I have a strong feeling that how we use microwaves is about to change forever — and when I mention the name Ninja, you probably won’t be surprised.
The brand, known for dominating our countertops with some of the best air fryers, blenders and coffee machines, has never entered the microwave market, that is, until now.
Today, Ninja is once again shaking up modern cooking with the U.S. launch of the Ninja Crispi Microwave and Air Fryer, available for $449 at SharkNinja. It’s the anchor product behind the brand’s new summer product lineup, which also introduces the Ninja Crispi DualZone and Ninja Multipot.
Putting an end to "soggy" microwave meals
It’s a significant leap for Ninja and one that I’ll be closely watching to see how it impacts the microwave market, including whether other kitchen appliance brands follow suit.
To put my interest into context, I’m a child of the ‘70s. I vividly remember my family’s awe when we got our first microwave. While my mom tried to cook everything in this ‘miracle’ oven, including roast chicken and meringue. I can clearly recall the artificial browning she used to color the pale chicken and the black carbon bottoms of her failed meringues.
Unsurprisingly, I’m far more conservative with my microwave adventures, and like most of us, I use it for simple tasks, such as defrosting, softening butter and warming up food.
But according to Ninja, those days are over, and the “soggy microwave problem we’ve accepted for years has officially been solved,” without sacrificing speed or texture.
The tech behind the appliance
The secret behind Ninja’s appliance is FusionCrisp Technology — combining microwave speed with superheated, cyclonic air at temperatures up to 450°F.
So how exactly does this work? The Ninji Crispi Microwave and Air Fryer starts by microwaving the food from the inside, then switches to air frying to produce a crisp texture, resulting in a cooking time 50% faster than a conventional oven.
Apart from giving crisp results, it offers 14-in-1 functionality. The 8 microwave presets include popcorn, potato, defrost, beverage, soup, frozen dinner, frozen vegetable, and soften butter. There are a further 5 air fry presets, including max crisp, crisp, air roast, air bake and air broil, each with FusionCrisp Technology.
Ninja ditches the traditional turntable
Instead of the traditional rotating turntable, Ninja opted for a flatbed design, which it claims offers 40% more space than a standard turntable microwave. That’s plenty of capacity to hold the 5.5-quart glass basket that comes with the appliances, which is capable of holding an 8lb chicken, four pizza slices or a 9 x 11-inch casserole dish, feeding up to 8-10 people.
Although the Ninja Crispi Microwave and Air Fryer is now available in the U.S., U.K. readers will have to wait until mid-August for it to land.
I’m looking forward to testing and reviewing the Ninja Crispi Microwave and Air Fryer and will report back as soon as I get my hands on it.
In the meantime, I’ll have to rely on those of you in the U.S. to see how this exciting new product performs and whether you think it will shake up the microwave market. If you've tried one, leave a comment below with your thoughts.
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