Cooking Appliances review
Ninja Foodi SP101 Review: 7.3 Degrees Off, and It Folds Away
TechGearLab measured 98 percent temperature accuracy and a 1.8 minute preheat, ranking it second of eleven. It also flips up against the backsplash when you are done.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Ninja
Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven
Good · researched from 3 sources
The most accurate oven in an eleven-machine test, at 7.3 degrees off target, in a body that folds against the wall when you are finished. The cavity is short, the air frying divides opinion, and you will be cleaning it often.
- Buy if
- Small kitchens, where folding it away is the whole point · Toast and baking, on TechGearLab's two strongest scores · Anyone who wants a fast preheat, at under two minutes
- Skip if
- Whole chickens or anything tall · Cooks who want to air fry large batches · Anyone unwilling to wipe it down after most uses
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Seven degrees
TechGearLab set it to 350°F and measured an average deviation of 7.3 degrees. They express that as 98.0 percent accuracy and score the category 9.5 out of 10.
Temperature accuracy is where countertop ovens usually come apart. A machine that holds within seven degrees is doing better than plenty of full-size ovens, and it is the reason baking and roasting scored 8.5 here rather than the six or seven that small ovens typically earn.
The preheat matches: 1.8 minutes to 350°F, among the fastest of the eleven ovens tested, and PureFitPureFood puts it at roughly a minute in ordinary use.
And then it folds away
The rear feet hinge. When you are finished, the whole oven tips up against the backsplash, and PureFitPureFood puts the saving at up to half its footprint.
PCVarge points out the second-order benefit: folded up, the interior is reachable from underneath, so cleaning it stops being an exercise in reaching through a door.
That mechanism is also why the cavity is low, which is where every criticism in this review comes from.
The air frying argument
TechGearLab: frozen tater tots crispy outside and fluffy inside, frozen pizza with a crisp crust and melted cheese, chicken thighs with crisp skin and juicy meat. Baking and roasting scored 8.5 out of 10.
PCVarge: fries unevenly, though fresh food does well. And the specific finding that matters more than the adjective, that the advertised four pound basket capacity will not fit at the recommended rack position.
Both are consistent with a shallow, wide cavity: a single layer crisps properly and a heaped basket does not.
Toast, and the dial that lies slightly
TechGearLab scored toasting 7.8 out of 10 with uniform browning across each slice and consistent results between batches. PCVarge found bagel halves browning very uniformly.
Neither has a complaint about evenness. PCVarge's complaint is about range: light and medium both arrive at golden brown, so the low end of the dial does not go where it says it does.
Nine slices at a time, or a 13-inch pizza.
What the low cavity costs
No whole chicken. Nothing tall. All three sources say it, and it is structural rather than an oversight.
And PureFitPureFood's warning is the one to take seriously before buying: 1800 watts in a shallow box throws grease, and the machine wants cleaning after almost every use. They also find the crumb tray tight-fitting.
TechGearLab's ease of use score of 6.8, their lowest category for this oven, is the same finding wearing a number.
How it scored
The overall 7.6 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Performance
TechGearLab scored baking and roasting 8.5 out of 10 and toasting 7.8, reporting uniform browning batch to batch. PCVarge found air frying uneven while fresh food performed well.
Value
TechGearLab ranked it second of eleven at 80 out of 100 with an Editors' Choice award while naming the price. PCVarge scored 4.2 out of 5 and PureFitPureFood 8 out of 10.
Build quality
1800 watts in a low-profile stainless housing whose rear feet hinge so the whole oven folds up. The sheet pan and air fry basket are dishwasher safe.
Ease of use
TechGearLab scored ease of use 6.8 out of 10, their weakest category. PureFitPureFood says it needs cleaning after almost every use and finds the crumb tray tight-fitting.
Capacity
Nine slices of toast or a 13 inch pizza, but all three sources note the interior height rules out a whole chicken, and PCVarge says the 4 lb basket claim does not fit at the recommended rack position.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab measured 7.3 degrees average deviation from a 350°F target, or 98 percent accuracy
- Preheat to 350°F in 1.8 minutes per TechGearLab, and about a minute per PureFitPureFood
- The rear feet hinge so the oven folds up and reclaims counter space
- TechGearLab reports uniform browning across each slice, batch to batch
- Nine slices of toast or a 13 inch pizza in a low, wide cavity
- The sheet pan and air fry basket are dishwasher safe
What we didn’t
- PCVarge reports the air fry function cooking unevenly
- PCVarge says the claimed 4 lb basket capacity will not fit at the recommended rack position
- All three sources note the interior is too short for tall items
- PureFitPureFood says grease splatter means cleaning after almost every use
- TechGearLab scored ease of use only 6.8 out of 10
- PCVarge found both light and medium toast settings landing at golden brown
Specifications
| Power | 1800 W |
|---|---|
| Temperature accuracy | 7.3°F average deviation from 350°F, or 98.0 percent, per TechGearLab |
| Preheat | 1.8 minutes to 350°F per TechGearLab; about one minute per PureFitPureFood |
| Temperature range | 150 to 450°F per PureFitPureFood |
| Capacity | 9 slices of toast, a 13 inch pizza, or a 4 lb basket |
| Functions | Air Crisp, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, Dehydrate, Keep Warm, Toast and Bagel |
| Dimensions | 19.72 x 7.56 x 14.96 in per PCVarge |
| Storage | Rear feet hinge so the oven folds up, saving up to 50 percent of its counter space |
| Dishwasher safe | Sheet pan and air fry basket |
| Limitation | Interior height rules out tall items |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
TechGearLab tested against ten other toaster ovens and supplies the temperature deviation measurement against a stated target, the preheat time, the category scores and weights and the cooking results, ranking it second of eleven at 80 out of 100. PureFitPureFood supplies the wattage, the temperature range, the function list, the storage saving and the cleaning assessment, scoring 8 out of 10. PCVarge supplies the dimensions, the toasting shade finding, the air frying criticism and the basket capacity observation, scoring 4.2 out of 5. TechGearLab and PCVarge disagree about air frying evenness and both positions are reported.
What we read
Common questions
How accurate is the temperature on the Ninja Foodi SP101?
How well does it toast?
Is the air frying any good?
How much counter space does it actually save?
What are the drawbacks?
The bottom line on the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven
The most accurate oven in an eleven-machine test, at 7.3 degrees off target, in a body that folds against the wall when you are finished. The cavity is short, the air frying divides opinion, and you will be cleaning it often.
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