Ninja Foodi MAX OP500UK Review: the bulky multi-cooker that actually replaces half your kitchen

I’ve had the Ninja Foodi MAX OP500UK with the bakeware set in my kitchen for a few weeks now, and it went from “nice gadget” to “why is the oven even here” pretty fast. I’m not a chef, I just want dinner on the table without thinking too much, and this thing basically became my default way of cooking. At first I was a bit sceptical because it’s big, not cheap, and looks like one of those appliances you use twice and then shove in a cupboard. That didn’t happen.

In practice, the combo of pressure cooker + air fryer in one unit is what makes it actually useful. I can throw in chicken, pressure cook it, then crisp it in the same pot without dirtying extra pans. Add the loaf tin and baking tin, and suddenly I’m doing banana bread and basic cakes without heating the full oven. It’s very much a “lazy cook” machine, in a good way.

That said, it’s not perfect. It’s heavy, it hogs counter space, and the learning curve is real for the first few days. You do need to read the manual a bit and accept that your first couple of meals might be slightly off while you figure out timings. The air fry lid also makes a fair bit of noise, so if you like a quiet kitchen, keep that in mind.

Overall, my honest take after regular use: it’s a pretty solid all‑rounder. It doesn’t magically turn you into a pro cook, but it saves time, keeps washing up low, and the food comes out consistently good once you get the hang of it. If you already own a separate air fryer and a pressure cooker, it’s less of a big upgrade. If you have neither and some counter space to spare, it starts to make more sense.

Price-wise, the Ninja Foodi MAX OP500UK with the bakeware set is not a budget buy. You’re paying for capacity, the 9‑in‑1 functions, and the brand name. If you already own a decent air fryer, a slow cooker and an oven you’re happy to use, you might look at the price and shrug. For someone starting from almost nothing, or wanting to cut down on multiple appliances, it starts to look more logical.

In my kitchen, it has replaced a slow cooker and a standalone air fryer, and I use the oven a lot less. If I add up what those cost separately, the bundle doesn’t feel crazy. The official bakeware set is convenient but not essential. You could probably get cheaper tins that fit if you’re willing to measure and test. That said, the fact these are designed for the Foodi and are dishwasher safe does remove some guesswork, which has a value in day‑to‑day use.

Where it scores on value is time and hassle saved. Shorter cooking times with pressure, less washing up, and fewer appliances cluttering the counter all have a cost benefit in the long run, even if you don’t calculate it in pounds. For a family that actually cooks most days, I’d say the price is justified. For someone who only cooks once or twice a week and mostly reheats stuff, it’s probably overkill.

So on value, my honest take: good value if you’ll use several functions regularly, just okay if you’re only going to air fry chips and the odd chicken breast. The bakeware set is a nice extra but not a deciding factor. If money is tight and you only want air frying, a simple, cheaper air fryer alone will make more sense. If you like the idea of one big workhorse that does nearly everything, then the cost is easier to swallow.

Design-wise, the Ninja Foodi MAX OP500UK is a big black and metallic block. It’s not ugly, but it’s not exactly something you’ll admire on the counter either. It looks like a serious appliance, not a cute gadget. The footprint is big: you need a decent chunk of worktop, and you’ll want it near a plug because it’s not the kind of thing you move around daily. I can slide it a bit to clean, but lifting it is a two‑hand job.

The layout is quite practical though. You’ve got the main lid for pressure cooking with the locking mechanism, and then the attached crisping lid that flips up. At first I found the hinged air fry lid a bit in the way, but in practice it’s nice not having a loose lid hanging around. The control panel is simple: dedicated modes, up/down arrows for time and temp, start/stop. No app, no Bluetooth, nothing fancy – honestly, that’s fine. I just want to press buttons and cook.

The inner pot and basket are easy enough to pull out. The handles don’t feel cheap, and you can grab them with a tea towel if things are hot. The bakeware set fits neatly inside: the loaf tin and round tin sit nicely on the rack or in the pot, and the crisper pan works well when you want to air fry something flatter, like pizza or garlic bread. They clearly designed the shapes for this machine, which avoids a lot of trial and error.

