I finally burst my Air Fryer Virgin bubble with the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket, and can’t imagine why I waited so long
Arguably the hottest cooking game-changer since the invention of the microwave, air fryers continue to storm appliances sales. In fact, I’ve been finding it increasingly hard to ignore the tidal wave of enthusiasm for these super-speedy home-heroes. As popularity soars, so the air fryer world has innovated, ironing out some of the glitches and bugbears that have been putting-off unconvinced cooks, including me.
As an AGA owner, with an extra fan oven for summer months at my disposal, I’ve been stubbornly ignoring the hype surrounding even the very best air fryers. Being spoilt for oven capacity, I have just never been convinced a countertop appliance could possibly cater for my hungry family of four. Until I got wind of this new Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone.
Alongside loads of the innovative tech that makes Ninja one of the leading brands in the best food processors and best blenders categories, the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket has a genius removable divider that transforms the drawer from two dual-zone baskets to one, aptly named, MegaZone. Its promise to accommodate a 4lb joint of pork, with space to spare for veg finally won me over. Even my very active, always starving, girls would be satiated by that kind of capacity, surely?
It is known as the Ninja Foodi Flexdrawer 10.4L Air Fryer in the UK, and the spec is virtually the same as the US equivalent, except the UK version benefits from an extra program, 'prove', for dough making and the Air Broil program is called Max Crisp on the UK model.
Admittedly, at $179.99/£269, the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket isn’t the cheapest air fryer out, but it’s well built and with six cooking programs plus that flexible cooking basket, I think it’s actually a bit of a steal.
Unlike some air fryers, there’s no Keep Warm function so you’ll need to be ready to eat when it’s done, and I did find it a little over-enthusiastic at times, with some of the suggested timings and temperatures needing dialling down. On the plus side, I do now know that our smoke alarms work!
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone: First Impressions
The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone arrived in a bright and cheery box and was safely packaged in cardboard and paper with virtually no plastic to speak of – a strong start on the eco-friendly front. There was nothing to assemble and no components to puzzle over, the basket just needed a quick clean down with soapy water to remove any factory dust, which I’d always do with any new bakeware or bowls anyway.
As the instruction manual states, you must allow at least 5.9in/15cm of space above and on all sides of the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer. My first plan was to home it at the end of my main countertop, where there is a socket near the skirting board below. Sadly, the power cable was far too short, and extension leads are not recommended, on safety grounds.
My only other viable option, without getting the electrician in to carve up my newly plastered walls, was in the corner to the right of the sink, where there is a spare socket I use for small appliances that get packed away, like the stick blender and compact food mixer. Being in the corner meant I had to pull it out a couple of inches when cooking but there was still enough space in front to pull the basket out (without it falling onto the floor) so it did the job.
While the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer is not offensive to look at, it is pretty big (note the soup tins for scale) and cumbersome on the countertops. I’ll have to get some rewiring done if I decide to embrace Air Fryer Life on a permanent basis.
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone: Key specifications
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone: Price & availability
The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone has a list price of $179.99. It’s available to buy direct from Ninja, or through select resellers including Amazon, Best Buys and Target.
You can get cheaper Ninja air fryers with similar features but you won’t get the basket flexibility on offer. If you were willing to up-spend, the Ninja 12-in-1 Double Oven is worth a gander.
Score: 5/5
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone: Design
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone isn’t going to win awards for its looks, but there’s nothing offensive about it either – it’s a fairly big, black box with nicely curved edges and a sleek aluminium trim.
On the intuitively designed control panel that displays the various cooking programmes, the buttons press in nicely, so you know they’ve engaged, and the main rotary knob has a satisfyingly smooth turn. Inside, the drawer has a divider panel with non-stick coating, that slides in and out easily and is held in position by small grooves in the sides. There are also two crisper plates that also pull out using a small handle in the top of each plate. All of these components are non-stick and dishwasher safe.
The digital display shows the temperature on the left and time (which counts down) on the right, with up and down arrows next to each. You really wouldn’t need to read the instruction manual to get it up and running, the display is just so easy to comprehend, even if, like me, you’ve never used or seen an Air Fryer irl before.
