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For years, the air fryer market has been dominated by one thing: plastic. Big, bulky plastic baskets with non-stick coatings that eventually peel and flake off into your food. While they cook well, they are a pain to clean, hard to store, and for the health-conscious, potentially full of “forever chemicals.”
The Ninja Crispi (FN101ST) is attempting to completely reinvent the category. Instead of a basket inside a machine, the machine sits on top of a glass container. It’s a “Portable Cooking System” that promises to let you cook, serve, store, and reheat, all in the same vessel. I was skeptical. Can a motor sitting on top of a glass bowl really circulate enough air to get wings crispy? Or is this just a glorified toaster oven? I spent a week meal-prepping with the Crispi to find out.
What is the “PowerPod” Concept?
The Ninja Crispi doesn’t look like any appliance you currently own. It separates the heating element/fan (the “PowerPod”) from the cooking vessel.
- The Glass Containers: The system comes with two “CleanCrisp” glass containers: a large 4-quart bowl (big enough for a roast chicken) and a smaller 6-cup container (perfect for lunch). These are thick, durable, and completely non-toxic.
- The PowerPod: This is the brain. It locks onto the top of the glass containers. It houses the heating element and the cyclonic fan. When you are done cooking, you take it off, and you are left with just a serving bowl.
- Workflow Efficiency: The idea is that you cook in the glass, put the storage lid on to freeze or refrigerate leftovers, and then later, pop the PowerPod back on to “Recrisp” the food right in the same container. No extra dishes.
- Portability: Because the PowerPod is relatively small, you can theoretically toss it in a bag and take it to an office or a hotel, provided you have a heat-safe bowl to use it with.
Hands-On Experience
I tested the Crispi on three main fronts: raw cooking power, the “soggy leftover” problem, and ease of cleanup.
Test 1: The Whole Chicken
I placed a 4lb whole chicken into the large 4-quart glass container. Unlike a basket air fryer where you shove the drawer in, here you place the PowerPod on top. It felt a little top-heavy at first, but it locks in securely.
I set it to “Roast.” The visibility is excellent—because it’s glass, you can actually see your food cooking without opening a drawer and letting the heat out. The chicken cooked evenly, and the skin got surprisingly crispy. The airflow seems to hit the food directly from the top, which mimics a broiler.
Test 2: The Meal Prep Workflow
This is where the Crispi shines. I made a batch of roasted veggies and sausage in the 6-cup container for lunch. Once it cooled, I snapped the leak-proof lid on and put it in the fridge. The next day, instead of using the microwave (which makes everything soggy), I took the lid off, put the PowerPod on, and hit “Recrisp.” In 3 minutes, my lunch was hot and crunchy again. No soggy microwave texture, and I ate it right out of the bowl.
Test 3: Cleaning
If you hate scrubbing wire baskets, you will love this. The glass containers go straight into the dishwasher. There is no non-stick coating to scratch. The PowerPod itself barely gets dirty because the fan blows down, but you do have to wipe down the heating element occasionally.
Pros and Cons
It’s innovative, but it’s not perfect. Here is my honest breakdown.
| What I Loved (Pros) | What Could Be Better (Cons) |
|---|---|
| Non-Toxic: Cooking in glass feels cleaner and safer than Teflon-coated plastic baskets. | Hot Glass: Be careful! The glass bowl gets extremely hot. You need oven mitts to move it after cooking. |
| Storage: Being able to put a lid on the cooking vessel and toss it in the fridge is a huge time saver. | Capacity: While deep, the surface area is smaller than some XL air fryers, so you can’t spread fries out as much. |
| Space Saver: The containers nest, and the PowerPod is small. It takes up half the space of a normal air fryer. | Top Heavy: When the heavy PowerPod is on the small container, it feels slightly tippy if you bump it. |
| Visibility: Watching your food cook through the glass prevents burning. | Price: It is pricey compared to a basic plastic air fryer. |
Comparison: Is It Better Than a Basket?
Here is how the Ninja Crispi stacks up against the traditional competition.
| Feature | Ninja Crispi (This Review) | Standard Air Fryer (Basket) | Microwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material 🛡️ | Thick Glass | Non-Stick Coated Metal/Plastic | Glass/Plastic |
| Function 🔥 | Crisp, Bake, Recrisp | Air Fry, Roast | Reheat (Soggy) |
| Leftovers 🥡 | Direct Storage (Lid included) | Transfer to Tupperware | Reheat only |
| Dishwasher Safe 🧼 | Yes (Containers) | Sometimes (Basket) | Plate only |
| Portability 🧳 | High (Detachable Motor) | Low (Bulky Unit) | None |
Verdict: Should You Buy It?
The Ninja Crispi is a game-changer for a specific type of person: the meal prepper. If you cook lunch for the next day, hate washing multiple dishes, and want to avoid plastic, this system was built for you. The workflow of Cook -> Store -> Reheat in the exact same glass container is seamless and superior to the microwave in every way.
However, if you are feeding a family of five and just want to dump a massive bag of frozen fries into a basket and shake it, a traditional large-basket air fryer (like the Ninja Foodi DualZone) might still be more practical. But for singles, couples, and health-conscious cooks, the Crispi is the most exciting innovation in kitchen gadgets I’ve seen in years.
