Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker SFP701 Review

Introduction

Full disclosure: I don’t like to cook, but I love to test cooking appliances that promise to make cooking easier. The Ninja Combi All-In-One Multicooker, Oven, and Air Fryer makes a lot of promises, but it’s quite capable of keeping all of them. 

The Ninja Combi lets me cook meats and one or two veggies at the same time on different levels (top and bottom). This eliminates the need for an additional cooking apparatus – and reduces my cleaning time as well. As a general rule, the Ninja Combi does an excellent job, but I’ll admit there’s a learning curve when trying to figure out the proper cooking times to avoid over- or under-cooking.

Design and features

• Sturdy build
• Thoughtful design
• User-friendly controls

The Ninja Combi All-In-One Multicooker, Oven, and Air Fryer arrived in a brown shipping box, and inside of that, a branded cardboard box.  Molded styrofoam kept everything securely in place, and the plastic protected the appliance and accessories from scratches. 

In addition to the Ninja Combi, parts and accessories include a bake tray, combi cooker pan, crisper plate, product manual, 1-sheet quick start guide, and inspiration guide.

The Ninja Combi is about the size (give or take) of the average countertop oven that I’ve tested from Breville, Tovala, Café, Fotile, and Wolf Gourmet. Some may be slightly shorter but wider. The Ninja Combi’s are 13.11H  x 15.43W x 14.92D, and it weighs 20.15 pounds. 

While it’s not necessarily heavy, the Ninja Combi isn’t a lightweight, flimsy appliance either. The quality build ensures years of use, and the thoughtful design eliminates some of the problems I’ve experience with other countertop ovens. For example, there’s a steam function, and the Ninja Combi also has an air outlet vent at the top to ensure no moisture remains in the appliance.

The placement of the controls on the front in a high-contrast color combination makes it easy to view and select functions. The 14 functions include combi meals, combi crisp, combi bake, steam, proof, rice/pasta, air fry, bake, broil, pizza, toast, sear/sauté, slow cook, and sous vide. Above these function selections on the top left are the temp/shade selections – and the up and down arrows can adjust the cooking temperature, or when toasting, it can be used to select the shade of bread. On the top right side is the time/slice selection. This is where the cooking time can be adjusted, or the number of slices being toasted can be selected.

At the bottom of the control panel is the power button, interior light button, and the start/stop button.

The Ninja Combi also has a smartswitch on the top right side. Switch the flip up to use it in combi cooker mode, and flip it down to use the air fry/stovetop cook mode. It’s the same switch as used on the Ninja Speedi.

I like the placement of everything on the stainless-steel appliance, except for one feature. Most countertop ovens have a handle on the front top of the appliance, and it’s easy to pull it down to open and close the oven. However, on the Ninja Combi, the door’s handle is on the right side. When using one hand, it’s possible to pull the appliance slightly forward.

Note: this only happened maybe 10% to 15% of the time that I opened the door, but it’s important to note that it can happen. On the other hand, I must admit that sometimes, air fryers with a drop-down door can overlap the countertop (opening over the floor), so perhaps this alternative may work better for some people.

The Ninja Combi should be cleaned each time it’s used. This entails using a damp cloth to clean the appliance’s interior and exterior. The pan, bake tray ad crisper plate can be washed in the dishwasher or sink. When the appliance needs to be cleaned more thoroughly, Ninja recommends filling the pan with three cups of water, setting the smartswitch to combi cooker, then selecting the steam function, and letting the pan of water deep clean for 10 minutes. After the pan has cooled off, a wet cloth or sponge can be used to wipe the interior. 

Performance

• Makes combination meals
• Air fryer provides crispy, crunchy texture
• Easily cooks pizza from frozen

The Ninja Combi All-In-One Multicooker, Oven, and Air Fryer is designed to be functional enough that you really don’t need any other appliance. One of the most impressive features of the Ninja Combi is its ability to cook combination meals, consisting of two of three different foods. I was eager to discover how this works. 

My first test using combi meals mode was a chicken breast and veggies. I put the chicken on the bake tray and inserted it in the top slot. I put room temperature rice and frozen veggies (Bird’s Eye carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower) in the combi cooker pan and slid it into the bottom position. Then I set a time and temperature. 

