaser. That didn’t do it either, despite plenty of elbow grease. I don’t want to damage it with an abrasive cleaner or steel wool, so it just isn’t as clean as I’d like.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Smeg Combi Steam Oven?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: also consider

If you're not sure about the Smeg Combi Steam Oven, here are some other options to consider...

How I tested the SMEG Combi Steam Oven

• I used multiple Chef Menu functions
• I tested air fry, bake, convection bake, and steam modes
• I cleaned it after each use

I’ve tested quite a few kitchen appliances over the years, both for review purposes and in my private life as the primary cook in my family for several decades. I love a cool cooking gadget and anything that lets me get a nutritious meal on the table fast.

I tested the Smeg Combi Steam Oven for about two weeks. I cooked a variety of foods using a variety of cooking modes, as detailed in the Performance section above. I used a few different presets in the Chef Menu section, as well as the bake, convection bake, steam, and air fry modes. I cooked a variety of fresh vegetables, french fries (both fresh and frozen), muffins, pierogies, veggie burgers, and frozen pizzas. After each cooking session, I cleaned all the accessories and the oven itself to assess how easy it was to clean.

Read more about how we test.

Dreo ChefMaker: One-minute review

Outside of soups, casseroles, stews, and fondues, there’s nothing you can’t cook in the Dreo ChefMaker. And I’m not just talking about air-frying a steak here; I’m talking about a properly and perfectly cooked steak that’s worth serving in a steakhouse.

That’s because while the ChefMaker is one of the best air fryers on the market, it’s so much more than that. Much more. It has two other cooking modes, namely the Chef mode and the Probe mode, both of which deliver restaurant-worthy results. And Chef mode is supported by an app that comes with a plethora of clever Chef-curated recipes that are so delicious you'll feel like you’ve got Thomas Keller whipping up dinners in your own kitchen.

This is perhaps my favorite kitchen appliance by far. Since using the ChefMaker I've enjoyed one of the best and cooked-to-perfection medium-rare steaks I’ve ever had, home-cooked or otherwise. That’s saying something because (1) I’ve only cooked steak three times in my life, and (2) I didn’t have to do anything here but prep the steak, insert the included probe and put it in the basket, and press a couple of buttons. The ChefMaker's air fryer function delivers super crispy yet super-moist results – the best results I’ve gotten from any air fryer.

It’s also a near-perfect product. It’s sleek and beautiful; it’s well-built and doesn’t take up too much space; and its touch controls are so responsive that they feel luxe. It’s also effortless to use, thanks in large part to its very useful app.

I say near-perfect because there is the smaller matter of the price, which isn't small. All those features do come at a premium – not so high that the ChefMaker would be a luxury purchase, but definitely more than what a lot of people would expect to pay for an air fryer. However, I would say that it’s worth every penny and then some. If you’re thinking of buying an air fryer, you won’t regret getting this one. 

Dreo Chefmaker: price and availability

• How much does it cost? $359 / £279 (about AU$540)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US and the UK

The Dreo ChefMaker is much more expensive than regular air fryers of the same size and capacity, and it’s also pricier than most double-basket models. In fact, at $359 / £279 (about AU$540), it’ll cost you as much as some large-capacity air fryer ovens. Now you may think that’s too much for a combination cooker with a 6-quart / 5.7-liter basket capacity, but honestly, given its versatility and what it can do, I’m mildly surprised that it doesn’t cost more. 

Unfortunately for Australian customers, however, it doesn’t look like it’s available there at the time of writing. It is, however, readily available in the US and the UK.

•  Value: 4 / 5 

Dreo ChefMaker: Specifications

Dreo ChefMaker: Design

• Easy to set up and use
• Beautiful and fairly compact design
• Touch controls are a pleasure to use

Setting up the Dreo ChefMaker is just as easy as setting up a regular air fryer. You simply place the cooking tray at the bottom of the basket or the grilling rack at the top, slot in the basket, plug it in, and turn it out. The one thing to consider here is that the cord isn’t very long, so you will have to find a spot in your kitchen that’s close enough to the outlet, or have an extension cord handy.

I’ve always found the design of most air fryers unappealing, even the ones from Ninja, but I adore the design of the ChefMaker. Trapezoidal in shape with a gentle tapering in the front, it’s got elegant rounded edges, a beautiful black-on-dark silver finish, and a long oval handle with a hollow middle.

