I wish I'd known these 4 things before I bought my Ninja air fryer – here's how to buy the right one for your home

Ninja air fryers are endlessly popular for good reason. They cook food quickly and well, are packed with innovative features and are easy to use. As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I think Ninja is far and away the air fryer brand to beat.

You can't escape that it is also one of the most expensive. The priciest model will set you back a huge £269.99, though it's no coincidence that this is the product that I've rated better than any other in our list of the best Ninja air fryers for years now (a fact you can read all about in our Ninja FlexDrawer Air Fryer review).

So in this case then, it's true that you get what you pay for. In that spirit, these are the lessons I wish I'd applied before I bought my Ninja to get even more value out of the money I spent.

1. The smaller options are still just as powerful

Ninja's most hyped air fryers will probably be familiar to you by looks alone. Arguably, the brand's Dual Zone air fryer with its two drawer design is the most popular air fryer in the country – you see it in kitchens everywhere.

And while the bigger options certainly deserve praise, if I were picking an air fryer all over again, I'd be seriously considering Ninja's air fryers with a smaller footprint.

Though lesser known, when we've tried them here at Ideal Home, we've loved the smaller versions every time. Recent examples include my five-star review of the Ninja Crispi and our expert Home Economist Helen's glowing review of the Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO (which confusingly is one of the smaller ones in the range).

Why do we like these compact versions? For one, the cooking results are great, especially with the Crispi (£179.99 at Ninja). In a smaller space, the huge amount of power goes a long way to help with crisping. Homemade chips will never be the same again!

They are also deceptively capable if you need more portion availability. Though something like the PRO MAX (£109.99 at Ninja) is a lot smaller than the double drawer products, with 6.2 litres of cooking space, you could still make dinner for four without being stretched.

There's still plenty of choice if you opt for a small model too, with different models to suit households up and down the country. Here are some of my favourites I've tested over the years.

2. There is such a thing as too many functions

Usually when I'm steering someone towards buying a Ninja appliance, the number of functions is one of the big selling point, as you get so much more built in for your money.

Take the Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 Multifunction Oven for example (£269.99 from Ninja). With it, you can air fry, roast (in two different ways), grill, bake, make pizza, dehydrate, reheat, toast and use the bagel function. After trying it, our reviewer Helen said she couldn't fault its cooking ability and versatility in her 4.5 star review.

At the same time, she also warned that it's only the type of appliance worth investing in if you'll actually use most of those settings. Otherwise, you're just paying an excess for something that you don't need.

It's why I like that Ninja are also opting to bring out appliances with less functionality that you can pick up with a smaller price tag as I explained in my first look at the new 4-in-1 AF200UK air fryer. The TLDR? It's £50 cheaper (at £149.99 from Ninja) than the original two drawer version, just without the two least used settings.

When it comes to functionality then, my message is to think about what you really need and what you'll actually use and spend your money from there.

3. The design of the drawers makes a huge difference

I've tried dozens of air fryers and from those experiences, one thing I'd caution you not to overlook is the configuration of the drawers on whichever Ninja air fryer you choose.

Whenever I have a straightforward two-drawer model in my house to test, I do feel like there are limitations as to what I can cook. For family cooking, I think they can work well as they can bring elements of meals together when you need bigger portions but for single dishes, I'd prefer one larger cooking space every time.

It's another thing to weigh up in your buying decision then. Or, if you want ultimate flexibility, it's a good reason to opt for a multi-zone design, as with the Ninja FlexDrawer (£269.99 from Ninja). The big USP with the FlexDrawer is that you can change from one cooking megazone to two smaller spaces whenever you like.

4. There are more colour options than you might think

It's not as important as cooking power or ability, I know, but if you're design conscious, then the colour of your air fryer is something to consider.

The only available colour of the Ninja Dual Zone for a long time was black, but in recent years, there's been an extended range of shades available. I recently tested the Ninja Double Stack in white, which I think looks much better in a neutral kitchen than the black version. Plus, there's limited edition versions on Amazon including the Ninja Double Stack in a rose gold colourway (£229.99 at Amazon).

While I'm still holding out hope for some pastel colours from Ninja soon, it is worth noting that there's options other than black that you can try out right now.

Is there one thing you wish you had known before you invested in your Ninja air fryer?