Ninja Air Fryer AF101 review

Many people are moving toward using air fryers as a way to cut calories and fat in their diets. If you are looking for an air fryer, the Ninja Air Fryer AF101 may be what you are looking for. In this Ninja Air Fryer review, we’ll talk about the good and the bad. You’ll be surprised by what we discovered. So let us dive in and learn about this Air Fryer.

The Ninja Air Fryer is the top-of-the-line unit. This 4 Qt capacity Air Fryer is design for a family of 3 to 5 people. This fryer offers many options that are not found on standard units. Some of these features include 4 presets to determine the type of cooking you will do. You have air fryer setting, roast setting, dehydration setting, and reheat setting. These settings allow you to change the amount of time and temperature to best suit the style of cooking you are going to do. The basket and the crisper plate are ceramic coated for durability. The Ninja Air Fryer AF101 customer support is excellent. I give them a 9.7 out of 10 for its unique features, outstanding functions, great customer support and price.

Main Features of the Ninja Air Fryer AF101

• 

  Air Fryer Dimensions:
  • Air Fryer Dimensions:
    • 14″ (L) x 11″ (W) x 13″ (H)
  • Air Fryer Weight:
    • 13.3 pounds
  • Oven Size (Volume):
    • 4 QT
  • No of Persons Designed For:
    • 3 to 5 people
  • Colors:
    • Black
  • Analogue/ Digital Display:
    • Digital Display
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    • Basket
    • Pan
    • Crisper Plate
    • Rack
    • FryDay Davie does not recommend using a dishwasher for cleaning any coated item, as this will reduce the life of the coating. He recommends using hot water and a rag with degreasing dish soap to clean any items.
  • Manufacturer:
    • SharkNinja
  • Min/Max Temp:
    • 105°F
    • 400°F
  • Timer:
    • Air Frying
      • 1-minute increments up to 1 hour
    • Roast
      • 1-minute increments for the first hour, followed by 5-minute increments for the next 3 hours
    • Dehydrate
      • 15-minute increments up to 12 hours
    • Reheat
      • 1-minute increments up to 1 hour
  • Wattage:
    • 1550 Watts.
  • Safety Features:
    • Button guard to prevent accidental release of the basket.
    • FDA-certified, PFOA-free and BPA Free
    • On/Off Switch
    • Non-slip feet
  • Cooking ability:
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Roasting
    • Dehydrate
  • Rotisserie / Self-stirring:
    • None
  • Customer Service:
    • Support Phone: 1-866-826-6941
    • Mon.-Fri. 9am – 9pm ET
    • Sat. 9am – 6pm ET
  • Warranty:
    • 1 Year-Lifetime Limited Warranty
  • Accessories
    • Air Fryer Accessories Kit
  • Instruction Manual
    • Ninja Air Fryer Oven User Manual PDF Download
    • Ninja Air Fryer AF101 Cooking Chart

  
  Check out this video on the Ninja Air Fryer AF101 to learn more about how it works.

   

  Pros of The Ninja Air Fryer AF101

  Dehydrating – It’s a Great Thing

  

  The dehydrator function is a great addition to the versatility of the Ninja Air Fryer AF101. The 105°F temperature setting in the gentle air movement through the machine will make great fruit slices that are crisp and without cooking your fruit. You can also make jerky and not have to add all of the salt and sugar the manufactured jerky has. The dehydrator setting adds a different dimension that most other air fryers don’t have.

  The Coating That Is Hard to Beat!

  

  Both the basket and the grill plate are coated with a nonstick ceramic coating. This coating is both PTFE and PFOA free. It can withstand heats of over 800°F. This is the upscale non-stick surface for air fryers.

  Ceramic coatings are made from inert materials. So you will not find any of the chemicals that are associated with Teflon coatings. It will not scratch like Teflon either, but you can shatter it that is why it is recommended to use wood or plastic utensils.

  I recommend you season the surface with canola oil before your first use. This will help maintain your non-stick surface for a longer time. If you place in the dishwasher you should re-season as the harsh chemicals take the seasoning away. This is the reason I do not recommend placing these items in the dishwasher. If maintain the surface will last a long time for you.

  With the high-temperature rating of 800°F, your air fryer will never reach that temperature. If for some reason it does reach that temperature it will not release any gases that are harmful as it is made of inert material. As you can see Ninja has provided the best coating for your basket and grill plate.

