In this article I’m going to put two great air fryer ovens head to head the Kalorik Maxx vs. Ninja Foodi SP101 to help you make a more educated decision.
If you have stumbled upon this article most likely you are thinking of buying a new air fryer oven and can’t decide which brand you should go with. No wonder why you are hesitating.
There are countless air fryer brands with thousands of positive reviews and they seem to offer the same functions (which moreover air fryer beginners don’t fully understand).
The Kalorik and the Ninja are both very highly rated brands but there are slight differences that you should consider before buying.
So first I’m going to compare the two models in a table and later I’ll go into details of each and finally I’ll give you a verdict which one I’d choose.
Comparing Kalorik MaXX vs. Ninja Foodi
Kalorik Maxx 26 quart Digital Air Fryer Oven review
Why we like it:
- Wide range of presets
- Comes with a lot of accessories
- Sleek design, especially the french door
- Cooks food in much less time. Very efficient.
Limitations:
- Beeps a lot
- It’s big (doesn’t fit in small kitchens)
- French door has a hole when closed
The Kalorik MAXX is an all-in-one solution for those who are looking for an oven-like appliance that has endless cooking possibilities. It is for sure cheaper, smaller and faster than a traditional oven.
If you use the oven a lot for a wide range of recipes and want to spare some time the Kalorik Maxx can be a great choice.
It has 21 presets at your disposable which is a lot. Most of them uses the same air fryer function but it will set the time and temperature to give you a perfect results.
The presets are the following: Air Fry, Chicken, Warm, Ribs, Shrimp, Steak, Wings, Bacons, Fish, Corn, Fries, Dehydrate, Defrost, Veggies, Bake, Broil, Pastry, Pizza, Proof, Roast, Toast.
To be honest I haven’t seen an air fryer with this many presets so if you don’t like to experiment on your own and want to rely solely on presets that the Kalorik offers than you will hardly find a model that has more options. It is also a great option if you are a beginner to air frying.
If you are curious what each of these presets can do then check the user manual on page 21.
Another great thing about the Kalorik Maxx is that it comes with a lot of accessories, namely:
- Steak Tray
- Bacon Tray
- Air Frying Basket
- Air Rack
- Rotisserie Spit and Fork
- Baking Tray
- Rack Handle
- Crumb Tray
- Rotisserie handle
Many customers claimed they have cooked their food half the time than recipe books recommended. The Kalorik MAXX can reach up to 500°F and it allows you to sear and caramelize steaks with it in just a couple of minutes. With its 500 degree maximum temperature it is one of the highest temperature air fryer on the market.
Another big plus for me is the design. If you are like me then you also consider how a counter appliance we’ll look in your kitchen. Well the Kalorik Maxx can be a center piece of every kitchen in my opinion. It has a very sleek stainless steel design that looks like it is made to last. The french door looks awesome and it is also unique with air fryers (didn’t see this design with other models).
We love the design of this piece. It has a French door that looks very cool and it is easy to open and close. It is lightweight compared to the size of the air fryer oven. They also include a recipe book that includes easy and straightforward recipes.
The cooking capacity is quite generous. You can fit a 12” pizza on the tray. It has a 26 quarts cooking are which is very big compared to other models.
There are a few down sides of this product:
The most annoying that it beeps a lot. It beeps when you turn the temperature, when you push a button, when you open it, close it and so on. It is a sharp and noisy beep and can become annoying after a while. I don’t really understand why they had to build in such a feature to be honest.
Another slight disadvantage is that it has a small hole between the french doors so they don’t close fully. This will let out heat on one end (which hurts the even temperature inside the cooking area) and it let’s out the smells coming from the food.
Thirdly it is a big appliance and you have to leave space on all sides of the machine because it gets hot. So only buy this machine if you have enough counter space or you can store it somewhere when not in use.
Customers seem to love this product. It has almost 9,000 reviews on Amazon with 85% of them 4-5 stars.
Summing up the Kalorik MAXX
All in all the Kalorik MAXX is a great air fryer oven that comes with many accessories and a great number of presets. If you are beginner, rely heavily on presets and cook a wide range of foods then it is a perfect choice for you. There are some annoying things coming with it but nothing of a dealbreaker.