Measuring 18.19 in L x 11.81 in W x 11.26 in H and weighing 17.03lb, it’s a similar in height and width to a family size microwave but perhaps not quite as deep. I found it very easy to slide it forwards away from the walls when cooking (to ensure all the air outlets are clear), and slide it back into the corner once done.
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone air fryer: Performance
The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone has pre-sets for temperature and time on all of its six programs, nearly all of which can be adjusted. Only the Air Broil (Max Crisp) temperature pre-set cannot be adjusted, it is forever set at 450°F. The time can be adjusted for all of the programs, both before and during cooking. The only program I didn’t use when testing was the prove function, because I have a bread maker that does all dough-related cooking automatically – plus the American version doesn’t have this setting anyway.
At the insistence of the two tweenagers in residence, I began my “air fryer journey” with the viral TikTok sensation, pasta chips – except I followed a recipe found on BBC Good Food’s website, because I am 46 years old, not 12! After oiling and seasoning dried pasta, I put it in Zone 1 of the basket and turned the rotary knob to Air Fry, adjusting the temperature pre-set from 392F to the recipe’s recommended 356F (the 20min time pre-set was perfect). I then slid the drawer back in and pressed start.
The recipe called for the pasta to be stirred every five minutes, with a silicone tong or spatula, which was as simple as opening the drawer (machine automatically stops) and shutting it again once stirred (machine starts again). If you want to pause the cooking without interrupting the schedule for whatever reason, just press the center of the rotary knob.
The result was very crispy, crunchy pasta that the girls loved (especially dipped in ketchup) but I did find a few pieces that were still chewy so I think an extra five minutes would have been perfect.
Next up was frozen burgers and French fries for a quick pre-riding lesson meal for the girls, using the Air Broil program, which is ideal for frozen foods, according to Ninja. Consulting the cooking chart at the back of the Quick Start Guide, I found frozen French fries would take 14-16 mins and there was no entry for frozen burgers, so I looked for non-frozen and went with the recommended 12-14mins.
Splitting the cooking times presented the opportunity to try out the Sync button. First, I set up Zone 1 for my burgers at 12 mins, and zone 2 for my fries at 14 mins, then I pressed Sync before pressing start. The display above Zone 1 said ‘Hold’, for the two minutes it took for both baskets to synchronise, ensuring they finished cooking at the same time. Clever.
I turned the burgers once and ruffled the fries with a spatula twice during cooking, setting the kitchen smoke alarm off in the process, but both were cooked, perhaps a little overcooked but certainly not burnt, in 12 mins from frozen. No need for all the Fireman Sam drama, thanks smoke alarm!
For a speedy meal when you’re rushing between school and after-school activities, this was simply incredible and also the perfect amount of time to steam some vegetables to go alongside them, so I didn’t feel too guilty about the nutritional value of their dinner!
For cooking two food types you don’t want to mix together, but which require the same temperature and time, you can use the Match button, with the divider in place. I tried this on some salmon fish cakes and roasted new potatoes, and it worked beautifully, and again very quickly – less than 20 mins.
To test out the Bake program, I followed the blueberry and lemon loaf recipe in the Quick Start guide. I’ll admit the cake was a little wonky on top (where it had risen higher), but it tasted as fluffy and light as any I’ve baked in the AGA. There were no time gains really, 50 minutes is pretty standard for a loaf cake, but I guess I didn’t have to wait for the electric oven to pre-heat. In the winter the AGA is always on, so there’s no waiting around for the oven to reach temperature.
Keen to get back to the speed benefits, I roasted a whole medium chicken with root vegetables and charlotte potatoes in under an hour (but failed to take a photo, doh!). The chicken was a bit crispier than I’d like on the outside, but the meat was very moist and juicy and the vegetables were delicious. Some tin foil on top of the meat is all it would need to protect the skin in future. There was easily enough space to fit plenty of food to feed the four of us, even considering one child eats as much as an adult man and the other isn’t far behind her.
I also tried a pasta bake, made with cooked pasta in Air Fryer mode, and it took just 10 minutes to heat through and crisp on top, whereas in the oven I’d usually leave it at least 25 minutes. The cheese topping was a tad too crispy, so I’ll turn the temperature down 10 degrees next time.
