Professional’s Score
Execs
- Smaller countertop footprint
- Racks double the cooking area
- Quick and simple to make use of
Cons
- Uneven cooking for sure meals sorts
Our Verdict
The Double Stack is one other progressive design from Ninja, for individuals who in any other case couldn’t squeeze a dual-drawer air fryer onto their kitchen counter. It makes much more of the area it makes use of because of the racks that double the cooking area in every drawer. It’s quick and environment friendly – however we did discover its cooking efficiency to be barely uneven.
Worth When Reviewed
$229.99
Finest Costs In the present day: Ninja DoubleStack XL
$229.99
Twin-drawer air fryers are a game-changer. They make it attainable ditch your oven fully whenever you’re making a meal, even if you happen to’re cooking for the entire household. Which means sooner and cheaper meals.
However the limiting issue for most individuals is counter area. Many people simply don’t have sufficient room within the kitchen so as to add one other microwave-sized equipment to the military of on-counter devices that crowd out all of the workspace. Enter the Double Stack XL.
In some ways, I’m the right guinea pig to check the Double Stack as my kitchen is nearer to guinea pig measurement than precise particular person measurement. It wouldn’t look misplaced in a camper van. Accordingly, counter area is at a premium and I used to be very eager to strive it out.
By the best way, if you happen to’re within the US, the Double Stack XL known as The DoubleStack XL (no area between the phrases) however is in any other case the identical equipment.
Design and Construct
- Grilling racks double the cooking area
- A lot narrower than different dual-drawer fashions, however tasks out additional
- Match and sync capabilities
What Ninja has finished with the Double Stack is basically flip a standard dual-drawer air fryer on its aspect, in order that the drawers are stacked one above the opposite. The Double stack has roughly the identical dimensions because the Foodi Max Twin Zone, however the area financial savings are made by utilizing the ‘useless’ area above and in entrance of a standard air fryer.
This does imply it’ll jut out past your different countertop home equipment, so it nonetheless might not be the right possibility for all small kitchens. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless loads of clearance above it to suit beneath customary kitchen cupboards, and area in entrance to open the cooking drawers.
The official dimensions of the Double Stack are 38.5 (H) x 28 (W) x 47cm (D) (15.14in x 11.25 x 19.22in). We’ve a devoted article on how a lot counter width the Double Stack can prevent, however if you happen to check out it subsequent to the Ninja FlexDrawer, you’ll get a good suggestion. Keep in mind that the Double Stack is significantly deeper.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The Double Stack is essentially manufactured from matt gray plastic. Like all Ninja’s twin drawer air fryers, it lacks the metal panels you’ll discover on the Speedi and the Well being Grill & Air Fryer, which give the home equipment a extra strong, premium appear and feel. I additionally discovered that the silver end on the plastic handles in entrance sustained a few little scrapes throughout the testing interval. However total, it feels stable and well-made.
The grilling racks actually elevate it as a cooker – by elevating a layer of the cooking, permitting you to stack two completely different meals sorts at a time in every drawer
The design of the equipment implies that there’s no apparent place to place the digital management panel, so the engineers have opted to have it projecting from the right-hand aspect, in entrance of the air vents, which require area anyway. Though it appears to be extending into an in any other case helpful space, it’s a very good reminder to not crowd your air fryer on the counter.
The management panel is the place Ninja has nearly all different manufacturers beat. It’s intuitive and easy to make use of, with a mixture of button and dial programming. It options the time-saving Match (permitting you to repeat a set of cooking directions from one drawer to a different, if you wish to use all of the area to prepare dinner one merchandise) and Sync buttons (which make sure that each cooking programmes end on the similar time, even when they’re fully completely different).
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The Double Stack has fewer modes than many different air fryer fashions: there’s air fry, max crisp (for frozen meals), bake, roast, reheat and dehydrate. However you may regulate these capabilities by time and temperature in order that they cowl nearly something you’d need to prepare dinner within the equipment.
By the use of recommendation, there’s a peel-away label on the entrance of the air fryer, with advised cooking occasions for standard meals, together with rooster, chips, sausages, steak, fish and veggies. Plus, you’ll get a fast begin information, which incorporates from-scratch recipe recommendations and cooking charts, so that you received’t should depend on guesswork.
