It was a rainy Tuesday. I was stuck inside my house all day long. I really wanted some hot, crispy fries to eat. But I hated the messy task of deep frying food. The bad smell of hot oil stays in the air for many days.
That is when I first decided to buy an air fryer. I was torn between two top models for my kitchen. I wanted the best crunch without all the hard work and clean up.
Ninja AF101 Review
I bought this small and simple machine first. It looked very sleek sitting right on my kitchen counter. The dark gray finish fits right in with my other tools. I opened the brown box and felt very glad inside. I could not wait to plug it in and try it out on some food.
Pros and Cons
Here is what I really liked and what I did not like at all. The good things and the bad things are very clear to see after a few tries.
| Pros | Cons |
| Takes up very little counter space. | The cooking basket is a bit small. |
| Very easy and simple to use daily. | Does not have a hot broil button. |
| The slick basket is simple to wash. | Cooking thick food takes a bit longer. |
Life With The Little Fryer
After using it for a couple of months, I see its true charm. It is a very trusty little box for my daily meals. I make hot chicken wings every single Friday night. The skin gets very crispy and loud when you bite into it. The dark meat inside stays super soft and full of warm juice.
I love hearing the soft fan hum while it cooks my food. It gives off a warm and rich smell that fills the living room. I love to sit on the couch and wait for the beep. The loud beep tells me that my tasty dinner is ready to eat. I take the hot basket out and toss the wings onto a nice plate. It is a very happy part of my long, hard week.
My cold mornings are much better now, too. I toss hard, frozen hash browns right into the round basket. They come out golden and hot in just a few short minutes. It is the perfect tool for my fast and lazy daily meals. I almost never use my big, slow gas oven anymore.
This small and quiet fryer does all the hard work for me. It is a true joy to use when I am very tired from work. I never have to stand over a hot stove and watch oil boil up. I can just press a single button and walk right away.
Recommendation
This model is very great for solo cooks and busy college students. It is a perfect choice if you live alone in a small place. It is also a very good buy for young, busy couples. If your home kitchen is small, you should get this exact one. Do not buy this small model if you have a big, hungry family. It will not hold enough hot food to feed four or five people at once.
Ninja AF161 Review
A long time later, I got the much bigger model. I had hungry friends coming over for a fun game night. I needed to make a lot more food at one single time. This bigger and wider fryer felt like a huge step up for me. The thick box was quite heavy to lift onto the wooden table. The dark machine looked like a true, wild beast on my counter. I was totally ready to cook a huge, hot feast for everyone.
Pros and Cons
Here are the main points I saw when I cooked huge meals. The big upgrade brought some very nice and cool changes to my kitchen.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cooks all food very fast and crisp. | Takes up a lot of flat counter room. |
| Holds a huge amount of food inside. | The blowing fan is quite loud to hear. |
| Gets very hot with the crisp button. | Costs a good bit more money to buy. |
Big Meals With The Max XL
Using this big machine for a few months changed my dinner game a lot. The Max Crisp button is like pure magic for hard, frozen food. I dump a huge bag of cold fries right into the wide basket. They come out hot and perfect in just a few short minutes. The deep crunch is so loud when I take a big, happy bite. I even baked a small, sweet cake inside it one fun time.
It was so fast and the soft cake tasted very good to eat. I plan to bake some fresh, hot bread in it very soon. I want to try cooking a whole small bird next week, too. I know this big machine can handle the hard job very well.
The sheer size is very great for my weekly meal prep tasks. I can fit a whole big bag of green sprouts inside it easily. They roast up fast with nice, burnt, and very crispy edges. It smells just like a fancy diner right inside my own house. I laugh out loud at how fast it cooks my big, heavy meals.
It saves me so much free time every single day of the week. I can set the clock and go watch a fun show on TV. When the timer goes off, my whole dinner is fully done. It feels very good to sit down and eat a fast, hot meal. I am so glad I got this big and fast cooking tool.
Recommendation
This is the absolute best choice for large families and big eaters. If you love to prep lots of meals, you really need this big machine. It is a great buy for busy people who buy lots of frozen foods. The super high heat makes every single bite extra hard and very crunchy. You should skip this big model if you lack flat counter space. It is a very tall and bulky machine to keep out all day long.
Detail Comparison for Ninja AF101 Vs AF161
It is now time to look at both of them side by side. Both of these tools are great, but they do very different things. Let us break down the main parts to see what works best. Here is exactly how they stack up against each other right now.
Capacity & Size: Ninja AF101 Vs AF161
The main size difference between the two is very huge. One is small, light, and very cute to look at every day. The other is a big, heavy beast that takes up lots of room. You must take time to measure your flat counter space first. A tiny kitchen really needs a small, compact daily fryer.