When I pressed the start button, the appliance starting building steam. I stood close by to monitor the progress of the food, occasionally pressing the light button so I could see the contents through the glass door. When the cook time ended, I took the food out. (Note: I had the option to add more time, but I didn’t need to.) 

Since this was my first test, I transferred the food to a nice plate (presentation is everything!). The chicken was moist and juicy, and thoroughly done in the middle. The broccoli was slightly crunchy, the carrots were soft (but not mushy), and the rice was light and flavorful. The instructions are to add water to the veggies when making a combi meal. However, since the veggies were frozen, I knew that the ice would melt, providing the required water needed to ensure the veggies would not dry out.

On another occasion, I made another combination meal of salmon and shrimp – and I’ll admit that I cheated since my combination consists of two types of seafood, instead of a meat and vegetables. I didn’t want the shrimp to shrivel up, so I tried to take them out around the halfway point. And I learned a valuable lesson: when I took the bottom tray out, the Ninja Combi stopped and alerted me that the tray was missing, so this was no longer a combination meal. And I couldn’t continue until I made a decision.

I could have switched cooking modes, but I decided to put the tray of shrimp back into the oven to see how it would turn out. Fortunately, my shrimp wasn’t completely shriveled up. 

I cooked the salmon long enough for it to be slightly crunchy (that’s also a result of the marinade). However, it was not dry or overcooked, and maintained its moisture – and the sauce added a tangy flavor. Note: I later learned that I could, indeed, add vegetables, say in the last five to seven minutes. However, I can’t start the cooking with this tray inserted, and then decide to take it out.

I love French fries – but find they’re too oily and salty at my favorite drive-through restaurants, so I welcomed the opportunity to make some at home. I air-fried them in the Ninja Combi – with no oil and no salt. They came out perfectly, and were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The fries were downright delicious both alone and when I dipped them in barbecue sauce.

Cookies also fared well in the Ninja Combi. The Nestle Toll House Pecan Turtle Delight Cookie dough was put on the top level and I used the bake feature. (In bake mode, the Ninja Combi preheats for three minutes.). The cookies were slightly crunchy on the outside, and melty and gooey on the inside. 

Pizza is one of my favorite easy meals because it usually includes meat, bread, and veggies, so there’s no need to think about sides. The Ninja Combi has a pizza function, so I actually placed a round, frozen pepperoni pizza (no veggies on this one) on the square, bake tray. Some of the pepperoni slices were crunchy, while others weren’t. However, the crust was moderately crunchy, and the cheese and sauce were gooey and delicious. I probably should have rotated the pizza at the halfway point, but I was still pleased with the results.

In yet another test, I made pork chops. They cooked thoroughly and browned well. The pork chops were easy to cut, and were not tough or dry. However, I needed a little elbow grease to clean the pan afterwards, perhaps due to the high oil content in the meat (I didn’t add any oil).

Perhaps the only issue I had was not being sure of my cooking times. I attribute this less to Ninja than to me testing appliances like the June Oven and the Brava Oven, both of which provide recommended cooking times and a thermometer/probe. So, I was basically guessing how long it took to cook food, and monitoring the cooking progress to be sure I hadn’t burned anything. 

Later, when flipping through the inspiration guide of recipes, I discovered that nestled in the middle of the inspiration guide of recipes (pages 32 through 39, and again on pages 56 through 59) are charts with recommended cook times and temperatures. There’s also a quick start guide for combi meals only. But even with the instructions, it’s important to pay attention, since, for example, the recommendation may be to cook an item for 12 to 15 minutes, but three minutes can be the difference between perfect and burnt.

I also tried out other features. For example, I steamed rice on one occasion, and steamed veggies on another occasion. The temperature adjustment feature is not available when steaming, and the Ninja Combi needs to preheat with this function. Something to note: when the steam function has ended and everything is taken out, the start button should be pressed to begin the dry cycle, which helps to get any excess water out of the Ninja Combi.  

Also, it’s important to note that the Ninja Combi produces steam in other modes as well, so don’t be alarmed when you see the glass door steam up.

Should you buy it?

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