Is Ninja SP101 Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven Worth Buying?
It is capable of replacing many other appliances in your kitchen.
It is common for multi-purpose kitchen appliances to excel at some of their functions at the cost of others.
But, impressively, Ninja SP101, a countertop oven, a toaster, and a well-performing dehydrator does not follow this practice.
The air fryer did well in most of my testings, and overall, it is worth many praises.
If you are excited to know more about it, read this in-depth review.
Ninja SP101 Air Fryer Oven Review
PROS
CONS
Key Specs:
| Capacity | 169 Cubic Inches |
| Cooking Modes | Air Fry, Air Crsip, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, Bagel, Toast, Dehydrate, Keep Warm |
| Temperature Range | 80°F – 450°F |
| Dimensions | 7.56″D x 19.72″W x 14.96″H |
| Weight | 18.56 Pounds |
| Wattage | 1800 Watts |
ALSO CHECK: Ninja AF101 Air Fryer Review
First Look And Feel Of The Ninja SP101
As you take Ninja SP101 out of the box, you instantly feel it is a top-class product made with brushed stainless steel.
The exterior, with its rounded edges, feels smooth under your fingers. It has a compact digital control panel on one side.
The air fryer is wider but shorter in height than most air fryers and toaster ovens.
When not in use, you can flip up the unit and store it against the back wall along the countertop.
Instead of a towel bar handle on top of the door, it has one on the side.
Though this door design is difficult to get used to, it still improves functionality by making the unit more space-efficient.
Design And Storage
The air fryer does not take up much space on the countertop.
As for the design, there is a big see-through door at the front and a handle on the side.
The placement of the handle allows enough view to observe the food unobstructed.
In its folded form, the air fryer can easily fit under most kitchen cabinets.
Ease Of Use
The Ninja air fryer SP101 has been designed to ensure it is user-friendly.
The unit's self-explanatory control panel with a minimalistic design allows you to read and configure the setting effortlessly.
There is one knob on the display, which enables you to choose from a multitude of functions as well as configure time and temperature settings.
Its single-knob can confuse you in setting time and temperature in the beginning.
But you will get a hang of it in a few days.
As for the counter space, it barely takes up any. Overall, we can give the Ninja SP101 a 9/10 rating for its ease of use.
Accuracy Of Time And Temperature
Regarding the temperature accuracy of Ninja SP101, its performance is worth praise.
In most cases, we found it to be one of the most accurate air fryers.
The air fryer also heats up much faster, going from cold to more than 400F in just 6-7 minutes.
Testing Various Cooking Functions
As its name implies, it is a multi-purpose appliance that combines the qualities of an oven with an air fryer.
Below is how it fares on its various functions.
Air Frying
Air frying is the highlighting function of Ninja SP101.
Air frying Buffalo wings coated with delicious BBQ sauce was a breeze.
However, there is only one caveat: the air fryer basket does not fit 4 pounds of food as advertised by the manufacturer.
If you do, the loaded tray does not fit in its designated slot.
Toasting
During toasting, we found the air fryer spacious enough to accommodate nine medium-sized slices without squeezing them, loading the oven wall to wall.
The slices in the middle of the toasting rack were darker than those closer to the door.
However, when used to toast only a few slices, the results were more impressive.
But this problem is common in most air fryers. It can be eliminated by keeping an eye on the slices while the air fryer operates and shuffling their position.
Baking
Ninja SP101 excelled at baking most recipes.
To test it, we cooked everything from cookies on the sheet pan to cakes, muffins, and pizza.
We found that it bakes most things faster than many other air fryers; therefore, you must pay attention to cooking speed.
Leaving cake or brownie mixture for even slightly longer than the desired duration can dry out or burn ingredients.
For this reason, we observed the air fryer while making the cake and removed the dish when its exterior turned golden.
Overall, the Ninja SP101 air fryer gave us better baking results than other air fryers like Breville Mini Smart Oven and Cuisinart Chef's Convection.
However, Ninja SP101 also has some limitations.
You cannot cook a whole chicken or fit an entire loaf because of the low height cooking chamber.
Does SP101 Air Fryer Excel At Dehydrating
Even the best air fryers can falter at the dehydration test, but Ninja SP101 was not disappointing.
In fact, its dehydration function is pretty good for small amounts of fruits, raisins, and vegetables.
However, if you want to dehydrate large quantities of food, you may need to buy a dedicated industrial-grade dehydrator.
It is because the space in Ninja air fryer is not enough to provide air circulation for dehydrating large quantities of food.
How Does Ninja SP101 Treat Frozen Food
The Ninja air fryer treats frozen food really well.
We cooked various frozen food items such as frozen nuggets, tater tots, chicken wings, and lasagna.
They came out perfectly crispy, with enough moisture to keep everything inside soft.
However, the only problem we encountered was when cooking frozen pizza bites.
The base of the bites came out a bit darker than we liked, probably because of their constant exposure to the heating elements at the bottom.
Efficiency Of Keep Warm Function
The Ninja SP101 also has a keep warm function, so it was natural that we wanted to test it.
We kept a small bowl of macaroni and some chicken wings in the air fryer for around one and a half hours.
Though everything was warm when we took them out, to our dismay, the food was dry.
As per our experience, instead of using the keep warm function for longer than 30 minutes, it is better to cool down the food and reheat it later.
However, we do think most foods dry out or become chewy if left to stay warm for a long time.
Cleaning SP101 Air Fryer Countertop Oven
Ease of cleaning is a major aspect of a cooking appliance. Cleaning the Ninja air fryer SP101 is not overly challenging.
Its accessories, such as the air fryer basket and the sheet pan, can be washed in a dishwasher.
When you remove the crumb tray, you can pull open the base panel in seconds and access the inside of the air fryer in the standing position.
Once you remove the back panel, cleaning the interior becomes an absolute breeze.
This is a unique feature in Ninja SP101, which you will not find in many of Ninja’s other competitor models.
As per the manufacturer’s instruction, only use soap and water to clean the interior of the air fryer.
The air fryer’s outside can be cleaned with a soft microfiber cloth.
The heating element also accumulates a lot of grease and food, so cleaning it after every use is necessary.
Also check our detailed review of:
- Ninja AF080 Mini Air Fryer
- Ninja Foodi AG301 5 in 1 Air Fry Grill
- Ninja DZ201 Foodi Dual Basket Air Fryer
FAQs
What is the difference between Ninja FT 102 and sp101?
Both the units are almost identical, except that SP101 has 8 functions. In comparison, FT102a has 9 functions with a reheat function, which is not present in SP101.
How big is the Ninja Foodi SP101?
The Ninja Foodi Sp101 has a capacity of 169 Cubic Inches, which is enough to make four pounds of chicken.
Wrapping Up!
Cooking is complicated, but not with the Ninja SP101, which combines the functionality and convenience of multiple appliances. This unit is definitely worth your money if you want to buy a dehydrator and toaster integrated into an air fryer. Its flip function makes it extremely space-saving. As for minor problems in its cooking, we do understand that no air fryer is perfect, and in the case of Ninja digital air fryer, it excels at cooking most things.