At the top is a shallow square water tank for water, which the ChefMaker uses for cooking – it utilizes its water spray system for better results, and to ensure that the food doesn’t dry up – with a square lid that’s easy to pop off and replace. And at the front, just above the basket, is where you’ll find the control panel, which has touch buttons and a big 4.3-inch display with a fairly extensive menu, so you can easily navigate through and choose your cooking mode or function, adjust temperature, change cooking time, and more.

The touch buttons are incredibly responsive and work perfectly with just a light tap, and the display is bright enough so that everything is visible, even when it’s in a brightly-lit area. Thank goodness for its backlighting.

The ChefMaker is taller than many air fryers of the same capacity, and slightly heavier as well. But it really doesn’t take up too much space, and is light enough to take with you if you want to use it offsite. 

Just like regular air fryers, it has its hot air vent in the back. One thing I’ve noticed about this vent is that it blows a hot more hot air than other air fryers I’ve tested – so much so that it’s triggered my smoke and carbon monoxide detector that’s above the hallway next to my kitchen a few times. So be sure you’re leaving enough space for it to 'breathe.'

As far as cleaning, the trays and the basket are all dish-washer safe – though they are fairly-easy to hand wash, especially the basket since it is non-stick. The inside of the appliance can be cleaned the usual way.

• Design: 5 / 5

Dreo ChefMaker: Performance

• Air fryer produces crisp and moist results
• Chef mode makes the best dishes
• Vent produces a lot of hot air

If I could only keep one tabletop cooking appliance in my kitchen, I would probably go with the Dreo ChefMaker. It’s not ideal for making stews, soups and other dishes drenched in sauce or gravy – if you make a lot of those, you should probably go with one of the best multicookers – but while I do enjoy a good stew, those are easy to make using my good old stove, whereas the ChefMaker actually allows me to not just quickly whip up meals when I’m pressed for time, but also make dishes that I don’t usually make, like a good steak or a tender brisket.

It’s not just versatility and effortless cooking that the ChefMaker offers. All the dishes I’ve made in it, from the air fryer recipes I found online to the ones on the Dreo app, are cooked to perfection. I’m particularly impressed that its air fryer function delivers better results than other regular air fryers I’ve tested, producing gorgeously and evenly cooked results that are super crispy on the outside and mind-bogglingly moist on the inside.

My favorite chicken wings recipe, Vietnamese chicken wings, came out even better when I made them with the ChefMaker, as did my favorite pork belly recipe. And I didn’t even need to fill up the water tank, or adjust the temperature or cooking time from the recipes, to get those results. 

The water tank does play a massive role when using the cooker’s Chef and Probe modes, however. The ChefMaker uses water atomization via its water spray system, and super convection heating, with the occasional assistance of the included dual-sensing probe, to cook dishes, and the combination works wonderfully. 

I tried several of the Chef mode recipes on the Dreo app, including the Perfect Steak and the Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedge recipes, and they were not only easy to make but also came out incredible, with the steak nicely seared but beautifully pink in the middle and very tender, and the potatoes coming out with a nice crisp. 

The best part about making the steak was it took the guesswork and a chunk of the work out of the whole thing – just what a steak-cooking novice like me needs. I’ve only really made steak three times in my life, so while two out of those three came out great, I’m not exactly a steak master. With the help of the ChefMaker, however, my fourth steak came out steakhouse-worthy. 

Fair warning, though: the Dreo ChefMaker seems to produce a lot more heat than regular air fryers, even when it’s on air fryer mode. Even when there’s a lot of space behind its rear vent, it still manages to set off my smoke and carbon monoxide detector which is a few feet away in the hallway next to my kitchen. This never happened with the similar-capacity air fryers I’ve tested. I did, however, find that turning on my range hood helps minimize that issue.

This also was not a deal-breaker for me, especially since my kitchen isn't the biggest, and the bigger air fryer ovens I've tested have done the same thing.

• Performance:  / 5

Should I buy the Dreo ChefMaker?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Dreo ChefMaker: Also consider

How I tested the Dreo ChefMaker

• I tested the Dreo ChefMaker for a couple of months
• I used it as my main air fryer almost every day, cooking different recipes
• I also tested its other cooking modes, especially Chef mode

I utilized the Dreo ChefMaker as my main air fryer and cooker almost every day for about two months, making sure to use different recipes I found on the Dreo app and from social media as well as my favorite recipes. I also made sure to test all three cooking modes available, documenting my process and the results.