  You Can Place It Here, There, Anywhere

  

  The Ninja Air Fryer AF101 does not vent hot air through the bottom of the unit. This will allow you to place it on any countertop as there is no heat coming out the bottom. With other units that vent through the bottom, you run the risk of discoloring your countertop or worse having countertop joints come apart. This is another strong point for the Ninja Air Fryer AF101 as you have more options to place it in your kitchen.

   

  
  The Plate That Crisps

  

  The use of a crisp plate is unique among most of the air fryers. This plate is placed at the bottom of the basket to help circulate hot air through your food. The crisp plate and the dual baskets keep your food separate from any oils and or juices that come off of your food.

  The advantage of a crisp plate instead of dual baskets is so the crisp plate will not accidentally separate from the basket dropping hot basket and juice on the floor. This is a great safety feature that will keep a hot pan and fat from spilling onto you and/or your floor. But you will have to use tongs or other utensils to remove the food from the basket. This is a minor inconvenience and is better than having scalding juices flying around your kitchen.

  4 Settings That Make a World of Difference

  

  The presets for the Ninja Air Fryer AF101 are set up differently than most air fryers. There are four presets for this unit. Each of these presets are designated for the type of cooking you are going to do.

  • Air Fryer
  • Roast
  • Dehydrate
  • Reheat

  The temperature settings for air frying, roasting and reheating is 150°F to 400°F. The temperature setting for dehydrating is 105°F to 400°F. The temperature ranges are normal for or your standard air fryer. The dehydration setting started 105°F which is low enough to remove the moisture from your food and not cook it.

  The time settings are quite different with each category having its own time set up.

  • Air Fry: 1-minute increments up to 1 hour.
  • Roast: 1-minute increments for the first hour, followed by 5-minute increments for the next 3 hours.
  • Dehydrate 15-minute increments up to 12 hours.
  • Reheat: 1-minute increments up to 1 hour.

  These settings turn your ninja air Fryer AF101 from a standard unit into one of the premier air fryers. Just being able to roast items for three hours makes it a wonderful cooking appliance and adds loads of versatility. The added dehydration feature makes this a wonderful air fryer to have. There’s nothing I love better than going for a long hike in the woods and eating my homemade jerky with my dog Louie!

  With the Ninja Air Fryer AF101, you choose the type of cooking you are going to do and then set your time and temperature. Using this type of setup you have more versatility instead of predetermined times that don’t work well.

  Cons of the Ninja Air Fryer AF101

  When Shake It, It Does Not Auto Pause

  

  Unlike the features that most air fryers have, this fryer doesn’t have an automatic pause when you pull the basket out to shake or turn over your food. You have to manually push the pause button in order for the unit to stop while you do your food manipulation. This could be an energy waster because the unit is open and trying to heat the whole kitchen.

  Please remember that when shaking the basket and any accessories that are in the basket they are extremely hot and can burn you or your countertops if not properly protected.

  Don’t Touch During Cooking

  The sides of the unit get hot while cooking so when cooking with your air fryer make sure there’s enough ventilation and that nothing flammable is around. Make sure you have the proper clearances so the unit can breathe and not overheat.

  12 Recipe Guide Is Not Enough

  A recipe guide with 12 recipes is not enough information for a premium air Fryer. Other premium air fryers companies provide recipe books of 50 to 100 recipes. They also throw in an Air Frying Cooking Chart that gives you a good idea on how to cook many different types of food. This is one area of the Ninja Air Fryer AF101 that is disappointing. (Click the following link to find a 100 recipe book downloadable as a PDF file)

  Only One Rack

  

  The one drawback that this machine has, is that it only comes with one rack. With the size of the rack, you are hard-pressed to do any normal quantities of food. You may need to purchase at least two more racks to increase the quantity of food you wish to do.

  Spacing Rack Too Large for Herbs

  The other problem I see is the rack spacing is too large for small leaf herbs. I would purchase some food grade high-temperature mesh that I could cut to the same sizes of the rack. The unit’s designers had a great idea by adding dehydration to this unit, but they needed to think things through to make it functional.

  The Wrap Up

  Overall, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find another air fryer that is going to give you the range that this Ninja Air Fryer gives you. The Ninja air Fryer AF101 really is unique as it allows you to vary the time according to the type of cooking you are doing. The dehydrating feature and the crisping plate makes puts this unit over the top.