A big house can fit the large, wide model with great ease. You can cook a whole big meal at one single time. This means no one has to wait around for their hot food. It is a very big plus if you have hungry, loud kids around.
| Feature | Ninja AF101 | Ninja AF161 |
| Basket Quart Size | 4 Quarts total | 5.5 Quarts total |
| Food Fit Amount | 2 Pounds of crisp fries | 3 Pounds of crisp fries |
| Flat Counter Space | Small and neat footprint | Takes up lots of wide room |
Rating: The small AF101 gets an 8 out of 10. The big AF161 gets a 9 out of 10.
Cooking Speed: Ninja AF101 Vs AF161
Fast speed is a very big deal when you feel very hungry. I truly hate waiting a long time for my hot food to finish. The bigger model cooks most things much faster than the small one. The extra high heat setting helps the cold food cook a lot quicker. Both of them will save you lots of time compared to a normal oven.
I love how fast I can eat a hot meal after a long day. You do not have to wait for a slow oven to heat up first. This fast heat makes a huge change in how you plan daily meals. You can just grab food, press start, and eat very soon.
| Feature | Ninja AF101 | Ninja AF161 |
| Warm Preheating | Takes 3 full minutes | Very fast and quick preheat |
| Hot Fry Time | Good normal speed | Very fast and quick speed |
| Max Crisp Button | Does not have it | Yes, it is right on front |
Rating: The small AF101 gets a 7 out of 10. The big AF161 gets a full 10 out of 10.
Temperature Range & Controls: Ninja AF101 Vs AF161
More hot heat means you get a much better and louder crunch. The small one goes up to 400 degrees on the digital dial. The big one goes all the way to 450 degrees of high heat. The round buttons are very easy to read on both of the machines.
I really like the extra cooking choices on the big, wide model. It makes me feel like a true chef in my own home kitchen. I can play with the heat to get the best soft food texture. If I want a hard crust, I turn the high heat all the way up. If I want soft food, I turn the round dial right down.
| Feature | Ninja AF101 | Ninja AF161 |
| Max Hot Heat | Goes up to 400 Degrees | Goes up to 450 Degrees |
| Push Buttons | 4 Main cooking functions | 7 Main cooking functions |
| Ease of True Use | Very simple and easy | Simple but gives more choices |
Rating: The small AF101 gets an 8 out of 10. The big AF161 gets a 9 out of 10.
Cleaning & Maintenance: Ninja AF101 Vs AF161
Nobody likes to stand and wash dirty dishes in the wet sink. Both of these fryers have neat parts you can put right in the wash. The dark baskets have a very slick and shiny coat on them. Greasy food slides right off the smooth sides with zero hard effort.
A fast and quick wipe with a wet rag is all it really takes. It keeps my bare hands clean and saves me from scrubbing hard pans. I just hate when sticky cheese gets stuck to a hot metal pan. This smooth basket lets the melted cheese slip right off into the trash. It makes daily clean up a total breeze after a long, hard day.
| Feature | Ninja AF101 | Ninja AF161 |
| Inner Basket Coating | Slick ceramic stick-free | Slick ceramic stick-free |
| Safe Dishwasher Use | Yes, the main parts are safe | Yes, the main parts are safe |
| Easy Hand Washing | Fast and very simple | Fast, but it is bigger to hold |
Rating: The small AF101 gets a 9 out of 10. The big AF161 gets an 8 out of 10.
Cooking Performance: Ninja AF101 Vs AF161
The final true test is the mouth and good taste test. Both of these cooking tools make very tasty and super hot food. The small one is great for simple, easy, and fast daily snacks. The big one makes things much crispier and tastes like real fried food.
I really love the deep, loud crunch from the extra high heat. Every single bite I take is a true joy to chew and eat. The hot air blows hard and makes the food crunch like thin chips. I can make healthy food taste just like bad junk food easily. It is a neat trick that helps me eat very well all week.
| Feature | Ninja AF101 | Ninja AF161 |
| Food Crisp Level | Good and nice crunch | Amazing and deep loud crunch |
| Meat Juiciness | Keeps white meat moist | Seals in the hot juices fast |
| Flat Even Cooking | Needs a fast pan shake | Needs a fast pan shake |
Rating: The small AF101 gets an 8 out of 10. The big AF161 gets a full 10 out of 10.
Conclusion
Picking the right one comes down to your very own true needs. If you cook just for one person, you should definitely go small. If you want fast speed and a loud crunch, you must go big. Both will make your kitchen life so much better and more fun.