On the downside, it dominates small kitchens. If you have low cupboards above your worktop, opening the crisping lid can be awkward. Also, because it’s quite tall, shorter people may find it slightly annoying to see inside when it’s on a deep counter. Not a dealbreaker, but worth mentioning. Overall, the design is practical more than stylish: it gets the job done, but it’s not winning any beauty contests.

The main unit is mostly stainless steel with plastic parts, which is standard for this type of cooker. It feels sturdy, not flimsy. The lid mechanism clicks firmly into place for pressure cooking, and the sealing ring looks thick enough to last. I don’t baby my appliances and nothing has felt loose or wobbly so far. The finish is metallic with black plastic around the controls and lid, and it wipes down easily with a damp cloth.

The inner pot and the official bakeware set all have a non‑stick ceramic coating. In practice, it works well as long as you don’t do anything silly like metal utensils. I’ve baked banana bread in the loaf tin and a basic sponge in the round tin, and both came out without a fight. A bit of greasing still helps – I wouldn’t trust any non‑stick coating blindly – but cleaning has been quick. Same for the crisper pan: chips and chicken wings haven’t welded themselves to it yet, which is a good sign.

According to the specs, everything is dishwasher safe, and I’ve tested that on the tins and the crisper pan. They survived fine, no peeling or weird marks so far. I still prefer to hand wash the main pot just to be careful, but I’ve thrown it in the dishwasher once and it came out fine too. The outer body obviously stays out of the dishwasher; that’s just a wipe-down job.

My only concern long term is the usual one: non‑stick never lasts forever. If you’re rough with it or stack other metal stuff on top in a cupboard, you’ll probably scratch it. For now, after repeated use, everything still looks pretty clean. I’d say the materials feel decent for the price bracket: not luxury, not cheap junk either. Just treat the coating with a bit of respect and it should hold up.

I obviously haven’t had it for years, but after regular use, nothing feels like it’s about to fall apart. The lid mechanism still locks smoothly, the pressure valve moves freely, and the sealing ring hasn’t warped. I’ve done repeated pressure cycles in a day and the unit hasn’t overheated or thrown any errors. The exterior still looks fine apart from the usual fingerprints on stainless steel, which is normal.

The inner pot and bakeware coating are the main question mark for long‑term durability. After multiple uses and several dishwasher runs on the tins and crisper pan, I don’t see peeling or scratches – but I’ve been sensible and used silicone or wooden utensils. If you stab at things with a fork or stack them under heavy pans, you’ll probably shorten their life pretty fast. This is standard for any non‑stick, not specific to Ninja.

From an electrical and mechanical point of view, the cooker feels solidly built. The buttons haven’t faded, the display is still clear, and the hinges on the crisping lid don’t feel loose. The unit is heavy, which is annoying for moving but usually a sign they didn’t cut every corner on materials. The fact it’s an official Ninja accessory set also reassures me a bit more than random unbranded pans from a supermarket.

My honest expectation: if you use it several times a week and treat it reasonably well, it should last a good few years. The first thing to go will likely be the non‑stick coating, and at that point you might need a replacement pot or tins if it bothers you. But as a whole unit, it doesn’t give off “cheap appliance that dies in a year” vibes. More like a solid mid‑range machine that can handle regular family use.

On performance, this is where the Ninja Foodi MAX actually proves its point. Pressure cooking really is much faster than doing stews or pulled meat on the hob or in a slow cooker. I’ve done a beef stew that normally takes a few hours in well under an hour, including heat‑up and depressurising. Chicken thighs cook through quickly and stay juicy, then you switch to air crisp to get the skin browned. The “TenderCrisp” idea is basically that combo: pressure first, crisp second, without changing pots.

The air fry function is solid. Chips come out crispy outside and soft inside with a tablespoon or so of oil. They’re not deep fryer level, but they’re very decent for weeknight meals. I’ve done frozen nuggets, breaded fish, and veg like cauliflower and broccoli. Once you find your preferred temperature and shake things halfway, the results are steady. It’s also handy for reheating pizza and leftovers – better than a microwave in terms of texture.

