As a 90s baby, I was born too late for affordable housing, and too early for the eve of the air fryer. But now, as a Home Editor for Tom's Guide, I have my pick of appliances to test and use in my kitchen. So at least I can now crisp up french fries and chicken wings in minutes from the comfort of my cozy apartment.
Air-fried goodness is a far cry from the limp frozen food I'd nuke in the oven when I was a student, and significantly tastier than the slightly questionable microwave meals I used to turn to after a long night of studying, or more likely, partying. And if I were a student today, there's one appliance I'd be putting on my college wish-list: the Ninja Crispi.
The Crispi is one of the smartest kitchen innovations I've come across in the last 12 months. It's ideal for batch cooking, meal prepping, or single-serve meals. In other words, it's a dream for students. Here's why.
Why the Ninja Crispi is a student essential
1. It can be used anywhere
When Ninja first announced the Crispi, it claimed the air fryer was so compact you could even take it to the office to heat up your lunch.
While I've not thrown it in my rucksack quite yet, it is true that this air fryer can slot in some pretty neat spaces, and once you've plugged it in it simply sits on top of the glass containers to heat your food from above.
It comes with a 4-Qt and 6-cup glass container, each with its own clip-on lid for fridge storage, and you can buy add-ons if you want to do some serious meal prep with your new gadget.
So, while you should check the rules of your specific space, I'm pretty confident you could do everything from reheating last night's leftovers to roasting some chicken and vegetables for a hearty homemade meal in this air fryer, without even needing to leave your room.
2. It has settings for a range of uses
This varies based on region. I tested the Crispi in the U.K., where there's a setting for Roast, Recrisp, Keep Warm, and Air Fry. In the U.S., those modes are slightly different: Max Crisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Recrisp.
That means you can use this air fryer in the place of a microwave to reheat food, and it will also deliver the high-heat cooking required to create crispy french fries or chicken wings.
One thing that took some adjusting is that the air fryer doesn't show you the temperature, but there's a guide on this in the handbook. Temperatures start at 158°F / 70°F on the lowest setting and go up to 350°F or 180°C, although it does claim that it will give the results of a 400°F oven (possibly due to the small dimensions), which is broadly in line with most of the best air fryers.
You can't adjust the temperature, but you can adjust the time. There's a button to increase or decrease this, and a simple Start button that will get things going. Even for those who are a total beginner to cooking, this air fryer is newbie-proof.
3. It's ideal for solo cooking
The Crispi comes with a removable nonstick insert. I used this to add some veggies to the bottom of the glass container, topping with the insert, and then creating a second layer to cook some chicken.
There are so many versions of this meal that could work for single servings. Whether it's breakfast potatoes and bacon or some noodles topped with salmon, you can make infinite combinations of full solo dinners without needing to break out a frying pan or turn to a different cooking appliance to create a balanced meal.
And as someone who was famously bad at doing this dishes at college, I'd have been super grateful for the reduced mess you'll get with only cooking and eating from one container.
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