As a regular air fryer user, TechRadar's Interim Homes Editor and someone who loves to cook, I've used and tested more than my share of cooking appliances, from air fryers to multicookers and the occasional baking implement.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed December 2023

One-minute review

Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer: one-minut review

Ninja is the kitchen appliance brand that just seems to be going from strength to strength. Not only is it known for making some of the best multi-cookers and air fryers around, but it’s continually innovating, producing numerous multipurpose appliances such as its blenders that double as food processors.

The Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer is known as the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill in the US or the Ninja Foodi Airgrill in Australia. Like many air fryers, it offers other cooking functions in addition to air frying. These include bake, roast and dehydrate, but it’s the grill function that sets it apart from the rest. It allows you to chargrill foods, but a smoke-control system means you can do it indoors without setting off your smoke alarm. It’s like having an outdoor grill or barbecue in your kitchen.

It comes with a cooking pot, crisper basket and grill plate, all of which are non-stick and dishwasher-safe; but not all can be stored inside the appliance at the same time. When measured in quarts or liters, the air fry basket isn’t huge. However, it feels generously sized thanks to its wide and shallow design, which means food can be spread out for better results.

On test we were impressed with the air frying and grilling results, but there’s no denying this is a chunky appliance that demands a lot of countertop space - especially when compared to slightly less bulky competitors likes some of the best air fryers we’ve seen. As such, it isn’t ideal for smaller kitchens. However, it’s worth it if you’ll get a lot of use out of the grill function; otherwise, you may as well plump for one of Ninjas standard air fryers instead.

The Ninja Double Stack is a great option if you want to cook more food without taking up a lot of space on your counter, and it took the prize for best air fryer in the 2024 TechRadar Choice Awards. If you want the smoky flavor of food cooked on a BBQ, without the mess, the Ninja Woodfire is well worth investigating. It uses wood pellets (available in different types) to create an authentic BBQ flavor, and can be used indoors or out, provided there's a power outlet within reach.

Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer: price and availability

• List price: £199.99 / $229.99 / AU$399.99

As mentioned above, the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer is known as the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill in the US or the Ninja Foodi Airgrill in Australia. You can buy it direct from Ninja and the price is similar to Ninja's other large-capacity air fryers. However, with this model you also get the ability to grill indoors as well as bake, dehydrate and roast.

Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer: design

• Intuitive control panel
• Auto preheat
• Dishwasher-safe parts

This Ninja grill and air fryer was chunkier than we were expecting, measuring 11 x 14 x 17 inches/ 26 x 35.6 x 45cm (h x w x d). In addition, the configuration of the hinged lid means it requires a fair bit of clearance around the rear to allow it to open fully. Not being able to push it to the back of the countertop only contributes to the unit feeling bigger than it is. Of course, you can push it back when it isn’t in use, but it still demands a good chunk of counter space.

The main cooking pot has a 6-quart/ 5.7-liter capacity, and if you’re air frying then you’ll need to insert the crisper basket, which knocks down the capacity to 4 quarts/ 3.8 liters. For grilling, there’s a heavy grill plate that sits inside the main cooking pot. Everything is dishwasher-friendly, but those without such an appliance needn’t worry since a stiff brush is also provided to help with cleaning the grill plate by hand. If you want to store the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer away in a cupboard, you’ll need space not only for the appliance itself, but also either the grill plate or the crisper basket, since both items can’t be stored inside the unit at the same time.

The control panel is easily accessible at the front of the appliance and is simple to use. For grilling, you can choose one of four heat levels. The air fryer can be set at temperatures between 300-450oF / 150-240oC; for roasting, the temperature range is 250-500oF / 120-260oC; or you can bake at 250-400oF / 120-210oC. The dehydrate function uses lower temperatures between 105-195oF / 40-90oC, but requires longer cook times. The screen combined with straightforward arrow buttons to adjust time and temperature mean there’s no complicated setup. The Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer even preheats automatically, informing you when it’s hot enough to add your food. It doesn’t remind you to shake or stir when air frying, however.

A quick-start guide as well as a recipe book with cooking charts offers plenty of guidance on time and temperature selections for common foods. Although note that there are very few suggestions for the roast and bake functions, so these will require some trial and error.

Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer: performance

• Plenty of space to spread out food when air frying
• Bar marks from grill are curved not straight
• Foods cook and brown evenly

Using this air fryer is slightly different to a standard air fryer with a pull-out basket. Instead, the crisper basket here drops into the appliance; you access food by lifting the top lid. The set-up is no better or worse than other air fryers, but it’s a bit trickier to shake food mid-cooking, since you’ll have to lift out the hot crisper basket in order to do so.

