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The Ninja SP301 or the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven is a much-needed upgrade for the classic flip-away toaster oven. It offers more vertical space and a new sheet pan design.
They turned the sheet pan into a proper griddle.
It now acts as secondary cooking equipment where you can sear, bake, and grill. The searing tray, as they call it, was made thicker to retain some of the heat. If you’re familiar with a sizzling plate, it works the same way.
Award: 2nd Best Ninja Foodi Oven
As a result, it works better for baking cake and pizza.
By the way, it comes in two modes: Air Oven Mode and Dual Heat Mode.
The Air Oven Mode is the traditional setting for air frying, broiling, roasting, toasting, and dehydrating without the need for dual-zone heating.
Alternatively, the Dual Heat Mode works hand in hand with the SearPlate.
Here’s the full line of Ninja flip-away ovens.
Ninja Model Number | Ninja SP301 | Ninja SP201 | Ninja SP101 |
Picture | |||
Oven name | Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven | Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven Pro | Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven |
Price range | $$$ | $$$ | $$ |
Number of cooking functions | 13 cooking functions | 8 cooking functions | 8 cooking functions |
Dual heat technology | Yes | – | – |
with Sear Plate | Yes | Regular sheet pan | Regular sheet pan |
Dimensions | 20.21” x 15.33” x 8.15“ | 20.21” x 15.33” x 8.15“ | 20.1″ x 15.33″ x 8.15″ |
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If you’re looking to upgrade your countertop toaster oven, the Ninja SP301 Flip-Away Dual Heat Air Fry Oven is one of the best out there. On top of its space-saving design, it also offers a ton of extra cooking functions.
In the meantime, let’s go over its pros and cons.
PROS
- Modern space saving design, you can flip it away when not in use
- 13-in-1 cooking functions
- Dual heat technology for better cooking experience
- 60-second preheat, quicker than traditional ovens
- 65% faster cooking time than full-sized ovens
- Generous capacity, fits up to 2 lbs of roast, 6 chicken breasts, or 4 lbs of air fry components
- Features cord management
- Easy to clean and maintain
- BPA-free
- 1-year warranty
CONS
- Excellent countertop oven with a midrange budget
- Can be a bit loud
- While the wire rack and air fryer basket are dishwasher safe, it’s not recommended
What can you cook with the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven?
The Ninja SP301 Toaster Oven offers two cooking modes—Dual Heat Mode and Air Oven Mode.
Like the Ninja SP101, the Air Oven Mode can help you air fry, roast, bake, broil, toast, bagel, reheat, and dehydrate. These are the eight default functions for their air fryer ovens; even the Ninja SP201 offers the same features.
Moving on to the Dual Heat Mode, that’s where things get more interesting. I haven’t seen an oven with a sheet pan that also serves as a grill.
Here’s a list of recipes that you can make.
The main issue of its predecessor (Ninja Foodi SP101 Air Oven) is heat distribution. The fan is located on one side, so you have to rotate your recipe at one point for even cooking. On the other hand, the Smart XL Pro Air Oven doesn’t have that quirk since the convection fan is at the center of the back panel.
On that note, heating up the sheet pan with their line of flip-away oven would really help distribute the temperature more evenly. Hence, the brand came up with the Dual Heat Mode.
Along with the traditional capabilities, you can now sear and grill with your countertop oven toaster.
See the Ninja SP301 Air Fryer in Action
Here’s how the Ninja Digital Air Fry Oven works, plus how you can flip it away.
The Ninja SP301 or the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven is an excellent 13-in-1 compact oven toaster with generous capacity. It can handle up to 6 chicken breasts, 2-lbs roast, or 4-lbs of fries. The Ninja SP301 is part of the brand’s collection of countertop ovens that folds away neatly when not in use.
Is the Ninja Foodi 13-in-1 Air Fry Oven easy to use?
Compared to the very first Flip Away Air Fryer Oven, the user interface of the Ninja SP301 is a bit more polished. Despite having two modes, in my opinion, it’s very intuitive.
The only part you’ll find confusing at first is the searing plate. It works in tandem with the Dual Heat Mode. To prevent under or overcooking your dish, it has to be preheated before baking, searing, grilling, baking your pizza, or using it as a griddle.
I also have to note that the searing plate can get pretty intense. It can reach 500℉. As a safety precaution, use oven mitts that can take that high of a temperature.
How to clean the Ninja Foodi SP301?
Thankfully, cleaning is not much of an issue with the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven.
After letting your toaster oven cool down, you can start cleaning the accessories. Wash the wire rack, air fry basket, and sear plate with warm soapy water, then thoroughly rinse and dry.
If you want to skip that part, the wire rack and air fry basket are dishwasher safe. However, washing those accessories by hand is still recommended to prevent them from wearing more quickly.
After dealing with those racks, you can wipe the interior walls with a damp sponge. For the exterior panels, a damp cloth will do the trick.
Pro Tip: Line the searing pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil to save on cleanup time.
Ninja SP301 Accessories
Since the Ninja Foodi SP301 has massive cooking real estate, it doesn’t have that many accessories. You only need your searing tray, wire rack, and air fry basket most of the time. And those accessories are already included in your purchase.
If you have baking trays that will fit a 20.21” x 15.33” oven space, those will work perfectly fine with the Ninja Dual Heat Air Oven.
*Product Images and Video Courtesy of Shark Ninja
Technical Specifications
Type | Air Fryer / Oven Toaster |
Brand/Series | Ninja Oven | Ninja Air Fryer → The Ninja Foodi Collection |
Model # | Ninja SP301 |
Price | $$$ |
Rating | 4.7 out of 5 |
Wattage | 1800 Watts |
Functions | 13-in-1: Air Fry, Air Roast, Broil, Bake, Dehydrate, Toast, Bagel, Sear Crisp, Rapid Bake, Frozen Pizza, Fresh Pizza, Griddle, and Reheat |
Capacity | Fits up to 6 chicken breasts or around 4 lbs of ingredients (air fry) |
Dishwasher safe | Yes (Wire Rack + Air Fry Basket only) |
BPA Free | Yes |
Colors | Stainless/black |
Dimensions (LxWxH) | 20.1 x 15.33 x 8.15 inches (51 x 38.9 x 20.7 cm) |
Cord Length | 34 inches (86.4 cm) |
Application | Personal Use |
Warranty | 1 Year |
Related Products | Ninja 8-in-1 Air Fryer, Ninja Foodi Smart Xl Pro Air Oven, Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Oven |