A few weeks ago, a email on this website suggested reviewing the Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker because it could cook for the whole family in about 15 minutes. All email are read carefully, and a list of suggested appliances is maintained for future reviews. When Ninja ran a sale last month and this model appeared at a discount, the decision was made to order it and put it through its paces.
Table of Contents
How the Ninja Combi Compares to Other Ninja Multicookers
The Ninja Combi All-in-One is very similar in concept to the Foodi Max 14 in 1 Multicooker and the Ninja Speedi 10 in 1, both of which have already been reviewed on this website. However, it differs in one really significant way.
While those other two multicookers are essentially big pots that open at the top, the Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker is a countertop oven that opens at the front. This makes it much easier to find a practical spot for it on the work surface, and the glass door on the front means you can clearly see what is happening inside while cooking.
All of the multicookers that Ninja produce offer some form of air frying along with steam and slow cooking, as well as combi meals where you cook grains or pasta on the bottom layer and vegetables and meat on the top. They also all feature some form of manual switch to toggle between the different cooking modes.
On the Foodi 14 in 1, this is the smart lid switch that slides horizontally, while on the Speedi and on the Combi oven, there is a lever at the top. The Speedi and the Combi share a lot of similar components, from the design of the air intake at the top to the lever at the side and the cooking interface.
Design and Build Quality
The Ninja Combi looks brilliant in the kitchen. The chrome effect and grey finish give it a really modern and high end appearance. Its footprint measures 39cm by 38cm and it stands 33cm high, making it a reasonably compact unit for everything it offers. The inside of the Combi oven also looks very impressive.
With the oven you get three non-stick accessories including the combi pan, the crisper plate that can be used inside it, and the bake tray. All of them are dishwasher safe, which makes cleaning up after cooking much more convenient.
All 12 Cooking Functions Explained
The Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker is genuinely versatile, and it comes supplied with a large Ninja recipe book filled with ideas and photos showing just how many different things you can cook in it. Here is a full overview of what the Combi can do across its 12 cooking functions.
Left Side Menu Functions
Switching the lever to the left enables the left hand menu. The top option is Combi Meals, which is the mode where you cook rice or pasta on the lower level and vegetables, meat, or fish on the top. This gets a whole family meal done in around 15 minutes. The top half of the oven makes food crispy while the bottom steams using the liquid you add.
Next is Combi Crisp, which is designed for cooking food with a crispy exterior and a tender inside. You can cook from chilled or from frozen, including vegetables, meat, and even a whole chicken. Although for a whole chicken, you will need to either spatchcock it or break the breastbone so it lays flatter.
Many people rave about this setting for cooking chickens, though in honest comparison, no really significant difference has been noticed between Combi Crisp and roasting in a standard air fryer.
Combi Bake is by far the favourite setting on this machine. It allows you to steam bake bread and cakes in the style of a professional baking oven, producing results that are genuinely impressive. After that, there is a Pasta and Rice setting for cooking grains in water in the combi pan, much like you would do in a saucepan on the hob.
Steam is next, which gently cooks ingredients like vegetables or meat at high temperatures. And finally on the left hand side is Prove, which is used to get raw dough to rise quickly in a warm environment. Using a shower cap over the dough on this setting works well to keep it from drying out, though this is a personal tip rather than official Ninja advice.
Also Read: Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer Review
Right Side Menu Functions
Switching the lever to the right enables the remaining six cooking options. Grill, which in the UK means heat from above, is great for crisping off the top of dishes like a pasta bake. Air Fry is a function most people are already familiar with, and it works brilliantly for small frozen items that you might ordinarily deep fry.
Bake is recommended for pies, pasta bakes, and cookies. Reheat is particularly useful for bringing food back up to temperature while keeping it crisp, which makes it far better than a microwave for things like roast potatoes, pizza, or pastry. Slow Cook offers two settings, high and low, and can run for up to 12 hours, making it ideal for stews, bolognese, or even rice pudding.
Finally, Sear and Saute is used for frying base ingredients like bacon and onions before building a dish, or for browning meat before switching to slow cooker mode. On this setting, the door stays open so you can stir the ingredients in the combi pan.
Energy Consumption Test
Something new being introduced on this website, following a viewer suggestion, is measuring the energy consumption of appliances being reviewed. While it is not a perfect test, it gives a useful indicator of how different models compare to one another. For this test, the appliance was run on air fry for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
The Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker used 0.205 kilowatt hours during that test, costing approximately 4.4p at current average energy rates. Interestingly, the Combi used exactly the same amount of electricity as the 14 in 1.
However, what this highlights is that if you are planning to use it mainly for air frying small items or single portions, a single drawer dual basket model like the Kasori, which used only 60 percent of the energy, would be a more efficient choice for that specific purpose.
Internal Capacity
Ninja does not provide a capacity in litres for the Combi, but the internal space works out at approximately 12.4 litres in total. Of that, the main combi pan holds 2.8 litres.
Pros and Con
- Front-opening design is practical and user-friendly.
- Excellent steam baking for light, moist cakes and bread.
- 12 versatile cooking functions in one appliance.
- Non-stick, dishwasher-safe accessories.
Specification Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Model Name | Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker and Air Fryer |
| Number of Functions | 12 |
| Dimensions | 39cm x 38cm x 33cm (H) |
| Total Internal Capacity | Approximately 12.4 litres |
| Combi Pan Capacity | 2.8 litres |
| Door Design | Front opening with glass door |
| Accessories Included | Combi pan, crisper plate, bake tray |
| Dishwasher Safe Accessories | Yes |
| Energy Use (Air Fry 200C/10 min) | 0.205 kWh |
| Estimated Energy Cost Per Test | Approximately 4.4p |
| Slow Cook Duration | Up to 12 hours |
| Slow Cook Settings | High and Low |
| Finish | Chrome effect and grey |
| Recipe Book Included | Yes |
| Compared Models | Foodi Max 14 in 1, Ninja Speedi 10 in 1 |
Final Verdict
After cooking with this Ninja Combi oven for several weeks, it has fitted really well into everyday kitchen use. It looks great, and the versatility it offers across 12 functions is genuinely impressive. Some people attempt to cook wet dishes like stews in traditional air fryer drawers, but those appliances are not really designed for that purpose. The Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker, while a little more expensive, is a far better tool for those kinds of meals.
For most users, the Combi is a much better design than the Speedi or the 14 in 1, unless you primarily cook stews and casseroles and want the benefit of that larger 7.5 litre pot. On the downside, the shiny interior finish may start to look a little worn fairly quickly, which is worth keeping in mind. That said, this oven is staying in the kitchen, and notably, the 14 in 1 has now left the building.
Read More: Cosori Dual Blaze Review