To test out the air fry function, we cooked up a batch of frozen thick-cut fries. We set the temperature to 360oF / 180oC, allowing the cooker to preheat with the crisper basket inside. This took just three minutes. Once hot, the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer prompted us to add the food and automatically started the countdown timer on closing the lid. There’s no reminder to shake or turn food during air frying, but we checked it half way through, lifting out the basket with oven gloves to give the fries a shake. After 20 minutes, the resulting fries were crisp, golden and perfectly cooked. Not only did they taste great, but they cooked faster than the 28 minutes they would have taken in an oven.

Next, we air-fried chicken wings, and we were impressed that there was enough space in the basket to hold seven wings side-by-side – you could easily fit more in, if you piled them on top of each other. Before air frying, we coated the wings in ½ tbsp oil and preheated the air fryer to 400oF / 200oC. We turned the wings after 10 minutes, and 15 minutes later they were cooked through with beautifully golden crisp skin and moist tender meat.

For our third test, we assessed the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer’s ability to cook raw hand-cut fries. As per the advice in the air fry chart, we soaked the raw fries in cold water for 30 minutes then dried them thoroughly. We coated them in 1tbsp oil and preheated the air fryer to 400oF / 200oC. The cooking chart advises 23-26 minutes, and we gave them a shake following 10 and 15 minutes of cooking. We removed them after 18 minutes because they were cooked and golden brown. The insides were fluffy and the crisping and browning on the outsides of the fried was pretty even.

The ability to grill is a core function of this air fryer, so we tried it out by grilling two beef burgers. We followed the suggestion in the grill chart and set it on high for 6 minutes. The grill is slower to preheat – it takes around 8 minutes – and you have to make sure the grill plate is inside, so it’s hot when the food is added. Once preheated, we added the burgers and then turned them after 3 minutes of cooking. We were impressed with the minimal amount of smoke and cooking smells emitted by the Ninja. The burgers were nicely cooked with charred lines on the outside, but the shape of the bars on the grill plate means the markings on the burgers were curved as opposed to the traditional straight marks you’d expect.

Cleaning the cooking pot and basket is easy thanks to the non-stick coating, or you can pop it in the dishwasher. The grill plate is a little more fiddly to wash by hand, but it’s made easier by using the brush that’s supplied by Ninja.

The air fryer didn’t go louder than 55dB on our noise meter; the grill was slightly noisier, but still only reached 58dB – which isn’t too loud at all.

Should you buy the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: May 2022

Looking for a cooking appliance to enhance your existing lineup? Ninja’s versatile offering may just be for you. Lavishing us with choice, the Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300 joins Ninja’s fast-growing kitchen appliance collection. 

Best known for its range of blenders and food processors that rival the likes of Nutribullet in terms of style and functionality, Ninja designs appliances to ‘fit the lifestyles of busy people all over the world’. As well as blenders and food processors, the company offers an intuitive range of choppers, multi-cookers and health grills, all designed to create great tasting food, fast.

The AF300 is the latest model to join Ninja’s range of dedicated air fryers and multi-cookers, boasting the most sleek finish and convenient features to date. It’s unique in that it provides the ability to produce two separate dishes in record time. This is possible as a result of its Sync mode, which does the hard work for you by ensuring that the food you place inside – meat in one compartment and veg in the other, for example – are both ready at the same time.

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300 offers all the health benefits of a decent air fryer in that it can cook up to 75% faster than a fan oven, with little to no oil required. What’s more, it has the ability to carry out five other tasks, including max crisp for cooking frozen foods such as nuggets and chips; roast, for vegetables and meats; reheat, which is great for leftovers; dehydrate, for making veggie crisps; and bake, for when you fancy something sweet.

This is now one of Ninja's older models. If you're looking for something with good cooking capacity that will take up less space on your kitchen counter, check out the Ninja Double Stack, which has a two-tiered design with minimal transfer of heat between the two drawers, making it ideal for cooking two dishes at once. It's so good, it took the prize for best air fryer in the 2024 TechRadar Choice Awards.

If you like the flavor of barbecued food but not the hassle of scrubbing everything afterwards, take a look at the Ninja Woodfire, which uses wood chips to create an authentically smoky flavor.

Price and availability

You can buy the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300UK for £179.99 from the Ninja website if you're in the UK. 

Australian shoppers can also pick one up directly from Ninja Kitchen for an RRP of AU$399. It's also available in Australia from other major retailers, including Myer and Amazon, and is frequently discounted.

