A dual-drawer air fryer will allow you to get away from the oven for all however the largest meals and can make cooking cheaper and less complicated. However they’re massive home equipment and you want to be certain that the one you purchase will give you the results you want.
Ninja makes among the most progressive air fryers round. When you’re searching for a dual-drawer air fryer that’ll provide the most cooking flexibility, two of your finest bets are the Ninja Double Stack XL and the Ninja FlexDrawer.
Every provides a distinct tackle the usual dual-basket air fryer design. Usually, two-basket home equipment provide two standard-size cooking drawers, often 4-5L/4-5QT every. You possibly can see all our high suggestions in our round-up of one of the best dual-drawer fashions we’ve examined.
The Double Stack XL and the FlexDrawer provide rather more cooking flexibility than an ordinary air fryer – however they accomplish that in fully alternative ways. On this article, we’ll evaluate the 2 so you possibly can select the proper one for you.
When you’re within the US, the equal air fryer to the UK’s FlexDrawer is the FlexBasket, which has an identical construct however is a smaller, 7QT mannequin, which might match 2lbs of meals in every 3.5QT basket. It’s an enormous step down by way of cooking capability from the UK mannequin, which provides the equal of an 11QT capability.
Within the US, the Double Stack XL known as the DoubleStack XL however is in any other case the identical mannequin.
The important thing cause to purchase
The Double Stack XL
This air fryer is a countertop space-saver. We reckon it’ll prevent round 20cm/8in alongside the size of your countertop (when in comparison with the FlexDrawer or an ordinary dual-drawer mannequin). We’ve acquired extra data in our devoted article.
As well as, every of the 2 drawers of the Double Stack can prepare dinner two layers of meals, because of the wire racks that include the equipment, probably doubling the cooking house.
The FlexDrawer
This air fryer has a singular twist. Its two, 5.2L separate cooking sections will be mixed into one, 10.4L cooking “megazone”, by eradicating the divider between the 2. This offers you the choice to prepare dinner massive joints of meat and bake full-sized loaves of bread or muffins in your air fryer.
Air fryer design and dimensions
Each air fryers have a sometimes strong Ninja construct. In contrast to Ninja’s specialist mixture air fryer, the Ninja Foodi Max Well being Grill, the Double Stack and the FlexDrawer are virtually fully plastic. Neither mannequin is ugly however they’re functional-looking at finest, with a no-frills design that received’t carry any aesthetic aptitude to your kitchen.
What the Double Stack XL provides is a lot of cooking house for a smaller countertop footprint. Its dimensions are 38.5 (H) x 28 (W) x 47cm (D) / 15.14 (H) x 11.25 (L) x 19.22in (W), that are roughly normal for dual-drawer fashions.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The distinction is that Ninja has flipped a standard dual-drawer air fryer on its facet, in order that the cooking drawers are one above the opposite. It’ll takes up a lot much less of your kitchen countertop, width-wise, though it’s a bit deeper and will jut out past the road of your different countertop home equipment. It’ll match below normal kitchen cupboards with loads of room to spare.
Neither air fryer has a viewing window, so that you’ll must open the drawer to test in your meals, which isn’t supreme when baking.
Externally, the FlexDrawer has a reasonably standard dual-drawer design, besides that it includes a single, massive drawer, cut up in two. Its dimensions are 32.7 (H) x 49.6 (W) x 31.6cm (D).
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The smaller US FlexBasket has dimensions of 11.26 (H) x 11.81 (W) x 11.26in (D).
Cooking controls and modes
Each fashions function an intuitive, simple to make use of digital show and dial and button controls.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The Double Stack XL has fewer modes than many different air fryer fashions:
- Air fry
- Max crisp (for frozen meals)
- Bake
- Roast
- Reheat
- Dehydrate
However you possibly can modify these features by time and temperature in order that they cowl virtually something you’d need to prepare dinner within the equipment.
