My Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK Review ★★☆☆☆

After up to six months of use, but not using all functions made available, I believe I can now offer you my honest review of this large capacity Ninja Max Air Fryer.

Not the most reliable air fryer on the market, that I can guarantee. Issue lies with its ability to reset itself whenever I decide to change the timer, during cooking. Then the noise it admits which can be ear piercing, and the basket function is a joke. No basket air fryer which results in grease emptying onto my plate.

I am not a big fan of writing reviews but I feel I should at least let you know what air fryer I use, in the process of my advising you with your own air fryer.

What I am in ownership, well to be honest my brother at this time; is the My Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK - in which what I'll be reviewing.

I will say like most manual - or this digital air fryer - it is very reliable cooking wise, so to cook anything you won't have issues.

Issues I have is when its cooking the noise or the preset timer jumps back if changed while cooking.

But what is the biggest issue I could never comprehend, is the way this darn thing can pour grease or other disgusting liquid out of the basket body every time I empty my food onto the dinner plate.

You see this Ninja Air Fryer Max is not one that uses an independent basket that can be pulled out and shaken about, no...

Instead the pan the food cooks in is indeed the basket itself, so herein lies the issue with fat or grease pouring out along with the food.

And then there is a grill that is inserted to the base of the air fryer, and while its suppose to stay still with its silicon grips, it can come unstuck - thus this can also tip out along with the grub and liquid of any kind.

I therefore believe you can't really use an air fryer without a basket, so when you do buy an air fryer make sure its one that uses a basket that can be removed out of the body.

But allow me to highlight the good and bad things of this air fryer in greater detail.

Capacity a GOOD thing

I will admit the much needed 5.2 Litre capacity has saved me with a lot of issues, for example the inability to cook up to four chicken portions without it.

And having a family a four, its vital this capacity can cater for all of us in one go.

I will say that is not completely true, in fact a I can only air fry fries for two people, so all of us must have a smaller portion between us.

I have never tried to fill up the basket to the rim with food, as such with fries, but what I know from others using it in my kitchen; the lack of air flow does pre-long the cooking process, with a lack of even cooking the end result.

I had a much smaller capacity, manual air fryer before this one and I can say I am still cooking just as much capacity wise as I did in a smaller basket, but the larger capacity can only come in useful once in a while.

Timer reset a CLICHE

Biggest issue I have had with using this Ninja Max air fryer thus far, after six months or more is the way the timer function has a way of resetting itself.

Reset comes during cooking, so if I need to add more or less time to the cooking as you do - this time will then jump back to the original time it was set.

For example, if I decide to cook my fries for 10 minutes, but need to add 2 more minutes with only 4 minutes to go - sure enough the timer will jump back to the full 10 minutes.

Now I find myself remembering where I was in regards to how much time is left, so I can reset the timer back to their.

However, what is troubling is the timer doesn't always malfunction like this, heck I don't even know if it is a cliche but simply a poor feature at point of design and manufacture.

Noise is infuriating

I am not talking about the noise emitted during air frying, no... what I am referring to is the loud beeping sounds admitted every time you press a button.

Not a problem if pressed once or twice, but as you may already know, buttons need to be pressed multiple times to extend or shorten the time, or too lower or rise the temperature - in which its perfectly acceptable behavior while cooking food.

Most infuriating part is this often loud noise the Ninja Max admits is for an extended period of time.

OK, that's fine if you are out of the kitchen but to be near it when the air fryer cooking time goes to a holt - I can say the noise feels like its piercing my ears.

Cringy almost and far too loud for a home appliance, then combine that with peeping sounds every time a function button is pressed; result is annoying functional sounds that are not needed, or at least not that loud.

Continuous cooking sound

For up to a minute or two after the timer has stopped and the air fryer has halted cooking, the appliance continues to what sounds like its still cooking.

Well, is that really relevant... absolutely because air fryers need continuous flipping of the basket while keeping a close eye on proceedings.

So for the air fryer to not stop and turn itself off to let your know its finished cooking, extra, unnecessary cooking time is added.

That can lead to more cooking or at least the food staying warn rather than cooking through.

I do jump back on the computer or get distracted on my phone often, as people do. Its therefore important the Ninja Max let's me know its finishes, and simply turning off with no noise would be a good indicator.

And while it has stopped, up to two minutes has passed before I realise, thus completely putting me off my cooking schedule with other things cooking in the microwave or oven.

Basket with endless issues

Previously I owned a manual air fryer that did what it was suppose to do; set the ticker then continue to toss the food in the basket that can be pull out.

Fortunately, what this Ninja Max AF160UK air fryer has taught me is a removable air fryer basket must come away from the main cooking tray.

I have found many issues arriving from this non-removable basket with three main points.

One being the basket must be used with a sort of non-stick grill tray base that allows the air to flow around.

Only to recently I have noticed this loose metal raised grill can actually drop out of the basket once you tip the food onto your plate.

Once more thing, this crisper plate - I had to look up that in the booklet - is hot, so its not a simple case of holding it while you grab a tea towel, and is not done easy when your hands are full.

More importantly, without use of an air fryer basket that can be pulled out of the air fryer's main body - is the way grease, food bits or juices that run onto your plate as you tip the food on. I am now using silicon tipped tongs to pull food out rather tipping.

Functionality options

So of the eleven functions that can be used with a press of the button, I am currently only using six buttons in total for my air fryer only needs.

I will say the start/stop button is in one, and so too is TEMP and TIME button, so if you have big clunky fingers you would need to go carefully.

And how I setup myself up to cook fries for example is this: turn on by wall; press the air fryer ON button; select AIR FRY; set the timer for a minimum of ten minutes; lower the TEMP every time to 190°C - I then press START.

Max crisp function is their for sure, but I don't understand when this is needed.

I always press the 'air fryer' but to cook absolutely everything, with good results I might add - so why would I risk overcooking or burning anything with a pre-set that is probably far too hot.

Similarly, I don't feel the roast function would ever come in useful for me, because any thing I want to cook in my air fryer - that is exactly what I intend to do, air fry it.

If I need to roast - such as potatoes or a chicken - then the oversize food will of course go in the oven.

To summarise

Don't get me wrong, if you want a solid air fryer on the higher end price wise, this baby will get you over the line for most food groups.

Issues arise mostly with the overbearing noise it admits and the way it keeps resetting itself every time you wish to adjust the timer.

This Ninja Air Fryer Max AF160UK - not widely available to buy now I might add - is filled with issues that I believe are not issues at all, but simply a poor oversight on the design and manufacture stage.

Noise admitted causes me an earache if I don't feel too good, while the air fryer basket, or lack of - is the biggest cause of concern.

Not only can the hot plate that is simply inserted can drop out as you tip the basket to empty food onto plate, but it just might burn you in the process.

On top of that the liquid generated in this cooking session can follow out the food on to your plate - so you end up with a lovely puddle of grease on the plate, as well has on your food, yuck.

For that reason I would suggest you opt for an air fryer that uses a basket that can be pulled away from the main basket case.

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