Design and key features

Ninja’s Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300 is unlike any other air fryer we’ve tried. As well as the ability to create healthy air-fried foods using little to no oil, it comes with a unique offering in that it can cook two separate foods at the same time and ensure they’re ready to serve together. 

Measuring an ample H31.5 x D35cm, it’s quite a large appliance as countertop gadgets go, but its design is sleek and attractive, as well as functional. A sophisticated black and chrome finish means it’s the kind of gadget you won’t mind keeping out on your worktop – provided you have the room for it.

The appliance feels ergonomic in hand and is luxuriously made. It features two independent cooking drawers that slide out easily to give you an overall capacity of 7.6 litres. Each compartment is deep enough to cook a decent amount of food – be it a 500g batch of sweet potato fries, 1kg of chicken or up to 12 cupcakes, for example. The drawer handles feel comfortable and are easy to insert and take out. 

Within each compartment is a crisper plate that helps to brown the food when you air-fry; it ensures that air can circulate around the food to remove excess moisture and ensure a crispy, golden finish. They also stop the food sticking to the base of each compartment. We found them easy to take out for simple cleaning, either by hand or in the dishwasher.

As well as air frying, the device has the ability to max crisp, roast, reheat, dehydrate and bake, too, and all these features are clearly marked on the digital control panel. The countdown timer also makes it easy for you to see how much cooking time remains in each section.

Performance

At 8.2 kg, lifting the Ninja’s Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300 out of the box and positioning it on the worktop is the hardest part of handling the machine. It features clearly marked controls that light up stylishly as soon as you plug in the appliance and turn it on.

The appliance comes with a quick-start guide book, which features recipes for inspirational meals you can cook inside covering chicken, pork, fish, vegetarian dishes and desserts. There are things listed that you wouldn’t necessarily consider air frying – browse between ‘Hunters BBQ Chicken and Chips’ to ‘Sweet and Sour Tofu and Asian Style Vegetables’.

To get a feel for the six-in-one appliance, we used it to perform a number of tasks. Firstly, we air-fried some fresh pork sausages and frozen sweet potatoes. While each zone automatically suggests a set time and temperature, you can easily adjust these to your preference. The guide suggests cooking sausages for around 9 mins at 200 degrees, and the sweet potato fries for around 20 minutes at 190 degrees. Once you’ve programmed your zone, you can then press Sync to ensure the foods finish cooking at the same time, which is a feature we’re most impressed by.

It’s recommended that you check food mid-way through the cook, giving it a shake to ensure food is being cooked evenly – but this almost defeats the whole USP of such a machine, whereby you’re meant to be able to set it and wait for the end to work its magic. That said, trying to get the perfect finish takes some experimentation.

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300 is a powerful machine. Our sausages cooked in super-quick time; in fact, following the suggested time, they were a little overcooked. As mentioned, this will improve as you become familiar with the machine and cooking times, and you’ll soon be creating flavoursome dishes in super-quick time.

We particularly like the fact that you can choose different settings for each compartment. For example, you can roast meat on one side, and bake on the other side. We tested its dual functionality by roasting chopped courgettes in one compartment and reheating lamb cutlets in the other. We were suitably happy with the results.

We also attempted to make a batch of halloumi fries – and were impressed at how well the fries kept their structure while they cooked. We were able to enjoy crispy, melt-in-the-mouth halloumi fries in under five minutes.

Should I buy the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300?

Buy it if…

You’re looking for inspiration. Bored of meal times? The Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer may just make dinner more interesting. Use it to create recipes from the dedicated recipe booklet such as ‘Coconut-lime Cod and Cauliflower Rice’ or ‘Chicken Fajitas with Spicy Roast potatoes’. 

You want flexibility in the kitchen. This device will give you six cooking settings in one, which you can access easily – use it to cook roast chicken on one side, and dessert on the other.

You want to avoid deep-fat frying but love the taste. Use this and choose a healthier air-fry option to limit the amount of oil you serve on your food.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re not a fan of fried food. The best thing about this device is its ability to crisp foods in under 20 minutes. If you prefer the taste of saucy slow-cooked dishes, this appliance probably isn’t for you. 

You expect the reheat function to act as a microwave. While it does revive leftovers, it doesn’t replace a standard microwave, which can cook ready meals or warm and melt liquids, for example.

You have a lot of mouths to feed. While the 7.5-litre capacity is large, you won’t be able to roast a whole chicken in this device. If you’re looking for something that can cook large batches, it’s worth considering a multi-cooker such as the Ninja Foodi Max Multi Cooker instead.