The FlexDrawer has a further setting, for proving dough. This is sensible, given its bigger capability. Listed here are its cooking modes:
- Air fry
- Max crisp (for frozen meals)
- Bake
- Roast
- Reheat
- Dehydrate
- Show
You can even modify these modes by time and temperature.
As well as, each air fryers have Match and Sync features. Match lets you programme one drawer and immediately copy the cooking directions to the second drawer. Sync allows you to programme two separate cooking programmes however be certain that they end on the similar time, so there’s just one alarm to fret about, no must preserve meals heat, and you may dish up each drawers on the similar time.
Neither mannequin has a shake alert. A shake alert is an alarm that goes off 50-60% of the best way by means of the cooking programme, to remind you to shake up your fries. It’s a function we missed whereas utilizing each of those fashions.
Cooking capability
The Double Stack XL has a cooking capability of 9.5L/10QT, cut up over two drawers, with two layers every. What this implies is you possibly can separate protein and greens in every drawer, permitting you extra flexibility within the cooking house. When you are likely to prepare dinner meals that comprise a protein and two or three varieties of greens, this might be a very good possibility for you.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The FlexDrawer has a fair bigger, 10.4L capability general, which might deal with a lot bigger volumes of meals, making it the higher possibility for roasts and baking.
Downsides
The Double Stack XL is a superb air fryer – nevertheless it’s not excellent. Throughout our time testing it, we discovered that, as a result of the warmth sources are in the back of every drawer, it cooked sure varieties of meals (fries, roast potatoes) inconsistently. That is compounded by the truth that there’s no shake alert. As a substitute, you’ll must set an alarm in your telephone to remind you to shake up meals halfway by means of cooking.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The FlexDrawer additionally lacks a shake alert and it has one different limitation, because of its design. If you want to open a drawer to test on meals, you’ll clearly expose each side to the cool air, which might have an effect on baking or proving.
Neither mannequin has a viewing window to test on cooking meals with out opening the drawer.
Value and availability
The Ninja Double Stack XL is broadly out there in each the UK and the US.
It’s an costly equipment within the UK, retailing for £269.99. At this stage, there’s no worth benefit from selecting any retailer, with an over/below distinction of round £1. It’s out there 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 by way of performance and cooking house. Whether or not it’s value it or to not you actually is determined by how a lot you worth a bit extra counter house.
Within the US, it’s a bit much less dear, with an MSRP of $229.99. You should buy it from Ninja, Amazon and Walmart, amongst different retailers. Once more, it’s round $50 greater than the FlexBasket, which is barely an 7QT equipment in its US incarnation and simply barely greater than the 10QT two-drawer Foodi.
The Ninja FlexBasket has an RRP of £269.99 however is at present out there from numerous retailers for £219. You should buy it from Ninja, John Lewis, Argos and Amazon.
Within the UK, the worth distinction makes the FlexDrawer a way more interesting possibility, so long as you might have the counter house to face it.
Within the US, the smaller, 7QT FlexBasket is out there from Ninja, Greatest Purchase, Walmart and Amazon for $149.99, down from $180. Once more, this makes it a lovely possibility, though its cooking capability is considerably lower than that of the Double Stack.
Verdict
Each air fryers are among the many finest double-drawer fashions you should buy.
They’re simple to make use of and supply intelligent cooking options. The Double Stack is the higher possibility if you wish to prepare dinner numerous smaller sides individually, however on the similar time. Nonetheless, regardless that it has the benefit of a smaller countertop footprint, it doesn’t produce fairly such even outcomes.
The FlexDrawer is finest for baking and roasting bigger volumes. It produces nice outcomes and is considerably inexpensive. General, we expect it’ll be the higher alternative for most individuals and can be our high suggestion.
It’s a more durable alternative within the US, the place the FlexBasket is smaller, but when a 7QT capability is sufficient, it’s a wonderful equipment at a terrific worth level.
To see all of our most really useful air fryers, take a look at our round-ups of one of the best air fryers general, one of the best air fryer ovens, one of the best Ninja air fryers and one of the best dual-drawer air fryers.