I tried Ninja’s new portable air fryer and it’s definitely not what I was expecting

I’ve never been eager to start cooking with an . I’m no or Raymond Blanc, but after a long day at work, I really enjoy an hour in the kitchen rustling up the family meal. Shoving things in an air fryer tray and tapping a “cook” button has felt like cheating to me, and I’ve long struggled to see where one would fit into my kitchen. Let’s be honest; most of these machines aren’t exactly subtle, stylish or small appliances and they also take up vast amounts of workspace.

Obviously, the air fryer revolution is impossible to ignore and it’s not been helped by my wife constantly nagging me to get one.

So, when Shark Ninja announced the launch of a more compact and portable cooker, I thought it could finally be time to take the plunge and give it a whirl.

The firm’s latest is smaller than most current models. That means you can take it on the road or hide it in a cupboard rather than clogging up your worktops. Right out of the box, it looks and feels super premium, and it takes minutes to get cooking.

The packaging includes a main handheld “Power Pod,” which supplies the heat, full controls and displays a timer. This is complemented by two glass cooking containers that feature metal trays to help crisp up those frozen chips.

It even comes with leakproof, BPA-free lids, so you can go from prepping to heating to serving to storing all in one glass container. That’s super handy if you are making a pasta bake and don’t end up eating it all as you can simply pop on those lids and stick the bowl straight in the fridge.

It’s a really neat bit of kit, but what surprised me the most was how well it cooked the food.

The CRISPi will not replace my oven, and I haven’t used it every day, but if you get in late and fancy some fish fingers, oven chips or morning hash browns to help the hangover, it’s so much better than a conventional oven.

You don’t have to pre-heat it; the food tastes better, is cheaper to run and makes far less mess.

I even managed to roast a small (1kg) whole chicken in it, which tasted as good—if not better—than my posh NEFF oven.

The CRISPi is great but what are the downsides

The CRISPi has quickly become a part of my weekly routine, but it’s not without its downsides.

Most air fryers now have two cooking compartments, so you can roast meat and rustle up some vegetables at the same time.

That’s not possible when using the CRISPi, and you also can’t control the exact temperature. Instead, this device has four pre-set modes which include Air Fry, Roast, Keep Warm and Recrisp.

I personally haven’t had any issues with this heating system, and it makes cooking super simple. Pop on some chips and tap “Air Fry”, or tuck a chicken inside and press “Roast”—it’s as easy as that. However, some might prefer to have more control over their cooking if they use the fryer on a daily basis.

Another thing to note is that the fan makes a pretty loud noise when in use. Plus, when air frying, it pumps out quite a lot of moisture, so make sure you use it in an open space or you’ll get moisture all over your kitchen walls.

Ninja CRISPi: The price

The Ninja CRISPi costs £179.99 which feels pretty reasonable considering what is included. For that money you get the cooking pod (which comes in three colours) and two glass cooking bowls with lids. It’s all very well made and comes with a two-year guarantee. The only thing to note is that you can get a standard air fryer with double drawers for around £150 so you are paying a premium for the CRISPi’s unique portability feature.

Stores including Ninja, Amazon and Argos are all stocking the CRISPi.

•

Ninja CRISPi: Final verdict

Having avoided the air fryer revolution for years, I’m (almost) fully converted. The CRISPi fits perfectly into my life as I simply get it out of the cupboard when I need it but can hide it away when I don’t.

It cooks food brilliantly, and some things taste better from this device than they do from a conventional fan oven. It’s also far cheaper to run. The setup is simple. It’s super versatile, easy to clean, and thanks to glass cooking bowls with supplied lids, you can even bake things and then pop the leftovers straight into the fridge.

It looks great, is nicely made and the one-touch controls make it super easy to use.

My biggest gripes are the noise it makes when frying, the fact there’s no way to adjust the precise temperature, and you can only cook one thing at a time.

Despite those niggles, I’m pretty addicted to this way of cooking.

It won’t replace a big double-drawer air fryer, but if, like me, you simply want to use an air fryer a couple of times a week and don’t have acres of worktop space, it’s hard not to love the CRISPi.