Air fryers that have a drawer, such as the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer AF400UK, make shaking food easier, as the external handles don’t warm up. Well, if you need more space for frying and grilling in a compact kitchen, then yes; if you prefer to close the lid on the food and let it cook away, then no.

Ninja Foodi MAX AG551UKDBCP: The easy way to cook

A removable, dishwasher-safe splatter guard keeps the heating element clean, working alongside a temperature-controlled grill plate and cool-air zone to help keep smoke under control. We aim to maintain transparency in our pricing structure while providing you with the best possible service. Transform into an Air Fryer to create low-fat versions of your fried favourites – up to 75% less fat than deep frying*. The Flat Plate setting is expertly designed to work with the flat grill plate’s smooth cooking surface, perfect for delicately cooking fajita chicken, peppers and onions, spicy stir fries, bacon and eggs, sriracha-glazed salmon, fluffy pancakes, loaded nachos – even an authentic-style homemade pizza.

The main difference between the two models is that the AG651UK has an open-top flat plate and grill function, for more delicate items that need to be turned regularly – a feature that you pay a premium for. This should provide enough space for four people, for one side or main, but you’ll need to batch cook if you want to make more. Starting life on the consumer PC press back in 1998, David has been at the forefront of technology for the past 20 years. Dehydrate fresh ingredients to create homemade jerky, dried fruit, vegetable crisps and even dried herbs.

Power Grill Plate - AG651 | Ninja Kitchen UK Power Grill Plate - AG651 | Ninja Kitchen UK

With simple controls and a digital display, it’s easy to select your preferred program and choose between pre-set cooking levels or choose your own heat with variable temperature controls. From chunky chips and spicy sweet potato wedges to southern-fried chicken goujons and crispy broccoli florets. This Black Friday special edition comes in a fetching copper finish and is bundled with four skewers and an apron. When the grill beeps, take your food out to rest – the digital display timer indicates when it’s ready to serve.If I’m being critical, the chips weren’t quite as good as those from the Ninja OL750UK’s steam air-fry mode, but they were not far off. The captured high-heat airflow is also perfect for melting cheese and crisping toppings, from a grilled cheese sandwich to loaded nachos. And now you can also cook with the lid open – perfect for creating a full English breakfast fry-up, fluffy American pancakes with crispy bacon, fried eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, fajitas, stir-fried vegetables, teppanyaki-style cooking, and more. Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. The Digital Cooking Probe precisely monitors your food’s temperature during cooking, so you don’t have to!

AG651UK Ninja Foodi MAX Pro Health Grill Troubleshooting

As the lid was shut, the usual smells and smoke from grilling didn’t leak out into the kitchen, making this device more pleasant to use than a regular cooking appliance. More than a grill – because it’s a Foodi, you can also air fry, bake, roast, and more with 7 customisable functions.

What’s important is the level of cooking options available, selectable via the touchscreen controls that light up when the appliance is turned on. Cook with the lid open or closed and unlock a new food adventure with 2 interchangeable cooking surfaces. If you wanted to bake something longer, such as a baguette, or bigger, such as a regular loaf, you might not have enough space.

Ninja Foodi Max Pro Health Grill and Air fryer AG651UK

So far, so manual, but the AG551UKDBCP can also automate cooking via its temperature probe, which tucks away in a compartment on the right-hand side of the air fryer. The AG551UKDBCP costs the same as the normal version, the AG551UK, but comes in a cooler colour and has a set of skewers and an apron in the box. To prevent cooking food from damaging the heating element, there’s a splash guard in the lid, which can be removed and washed.In particular, I found that with the AG651UK, if I accidentally set the wrong programme or cooking settings and hit the start button, I couldn’t just adjust the settings. The excellent inspiration guide, which gives sample recipes to show off each mode, has one for focaccia, which works well as it’s quite a flat bread. Perfect for steakhouse-style grilling, whether you prefer sizzling steaks and pork chops, juicy sausages, marinated chicken breasts, tuna steaks, halloumi skewers, veggie kebabs, chargrilled corn on the cob or even frozen foods. Pick the type of meat and then select the level of doneness (aside from the poultry option, which only lets you properly cook the food): rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well done. The main competition is from the AG651UK, which offers the same capacity and cooking modes but comes with open-lid cooking on the grill and flat plate.