Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer review: Is it better than the Dual Zone?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a huge fan of Ninja air fryers, and there's one in particular that I can't help but rave about: the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone. But Ninja's newest launch, the slim, compact Double Stack, piqued my interest early on. Could this space-saving air fryer really trump the coveted Dual Zone? I decided to put one to the test to find out.
I've said it once and I'll say it again: I can't live without my Ninja Dual Zone. I was dubious about the benefits of an air fryer but, since taking the plunge and investing in the Dual Zone (my first-ever air fryer, may I add), it soon became clear to me that this nifty piece of kit was to change the cooking game for good.
To recap, there are so many benefits to the two-compartment Ninja Dual Zone: it's spacious, powerful, speedy, intuitive and super easy to use. The downside? While roomy, the Dual Zone takes up a lot of kitchen space (41.5cm of width, to be precise). And that's where the Double Stack comes in.
As Ninja's newest offering, the Double Stack promises all of the same smart features as the Dual Zone, alongside the same 9.5L cooking capacity, while taking up a lot less space on your worktop.
Designed with drawers that stack on top of each other rather than next to each other, it comes in at just 28cm wide – that's a huge 30 per cent slimmer than the Dual Zone.
But does the Ninja Double Stack provide the same cooking power and speed as the coveted Dual Zone? Keep reading to find out my honest review below.
Ninja Double Stack: features at a glance
Handy size: 30 per cent slimmer than the Dual Zone
Independent drawer space: with meal racks for four layers of food
Six cooking functions: air fry, roast, bake, dehydrate, reheat and max crisp
Easy to use: with a sleek control panel to the right of the drawers
Ninja Double Stack: the pros
Fits more food than the Dual Zone
Because of the handy metal racks that stack in the middle of the drawers, the Double Stack can, without a doubt, fit more food than the Dual Zone. Ninja suggests placing foods that need a crispier finish on the top rack and those that require less crispiness on the bottom. For example, you can cook all of your sprouts on the bottom while cooking your chicken or crispy roasties on the top (and that's only in one compartment!).
Takes up less worktop space
There's no denying that the Double Stack comes out on top in terms of size. As much as I love my Dual Zone, it has always bugged me how bulky it looks on my worktop. The Double Stack, on the other hand, looks sleek and minimal on my counter, taking up a lot less width than before.
Simple to use
The addition of the control panel to the right of the air fryer makes the Double Stack super easy to use. Simply choose your compartment side, pick your cooking setting, adjust your time and you're ready to go.
I should mention here that the control panel can be tricky to navigate if you're putting your Double Stack against cupboard space on the right-hand side. This takes away any room to 'hold' the control panel, making it harder to press the buttons. I've moved mine slightly away from the edge to avoid this issue.
Ninja Double Stack: the cons
Cooks slower than the Dual Zone
When comparing cooking times in the Double Stack vs. the Dual Zone, I noticed that foods took slightly longer to crisp in my new Double Stack. For example, cooking bacon in the original Dual Zone took around 10 minutes, whereas the Double Stack took around 12-15 minutes (crispiness level depending).
A slightly less even cook
Perhaps my biggest observation when using the Double Stack for the first time was the evenness of the cooking. While bacon on the top rack cooked fairly evenly with a lovely crisp to it, the bacon on the bottom of the drawer seemed to cook better at the front of the fryer than at the back.
Not as dishwasher safe as it suggests
I was pleased to see that, like my previous Ninja air fryer model, the Double Stack claimed to be dishwasher safe. I regularly put my Dual Zone in the dishwasher (both trays and drawers) and I've never had any issues. Unfortunately, after one dishwasher cycle with the Double Stack, I noticed some of the silver paint had started to fade on the drawer handle. Lesson learned: only put the trays from your Double Stack in the dishwasher and wash the drawers by hand.
Ninja Double Stack: the verdict
All in all, I really liked the Ninja Double Stack when I tried it. Admittedly, it results in a slightly less even cook when using all four trays but, in my opinion, it's worth it for the extra space. It looks smarter and more high-end than its bulky counterpart and holds heaps more food. So, if you're looking for a smarter worktop space (and you're willing to wait slightly longer for your food), I'd recommend the Double Stack over the Dual Zone.
Follow House Beautiful on TikTok and Instagram.
You Might Also Like