I also tried the bake/roast mode using the loaf tin and round tin. Cakes rise fine, nothing fancy but totally acceptable for home baking. Bread works too, although the crust is a bit different from a traditional oven. For small households, the fact you can bake without heating a full oven is nice, and it keeps the kitchen less hot in summer. The slow cook and yoghurt modes are more niche; they work, but honestly I’ve used pressure and air crisp way more often.

The only downside is the noise and steam. When it releases pressure, it’s loud and you get a big blast of steam, so don’t park it under a delicate cupboard. The air fry fan also makes a noticeable hum. Nothing crazy, but if you’re sensitive to noise, you’ll notice. Still, for me the cooking speed and the consistent results make up for that. It does what it says: cooks faster than traditional methods and gives you crisp finishes without juggling multiple appliances.

This bundle is basically two things: the Ninja Foodi MAX OP500UK multi-cooker (7.5L) and a 3‑piece official Ninja bakeware set. The cooker itself is a 9‑in‑1 unit: pressure cook, air crisp (air fry), slow cook, steam, sear/sauté, bake/roast, grill, yoghurt and dehydrate. On the bakeware side, you get a 21.5 cm loaf tin, a 21.5 cm round baking tin, and a 22 cm crisper pan, all with non‑stick ceramic coating and apparently dishwasher safe.

When you unbox it, the cooker comes with the main pot, the inner cooking pot, a crisping basket, and the usual manuals. The bakeware feels sized specifically to fit inside the pot, so you’re not fighting to wedge normal oven trays in there. That’s honestly the main interest of the set: it actually fits, and you can layer stuff a bit more smartly inside the Foodi instead of improvising with random tins.

In daily use, the 7.5L capacity is enough for a family. I’ve done a full chicken with veg, big batches of chilli, and a good amount of chips in one go. If you’re cooking for one person, it’s overkill but still usable; just know you’re dedicating a lot of space to one appliance. The controls are all on the front: push buttons with a small screen for time and temperature, nothing fancy but clear enough after a couple of uses.

My opinion on the bundle itself: the cooker is the star, the bakeware is a nice extra but not essential. If you already have tins that fit, you won’t suddenly cook better just because these are “official”. They are handy though, and the sizes are quite practical. So the bundle makes sense if you’re starting from scratch or don’t want to mess around measuring random tins in a shop.

Effectiveness for me is: does this thing really simplify life, or does it become clutter? In my case, it genuinely replaced several tools. I’ve pretty much stopped using my old slow cooker and separate air fryer. For basic weekday cooking – curries, stews, pasta bakes, roast chicken, chips – I default to the Ninja now. The fact that you can sauté onions directly in the pot, then add liquid and pressure cook, then crisp the top if needed, cuts down on pans and washing up.

The bakeware set helps if you actually bake. I’ve used the loaf tin for banana bread and meatloaf, the round tin for simple cakes and frittatas, and the crisper pan for pizzas, nachos, and garlic bread. It’s not restaurant-level stuff, but it’s absolutely fine for family meals and snacks. The tins fit just right, so you’re not wrestling to get them in or out when they’re hot. That sounds like a small thing, but when you’re juggling dinner and kids/phone/work, the less faff the better.

From a practical angle, I’ve noticed we eat fewer ready meals since having this. Throwing chicken, potatoes and veg in with some seasoning and pressing a couple of buttons feels doable even when I’m tired. Cleanup is quick: one pot, maybe a tray, all dishwasher safe. That’s honestly the main win for me. It’s not that the food is life‑changing, it’s that it’s decent and easy.

On the flip side, there is a learning curve. The preset recipes in the booklet are a decent starting point, but you’ll probably have one or two dishes that end up slightly overdone or underdone while you figure out timings and water amounts. Also, if you hate reading manuals or experimenting, you might get annoyed. Once you’ve got a few go‑to recipes dialled in though, it becomes a pretty reliable workhorse.