Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer: We take a first look at an appliance that might shake up the air-fryer market
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We all love air fryers. They're such a great way to cram kitchen functionalities into a small space, and to prepare a quick, healthy meal using relatively little energy. For years we've been buying them in their millions but, despite their popularity, their basic design hasn't really changed. Until now.
Perhaps the biggest innovation we've seen in air fryers over the last few years has been the rather useful implementation of the dual drawer. But why have two drawers side by side, when you can have them on top of one another?
That's the question those culinary experts at Ninja obviously posed themselves one day, as they set about literally turning the standard air fryer design on their head. And here we are, with the newly-launched Double Stack SL400UK.
When I first saw this air fryer, my first thought was "oh, cool, a new Ninja air fryer". You see, Ninja's air fryers are pretty much the gold standard in this crowded market. I've tested loads, but the one to go for is currently the Foodi AF400UK. You simply won't find a better air fryer.
But is the new Double Stack about to change that? My second thought, after taking a deeper look at it online, was "what's the point". Why should we have two drawers on top of one another. And then it quickly dawned on me. Space. This design can cram in just as much food as its side-by-side fryers, but with getting on for half the room taken up on your counter top.
To put this into perspective, the new Double Stack is 28cm across. That's less than a foot, for those of us who like the old measurements. So you can now buy a large-capacity air fryer that can cram in more than enough food for a family meal, and you only sacrifice a one foot of worktop space.
It makes me wonder why nobody has ever thought of this before. Humans mastered the art of building high-rise accommodations decades ago, so why shouldn't we pile our chips on top of our chicken?
There are two sizes available, either a 7.6-litre or a 9.5-litre version and, let's face it, you might as well go for the bigger one. After that, it has all the same features as a standard Ninja air fryer.
It could be argued that Ninja hasn't been the first to build a vertical air fryer. This Daewoo Actuate Air Fryer has a dual drawer split design offering 11 litres across its 32.5cm frame - available now from Debenhams. But its 1,700 watts of power is very little compared to the Ninja's 2,470 watts, and it doesn't have the clever drawer dividers the Ninja has.
The Daewoo is, however, a little cheaper. True to form with Ninja, you do pay a premium to get the best brand in the business. The lowest price I can find for the new Double Stack XL, which has a slightly smaller overall capacity than the Daewoo Actuate, is £269 at Amazon. So it's a lot of money. The smaller 7.6-litre version looks to be a tricky thing to come by, and it's only about £40 cheaper.