To determine if the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket is suitable for a family, I cooked a 4lb pork joint and roast potatoes, which was more than enough for the four of us, plus my mother-in-law. I could have easily squeezed in a few more roasties in fact!
It took 1.5 hours to cook on roast, and I put the par-boiled potatoes in when there was 15 minutes left on the clock. I had to have the extractor fan on full power as the fat from the pork made the air in the kitchen quite smitchy but otherwise it was perfectly cooked, and moist in the middle but not too pink – the crackling was better than any I've managed in any oven before.
The reheat program is excellent for warming up dinner for any latecomers (usually the husband) but he never needed the 30 min pre-set time, more like 10 mins. I guess if the food was cold from the fridge, then it might be more accurate.
Finally, I tried the dehydrate program, which takes a whopping 6-8 hours. It worked well enough, but we all prefer our fruit and vegetables fully hydrated in this house and jerky makes me gag so it’s not a program I’d be buying an Air Fryer specifically to use! As I work from home, having the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone chuntering away for six hours was quite obtrusive and made the kitchen surprisingly hot, which wasn’t appreciated during the one week we called Summer.
On the subject of sound, I measured the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone using the sound meter App on my phone. It registered at an average of 59 decibels and 65 maximum, which is noticeably louder than my electric oven and I did find it a little obtrusive in our open-plan kitchen-diner.
Washing up the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone was pretty easy, I preferred to just put the entire basket in the kitchen sink (which has a large bowl so it could sit flat) and then fill with hot soapy water and soak for a while before scrubbing and rinsing. It can all go in the dishwasher, but we don’t run the dishwasher as freqyently as I wanted to use the Air Fryer. Plus, handwashing is always better for the longevity of non-stick coatings.
Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone air fryer: How Does it Compare?
For families and flexible cooking, the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone is in a class of its own but if you weren’t concerned about cooking really big joints of meat, you could consider the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Smart 10-qt. 2-Basket Air Fryer with Smart Cook System, which has a clever food probe feature that takes the guess work out of achieving your desired tenderness levels for meat and veg.
For more functionality, check out the Proscenic T31 Air Fryer, which has two cavities and 12 cooking settings. The glass door makes it easier to keep an eye on progress than closed drawer models and it has a cool rotisserie feature, too.
If you don’t have many mouths to feed, and are happy with one-basket cooking, then a single drawer Air Fryer could be just the ticket. We particularly love the Cosori Pro III, which has a lot of fans online, and not just because of its appealing price tag.
Should you buy the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone?
There are several very compelling reasons to buy the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone. The capacity is brilliant for families, but the option to dial down to a single or two separate baskets keeps things flexible when cooking for fewer people.
It’s incredibly easy to use, you barely have to look at the guide book, except to get the recommended settings for different food types. There are some delicious recipes in there, too, which helped me appreciate that air fryers are not just for fried foods. You can cook four jacket potatoes in just 43 minutes – outstanding!
There are perhaps better options out there for single households or even couples that will take up less space on countertops. And, while I’ll never give up my AGA, this air fryer could genuinely replace my electric fan oven in the summer months. If only my lemon meringue pie dish would fit inside!
Buy it if...
Don’t Buy It if…
How we tested the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone?
It was the only air fryer in residence
Used daily for two weeks, cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner
The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Air Fryer with 7qt MegaZone was the first and only air fryer to enter our home at the time of testing and, as an air fryer virgin, I was excited to try out as many recipes and functions as possible.
Here are just some of the things I air fryed, baked, roasted and dehydrated my way through: sausages and chips, fish cakes, pasta bake, lemon loaf, raspberry blondies, roast chicken and Mediterranean vegetables, new potatoes, pasta chips, pineapple slices and a whopping 4lb pork joint.
I mainly took my time/temperature guidance from the Quick Start Guide that came with the air fryer, and they worked out well for the majority of the time. I also found a lot of foods come with the Air Fryer cooking instructions listed now, which I’d never noticed before. If I couldn’t find the specific food type listed, I googled it!
See more about how we test
First reviewed: September 2023
