Ninja Crispi FN101 Air Fryer
An air fryer usually keeps its most interesting work hidden inside a drawer. Checking whether the potatoes have browned or the chicken needs turning means pulling the basket out and interrupting cooking. The Ninja Crispi FN101 puts that process behind glass. Its heating assembly sits above a transparent container, leaving the food visible as it cooks. That sounds like a small change, but it becomes one of the appliance’s most useful features in everyday use. The Indian variant pairs a 1700W heating unit with 1.4-litre and 3.8-litre glass containers. There are four functions: roast, air fry, recrisp and keep warm. The supplied lids also allow the containers to hold leftovers after cooling, giving them a role beyond the cooking cycle.
At a typical selling price of Rs 19,999, the Crispi needs to offer more than an attractive view of dinner. Over about a week of cooking, the test unit produced satisfying potato crispers and chicken, reheated leftovers successfully and proved straightforward to clean. Its sturdy construction makes a good impression, too. However, the absence of adjustable temperature is a significant restriction on an appliance that otherwise feels thoughtfully designed.
| Specification | Ninja Crispi FN101IN |
| Typical selling price | Rs 19,999 |
| Rated power | 1700 W |
| Container capacities | 1.4 litres and 3.8 litres |
| Functions | Roast, air fry, recrisp and keep warm |
| Temperature adjustment | Fixed temperatures for each function |
| Timer adjustment | One-minute increments |
| Dimensions with larger container | 34.5 × 30.38 × 24.85 cm |
| Weight | 5.08 kg |
| Empty container weights, including handles | 906 g small; approximately 1.9 kg large |
| Cable length | Approximately 1m |
| Warranty | Two years |
The box includes the Crispi PowerPod, both glass containers with handles, matching plastic storage lids, a crisper plate for each container and an adapter bracket for the larger container. The Indian unit comes with a 2-pin Indian power connector.
The glass containers are the strongest part of the Crispi’s physical design. Their walls feel thick and substantial, and the overall finish gives the appliance a premium feel. There is none of the flimsy impression that can make a cooking vessel feel uncomfortable to handle when loaded with hot food. That solidity comes with weight. The smaller container weighs about 906 grams with its handles, while the larger one is approximately 1.9 kg. The handles make the larger container comfortable to lift, but this is still a fairly substantial vessel. The complete larger configuration weighs 3.9 kg, which is worth accounting for if the appliance will move between a cupboard and the kitchen counter regularly.
The PowerPod houses the heating elements and fans. It rests on top of the smaller container directly, while the supplied bracket adapts it to the larger one. A trip switch detects when the heating unit is in position. Lifting it pauses cooking, and replacing it allows the programme to resume automatically. During testing, this worked without confusing interruptions or unexpected shutdowns.
Glass makes the cooking process easier to follow. There was very little condensation during the chicken and potato tests, so the view remained useful. Changes in colour and surface browning were visible without lifting the heater. This does not replace checking the centre of a piece of chicken, but it helps judge when food needs attention and reduces unnecessary interruptions. The containers become very hot during use. Their handles remained comfortable to hold, although they became warm, and the designated handling areas on the PowerPod also made it easy to lift. Checking food is consequently straightforward, provided the hot glass is treated with appropriate care.
The bright display is easy to read, and the controls keep the basic cooking process simple. Selecting a function and setting the duration takes little effort. Time changes in one-minute increments, which is sufficiently fine for adjusting a batch near the end of cooking. Temperature control is the conspicuous omission. Each function operates at a fixed temperature, and the operating temperatures are not clearly communicated. There is no way to select a particular temperature to match a recipe or reduce the heat while extending the cooking time.
This comes to fore when following recipes from other sources. Cooking duration remains adjustable, but a recipe’s temperature and time combination cannot necessarily be reproduced. The test recipes still produced satisfactory food, yet the interface leaves less room to fine-tune browning and internal cooking independently. A temperature setting would make the Crispi more accommodating for cooks who like to experiment.
There is also no reminder to turn or rearrange food. Both cooking tests involved lifting the PowerPod once to move the contents around. The automatic pause and resume behaviour makes this easy, but remembering the intervention remains part of the process. Visibility through the glass is useful here, although it does not eliminate the need to turn food. Tongs are the more comfortable way to do that. The containers can be shaken, but the heating unit rests on top rather than forming a locked assembly with the vessel. Removing the PowerPod and turning the contents avoids trying to handle the complete appliance as though it were a conventional pull-out basket.
The two capacities offer useful flexibility. The smaller container proved convenient for snacks and smaller portions, while the larger one handled cooking larger pieces. Both containers produced comparable results in use. Only one container can cook at a time because there is a single PowerPod. The second vessel therefore adds a choice of size and another place to store food, rather than simultaneous cooking. The test quantities suited roughly two people, making smaller households the most natural fit. A complete meal involving several dishes would require more planning, particularly if everything needed to be served hot together.
