Here’s a fun one that — wait for it — is travel-friendly. Did you ever think you’d hear an air fryer described that way? And while this discount might not seem huge, it brings the price to about as low as I’ve ever seen it. You can use the 20 bucks you’re saving on more food to cook in it.
Granero gave this model the title of “best small air fryer.” She clarifies, “When we say the Ninja Crispi is the best small air fryer, it’s not because of the capacity. This gadget packs a lot of cooking power into a compact frame, about 13 inches wide and just as tall. It also nests inside its glass fryer basket when not in use, so it takes up about as much space in a cabinet as a personal blender. Compared to most of these behemoth appliances, it’s a pipsqueak — and a very welcome invention if you have a small kitchen.”
She adds, “Unlike most other air fryers that use a nonstick metal basket, the Ninja Crispi comes with 4-quart and 6-cup glass containers. You place a metal grate on the bottom, add your food and then place the corded ‘pod’ on top; basically it’s a lid that houses the heating element and controls. The machine has four functions — recrisp, bake, air fry and max crisp — that correspond to different temperature ranges.
“It does its job, and it does it well, crisping dumplings, fries and more to perfection. You can cook multiple foods in it at the same time, and even use the space under the metal grate to warm foods that don’t need the fryer treatment.
“Ninja recommends you shake or turn most foods midway through cooking, and that’s not always easy to do, as both the pod and glass containers get hot. Food also can stick to the metal grate, but overall, the Crispi is a winner, and a portable one at that! This is the kind of gadget you could bring tailgating or to a friend’s house — all you need is an outlet. (Psst, for more details on this hot pick, read our senior home editor’s full review.)”
