Ninja Crispi Review

Ease of Use

The Crispi has a straightforward user interface, but it is almost too simple, which can make it challenging to find the right settings for each dish. There are only a few buttons and a small display that shows the time countdown. There are cooking function modes, but you can't select specific temperatures.

The modes include air fry, max crisp, and bake. The bake mode has a slower fan speed. It is hard to stray with this model, and we like the idea of keeping it simple, but this really hampers anyone looking to grow their cooking skills with a new appliance.

Ease of Cleaning

The glass containers, crisper plate, lids, and adapters on the Crispi are all easy to clean and dishwasher safe. We love the use of glass and that the containers can also serve and store leftovers.

Cooking Quality

The Crispi offers some of the best cooking results in the test group. The fries had soft, fluffy interiors, but some had crisp exteriors, while others were limp. They weren't the worst in the group, but they lacked the crisp exterior most prefer in a good fry. Tater Tots had a better result with crispy ends and a light, soft interior. While not as good as other Ninja options, it was definitely good enough to please finicky kids.

The fries from the Crispi were good, but not as crisp or crunchy as some might prefer.   Credit: Natalie Kafader

The Crispi made tater tots were better than the fries, crisper with fluffy, soft insides.   Credit: Natalie Kafader

The wings from the Ninja Crispi were brown and juicy but could have used more crispiness for those seeking a fried-chicken experience.   Credit: Natalie Kafader

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For chicken wings, the Crispi provided juicy wings, but the skin wasn't as crispy as we'd like. There was nice browning, but not as lovely as some competitors. Overall, edible, but if you're looking for a skin similar to deep frying, this is not the unit.

Salmon is where the Crispi sings, with a deliciously tender interior and a very crispy skin on top. We used the smaller glass container, which meant the fish was closer to the heating element, which could have been the key.

Cooking Speed

The Crispi is a speedy contender with no preheat time required. It cooked tater tots and fries in about 19 minutes and salmon in 16 minutes, with the fish reaching an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Given the inability to choose your temperature, we suspect cooking will take some trial and error. While this might be acceptable for dishes you cook frequently, it can be more frustrating when trying to pull off a novel dish, as the timing can stray far from what the recipe calls for.

Temperature Accuracy

The Crispi temperature accuracy was nothing to sing about, with one of the worst results in the lineup. The average temperature of the Crispi was almost 18 degrees below the set amount. While this means it is less likely to burn, it does raise concerns about undercooked food or cooking taking longer than you think it will. It is fair to say we only experienced this temperature struggle when using the air fryer mode, and that the temperature was more accurate when using recrisp, bake, and max crisp settings. Part of the issue here could be that the Crispi doesn't let you choose a specific temperature, so you are stuck with the temperature it sets based on the mode you choose. The instructions on the Crispi show the temperature ranges varying significantly in each mode, so by design, the Crispi could argue it did what it was designed to do.

The real issue is that the exterior of the glass gets really very hot, reaching 280°F in our measurement of exterior temperature. This left us concerned about accidentally touching the side of the glass container, or more importantly, of kids accidentally touching it.

There is a warning label about the product's hot surface temperature, and a similar warning in the manual stating that it becomes “extremely hot during use.” They suggest you never touch the glassware container and to use oven mitts. This is important advice, but it raises the question of whether you will really want something this hot sitting on your kitchen counter?

From our point of view, we'd rather go with a different Air Fryer than put something this hot on our kitchen counter. We feel it would present an unnecessary burn hazard in the kitchen that is not worth the risk.

Should You Buy The Ninja Crispi?

We love the idea of cooking in glass and the vessel's ability to serve and store. The Crispi creates quality food and is one of the fastest in the group. It is easy to clean, and the glass containers and crisper tray can be washed in the dishwasher. The main downside is that the user interface doesn't give you enough to dial in perfection, and the containers get so hot that we worry about safety. We definitely would think twice before using them around helpful children learning to cook. While it didn't win an award, it is a compelling choice for those who prefer glass over plastic and don't mind the downsides.

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