The containers and accessories stack neatly for storage. During use, the manual specifies approximately 15 cm of clearance around the appliance, so its working footprint extends beyond the assembled dimensions. The approximately one-metre cable was sufficient on the test counter, although a little extra length would have made placement more flexible.
The Crispi’s main cooking tests used its air fry function, the 3.8-litre container and the supplied crisper plate. The food was rearranged once during each cycle. These were modest batches, intended to assess everyday cooking rather than establish the maximum quantity the container could handle.
| Test | Preparation | Function and duration | Result |
| McCain Air Fryer potato crispers, 200g | Cooked directly from frozen, with no additional oil | Air fry, 12 minutes | Well-cooked, satisfying crispness |
| Boneless chicken, 240g before cooking | Brined for 20 hours, lightly coated with oil | Air fry, 18 minutes | Satisfactory cooking, retained moisture and mild surface browning |
| Day-old potato crispers | Stored in a sealed plastic container | Recrisp, 8 minutes | Reheated successfully with a satisfactory texture |
| Cooked food held warm | Keep warm selected manually | Six hours | Still pleasant to eat, but somewhat overdone |
The 200g batch of McCain Air Fryer potato crispers went into the container directly from frozen. No extra oil was added because the product already contained oil. After 12 minutes on air fry, with one pause to rearrange the pieces, the result was well cooked and satisfyingly crisp.
This is a useful everyday workload for the Crispi. Preparation is minimal, the glass gives a clear view of progress, and the finished food requires little more than serving. There were no problems with sticking or smoke during the test, and the container did not retain a lingering smell afterwards. For a small batch of a frozen product designed for air frying, the Crispi delivered the expected convenience and texture.
The chicken test used 240 g of boneless pieces, approximately 8-to-10 cm long and 2 cm thick. They had been brined for 20 hours, received a light outer coating of oil and were cooked from slightly below room temperature. The cycle lasted 18 minutes, with the pieces moved once during cooking. The finished chicken was satisfactory, retaining moisture and showing mild browning on its top and side surfaces. The brining isensured that it retained moisture. The combination of that preparation and the cooking cycle worked well for the tested pieces.
Doneness was assessed by cutting the chicken open rather than measuring its internal temperature. The same brined batch was also cooked in a frying pan without additional oil. The pan-cooked chicken developed better browning and tasted better. The stronger browned flavour was a noticeable advantage over the Crispi’s milder finish.
There were no cooking oddities or sticking problems during the week of use. Consecutive batches also remained consistent in the observed results. Larger loads and complete meals were not tested, so the performance assessment rests on these individual dishes rather than the container’s maximum stated capacity.
Recrisp handled day-old potato crispers well. After storage in a sealed plastic container, an eight-minute cycle returned them to a satisfactory eating texture. It makes the function useful for recovering leftovers that would otherwise lose much of their appeal. The reheated food still had to be eaten promptly. Leaving it out for longer caused it to dry, so the successful reheating cycle did not remove the usual trade-off between restoring crispness and losing moisture.
Keep warm is selected manually. During a six-hour trial, the food remained pleasant to eat, although it felt somewhat overdone by the end. Extended holding therefore came at a cost to texture. It is a useful convenience when serving is delayed, but leaving cooked food under heat for hours does not preserve the exact finish it had when cooking stopped.
Cleaning is one of the Crispi’s more convincing everyday strengths. Grease and food residue washed off easily with a soft sponge and mild dish soap. Neither the glass containers nor the cooking accessories required soaking, forceful scrubbing or a dishwasher cycle during the test period. The manual identifies the containers, lids, crisper plates and adapter as dishwasher safe. The PowerPod must be kept out of the dishwasher. Hand washing was straightforward enough that the dishwasher compatibility felt like an additional convenience rather than a necessity after the tested dishes.
There was no noticeable discolouration, retained odour or marking over the week. The glass also makes residue easy to spot when washing. Long-term staining and cleaning around the underside of the heating unit remain outside the experience of this short test. The containers became cool enough to handle within a few minutes, although that should not be confused with reaching room temperature. The supplied plastic lids fit well and give the containers a useful storage role once appropriately cooled. There is less need to transfer leftovers into another vessel, which helps the glass system earn its place beyond its appearance.
Ninja supplies a two-year warranty, with Indian support handled through a local partner. Replacement containers, lids and accessories were not visible on the official site at the time of writing.
The Ninja Crispi FN101IN makes a persuasive case for cooking in glass. Its containers feel sturdy, the view of the food remains useful during cooking, and cleaning after chicken and potato crispers takes little effort. Two vessel sizes and well-fitting storage lids add practical flexibility for smaller households. The lacking bit is the absence of adjustable temperature. At ₹19,999, time-only control feels restrictive, especially when recipes specify temperatures that cannot be selected or clearly matched to a function.
That saaid, the Ninja Crispi feels reasonably priced for its construction and the convenience of its glass system. It suits smaller households preparing snacks, individual dishes and modest portions, particularly where easy cleaning and watching the food cook matter. More precise temperature control would make it a more versatile appliance, but its core appeal is already useful in day-to-day cooking.