The Double Stack comes with two crisper baskets, and two grilling racks. The grilling racks actually elevate it as a cooker – by elevating a layer of the cooking, permitting you to stack two completely different meals sorts at a time in every drawer. This supplies far more area and suppleness. Ninja suggests that you just prepare dinner veggies beneath and protein above, however throughout testing, I discovered it gave good outcomes when used extra flexibly.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Efficiency and Options
- Quick, crispy outcomes
- Perforated drawers restrict meals sorts
- Uneven cooking outcomes relying on meals kind
Whereas the design of the Double Stack does save area, it additionally calls for a few compromises.
It has a 9.5L/10QT capability over the 2 drawers, making it probably the most capacious air fryers round. Nevertheless, as the warmth sources are located behind the equipment (one heating coil sits behind every drawer), reasonably than on the prime, the backs of the drawers are essentially perforated to let the new air flow into.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
This implies you’ll have to be additional cautious to not overload them and makes it unsuitable for sure kinds of moist cooking. You’ll not be making rice or stews within the Double Stack the best way you may within the Ninja Speedi, except you purchase silicone liners.
I used the Double Stack rather than my normal air fryer for a month and located it to be a quick and environment friendly cooker, producing reliably crispy and well-cooked meals.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The grilling racks make an enormous distinction to its capability and imply you may prepare dinner each a part of a meal collectively. And, because of the Sync perform, you may make sure that each cooking programmes end on the similar time.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
However I did encounter one downside, which turns into obvious when cooking bigger volumes of meals, corresponding to roast potatoes or chips. And that’s uneven cooking. As the warmth supply is behind the drawer, meals cooks sooner at one finish than the opposite.
I used the Double Stack rather than my normal air fryer for a month and located it to be a quick and environment friendly cooker
Uneven outcomes are compounded by the truth that there isn’t a shake/flip alert throughout cooking. Many air fryers characteristic such an alert, which fits off at round 60% of the best way by way of the cooking programme. But when this exists on the Double Stack, I couldn’t discover it.
Throughout the testing interval, I discovered that there was a noticeable distinction between meals cooked on the entrance and the again of the drawer, with a definite ombré colouration from pale to golden, even when the drawer was removed from overfilled.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Which means you’ll must set an alarm in your cellphone, or keep in mind to return in and shake up your meals throughout cooking to get completely even outcomes.
That is actually the one subject I had with the Double Stack nevertheless it does forestall it from getting an ideal rating.
Worth and Availability
The Ninja Double Stack is broadly obtainable in each the UK and the US.
It’s an expensive equipment within the UK, retailing for £269.99 and at this stage, there’s no value benefit from selecting any retailer, with an over/underneath distinction of round £1. It’s obtainable from Ninja, John Lewis, Argos and Currys. This makes it round £50 greater than the FlexDrawer and £90 greater than the Ninja Foodi Max Twin Zone, each of that are comparable fashions when it comes to performance and cooking area. Whether or not it’s value it or to not you actually relies on how a lot you worth a bit extra counter area.
Within the US, it’s a bit much less spendy, with an MSRP of $229.99. You should purchase it from Ninja, Amazon and Walmart, amongst different retailers. Once more, it’s round $50 greater than the FlexBasket, which is simply an 8QT equipment in its US incarnation. Nevertheless, it’s really lower than the 10QT two-drawer Foodi, which can make it a extra interesting alternative.
If this isn’t the correct air fryer for you, and also you’d wish to browse extra suggestions, take a look at our round-ups of the most effective air fryers, the most effective Ninja air fryers and, for extra cooking capability, the most effective air fryer ovens.
Do you have to purchase the Ninja Double Stack?
Ninja has such an important vary of air fryers that there’s a really perfect possibility for everybody. Whether or not that is the correct one for you relies on your family and the kind of cooking you do.
The Double Stack is ideal for making smaller meals with much more selection. If you happen to typically need to prepare dinner fish or rooster, plus three kinds of greens for 2 to 4 individuals, the Double Stack will go well with you completely and assist you to regain a bit extra counter area on the similar time.