Winner with air chicken wings
These Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Wings were a thing of beauty.
Chicken wings are pretty much everyone’s favorite and a very popular item to air fry. The goal for an air-fried wing is crispy outside and juicy skin inside. To test each air fryer’s ability, I cooked three frozen wings in air fry mode at 450 F for 30 minutes, turning them every 10 minutes. I let each oven heat up completely before putting the wings in and then photographed them right after I took them out. Of course, I enjoyed them too, when they were cool enough to eat.
Success here depends on high heat and good fan circulation of that hot air, which means faster cooking. The faster an air fryer cooks and the more effective the super convection is, the faster the outside skin will be fresh, making the chicken inside less likely to dry out.
Ninja Foodi Oven won the big wing fight with a feather, with the freshest wings after 30 minutes. They were also completely liquid inside and had no visible burns. The Cuisinart also nailed the arm test, but I actually had to pull them after about 25 minutes because they were completely done. They even had burnt skin, but not enough to bother me. The Breville and Crux also did well with good coloring and crispy skin, while the KitchenAid finished sixth and the Calphalon seventh without enough coloring or crispiness for my taste.
Air fryer fries
The Ninja and Breville cook chips to a golden brown faster without burning.
This second air fryer test is designed to highlight the sheer power and speed of the oven’s individual air fryer function, but also its ability to cook evenly. I put a handful of frozen fries (McDonald’s style) in the air fryer at 450F and timed how quickly each one reached that golden brown we all crave. Because fast cooking and convenience are the main features of the ceiling fan oven, faster equals better. All of the oven items (except the Cuisinart) eventually reached the desired doneness, but some did the job much faster and more consistently than others.
The Breville won the frying test with perfectly golden chips in six minutes. I set the Ninja to a slightly lower temperature (390 F) per its manual, and in eight minutes I had perfect fries (a very close second and likely would have won or tied if I had set it to 450 F). The KitchenAid also took eight minutes at 450 F, while the Crux took nine minutes to get there and the Calphalon took 12. The Cuisinart was actually the fastest at just three minutes, but it burned the edges of the chips and didn’t it cooked evenly. At this point, I began to suspect that the Cuisinart has an extremely intense air fryer function, for better or for worse.
Baked salmon
The Breville and Ninja were the only ovens that produced any kind of crust after four minutes.
To test the broiler, I brushed a 4-ounce salmon fillet with a mixture of mustard, olive oil, and brown sugar. After the oven preheated, I slipped the salmon under the broiler about 2 inches from the top and left it there for four minutes before removing it from the oven for a photo shoot.
The main thing I looked for here was how well each broiler imported a caramelized crust on top of the fish. Some ovens, like the Calphalon and Cuisinart, showed almost no sign of browning, while the Ninja and Breville produced nice color and the beginnings of a good crust. I decided to have them share the blue ribbon for this test. KitchenAid and Crux both showed some coloration, placing third and fourth.
Plain old toast
Both Calphalon and Ninja made very nice toast that matched their average presets, but Ninja (pictured) did it in half the time.
This test was to see how accurate a particular toaster oven’s presets are and how quickly it can cook. I stuck a slice of bread in each toaster and set it to medium. I didn’t weight this test as heavily as others because, really, any of these ovens will get you to the desired doneness, it just might take more (or less) time, some tinkering, or learning to default to receive it. how you want it
How long each cook time was for the “medium” preset in each oven varied considerably, ranging from over six minutes for the Calphalon to just three and a half for the Ninja. As it was, these two produced the most even and attractive toast that corresponded to the preset, but Ninja (the winner) did it in half the time. The Breville, KitchenAid, and Crux barely toasted bread at all when set to medium — which just means you should use a darker setting — while the Cuisinart toasted excessively.
Baked cookies
Ninja and Breville were tied in the cookie race as both ovens turned in near-perfect scores.
Next, I wanted to see how accurately and consistently each oven could reach and hold a temperature, and baking a cookie is a perfect test for that. I rolled a spherical tablespoon of Toll House cookie dough on parchment paper and stuck one in each oven on the middle rack for the recommended time and temperature (350 F for 10 minutes).
The cookie race was a photo finish between Ninja and Breville, both of which produced near-perfect scores. The Cuisinart cookie was overbaked, as was the Crux (albeit slightly), while the KitchenAid cookie was underbaked.
Preheating test
Another big draw to using a benchtop oven over a large oven is the speed at which it preheats. While baking the cookies, I timed each oven to see how quickly it reached 350F.
Ninja Foodi blew everyone else away, preheating to 350F in a lightning-quick 50 seconds. Most others clocked in at around three and a half minutes, while the larger Breville took five minutes to reach temp. I didn’t do a formal air fryer preheat test, but I noticed that the Calphalon took significantly longer than the others to reach 450 F in the air fryer.
Temperature accuracy and consistency test
This is one of the most important functions for any oven, especially if you plan to do some light baking in it. If an oven can’t maintain an accurate and consistent temperature, it makes it much harder to follow recipes and you’ll be forever adjusting and storing your food to make sure it doesn’t burn. I used a thermocouple to read the internal temperature of the oven while it baked for 10 minutes at 350 F. I was able to get an average temperature reading for the duration of the bake, but I also watched the thermometer in real time to see how much fluctuation occurred. during cooking.
The KitchenAid won this test with an average reading of 350 F on the nose and very little fluctuation. The Ninja (343 F average temperature), Cuisinart (346 F) and Breville (345 F) also did well, although the Breville started out too hot and then fell back. The two last place finishers were Crux, which ran hot (365 F) and Calpahlon, which ran cold (337 F). Both were also the most volatile throughout the roasts.
Cleaning and care
A clever design feature allows you to get right inside the Ninja oven and give it a good cleaning.
Aside from the Ninja (more on that in a second), there’s nothing particularly unusual about the care or cleaning of these ovens. They have standard box interiors of various sizes made of stainless steel that will require regular cleaning and wiping. Each oven also has a removable, dishwasher-safe crumb tray to catch chips and toast.
Now back to Ninja. Because of the compact interior, this oven is definitely more prone to splatters and stains, especially when making fatty and fatty foods such as the arms. Thankfully, there’s a clever design feature that allows the entire bottom floor of the Ninja oven to fold away, so you can reach right in with a cloth or Brillo pad and wipe it down. I’m sure the Ninja will require more frequent cleaning than the others. If this isn’t something you’re keen on, it’s certainly something to consider.