Ninja Foodi SP101 Air Fryer Oven review
Why we love it:
- Fits a 13” pizza in it
- Space saving Flip solution
- Very easy to use and clean it
Limitations:
- Cook times are slightly off the booklet.
- Recipe book is only 15 pages
The Ninja SP101 air fryer oven is also a great air fryer oven and it is one of the highest rated appliance in this category with more than 18,000 reviews on Amazon with an amazing rate of 92% of those reviews being 4-5 stars.
If you are planning to make pizza in an air fryer a lot it has a wider body so it can fit a 13” pizza in it which makes it a great choice.
It is much smaller than the Kalorik but it depends on your needs. If you are mostly cooking by using only one tray then it is not a huge issue. Moreover in that case the Ninja can be even better because it has a bigger surface than the Kalorik.
Many customers said its very easy to use and you can figure it out even without reading the manual (although we always advise fellow air fryer users to read the manual first).
Although it takes up a lot of space when in use but since you can flip it on its smaller end after you used it. This is a big plus for people with small kitchens. Ninja says it takes up 50% less counter space which is a big plus. We haven’t seen a similar solution from other brands.
It has 8 functions: Air Fry, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, Bagel, Toast, Dehydrate, and Keep Warm.
Many people on Amazon emphasized that it is great for making pizzas like this satisfied customer: “The most amazing pizza I have ever made! The crust was so crisp and perfect. My kids and I agreed, it was the best!”
The maximum temperature is 450 degrees which is still higher than regular basket-type air fryers. For most foods this temperature range is enough but in some cases the higher the better.
It has just a few disadvantages:
Cook times are slightly off the booklet. Some recipes (like chicken drumsticks) needed an extra 10 minutes to be cooked perfectly.
Also the recipe books have only 15 recipes which is not a deal-breaker since you’ll find plenty of recipes on the internet.
Summing up the Ninja Foodi SP101
The Ninja Foodi SP101 is great for both beginners and veteran air fryer chefs. It is one of the most well-respected brands with a very high rating. Although it has less presets and accessories it is still gives you plenty of cooking options. Despite its big size it saves you space with the flip technology. It has a great durable design that I love.
Differences between the Kalorik Maxx vs. Ninja Foodi
Price
So let’s start with the most important deciding factor: the price. In terms of price the Kalorik Maxx and the Ninja Foodi SP 101 is very similarly priced. Their base price is very similar but there are continuously some discounts on both and therefore it can change which is higher or smaller.
Size
The Kalorik Maxx is much bigger than the Ninja Foodi. Although there are Ninja Foodi air fryer ovens that are bigger but it has a much higher price. But size is not everything.
Even though the Kalorik has several racks (you can use the baking tray and the air fryer basket at the same time) but the Ninja has a wider surface. That means if you are only using one rack (which we do most of the times) the Ninja has a higher capacity even though it is much smaller.
Also the Ninja with its flip technology saves a lot of space on your counter.
Functions – Accessories
This is where the Kalorik Maxx beats the Ninja by far. The Kalorik Maxx has 21 presets whereas the Ninja Foodi has only 8.
Although its important to emphasize that most of these presets are just a predefined temperature-timer setting that the manufacturer advises for certain foods. After a while when you have more experience with the air fryer you’ll fine tune these settings yourself.
On the other hand the accessories is a real difference between the two. The Kalorik comes with a lot more accessories.
Also the Kalorik Maxx has a Rotisserie function and accessories that the Ninja Foodi doesn’t have.
Verdict between the Kalorik MAXX and the Ninja Foodi air fryer oven
The Kalorik is bigger, has more accessories, and presets for almost the same price. But I would still go with the Ninja Foodi. Why?
I don’t really use the rotisserie function that much and I like to experience with my own settings so more presets is not a real selling point for me.
On the other hand saving space on my counter is a selling a point and the Ninja Foodi is great on that note. Also the continuous beeping sound with the Kalorik is quite annoying.
Also the Kalorik has a small hole between the doors and I like to keep my kitchen smell free.