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Ninja Foodi XL Pro vs Breville Smart Oven Pro Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)8.0/10
- Design (25%)8.8/10
- Usability (25%)9.5/10
- Performance (50%)6.9/10
- Design (25%)9.3/10
- Usability (25%)8.0/10
It’s interesting to compare two different large digital convection toaster ovens that both have the word ‘pro’ in their names—the Ninja Foodi XL Pro (DT201) and Breville Smart Oven Pro (BOV845BSS). Let’s see who is the actual pro and who is the amateur.
The two toaster ovens are equal in terms of interior features—both having an interior light, a convection system, and more than 4 quartz heating elements. They also go toe-to-toe in their build quality with their responsive control panel and well-insulated stainless steel casing.
Both machines are easy to use, having well-designed cooking functions and an informative digital display. However, the extra toggle switches of the Breville failed to actually increase ease of use, as opposed to the Ninja.
The Breville’s performance scores aren’t as high as the Ninja’s despite also having a convection system and the same power output. The key differences can be boiled down to the Breville not being able to maintain the temperature as constant and distribute the heat as evenly as the Ninja.
Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Performance
- Toast (40%)8.3/10
- Pizza (25%)6.5/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)9.0/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)7.8/10
- Toast (40%)6.8/10
- Pizza (25%)6.8/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)7.5/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)6.1/10
Toast
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 5/7
- Cooking Time: 5m 15s
- Second Batch: 4m
- Convection: No
We began our Toast test by setting the toast function to level 4. With four slices of bread placed on tray level 3, they came out very light on top. The bottom side had a bit more color but it wasn’t enough.
After that, we cranked the oven up to level 6. That gave us a very even color, but it was too brown. In the end, we settled for toasting at level 5, which ran for around 5 minutes 15 seconds, as the best option, earning a score of 8.3/10.
Under this setting, the toast mostly received a light golden brown color. However, there were various areas that were a bit darker or lighter, possibly due to the bread’s varying thickness. The unevenness in surface color, especially on the bottom, prevented us from scoring it higher than 8.5/10.
Interestingly, this unevenness in the bread gave it a variety of textures throughout which deserved another 8.5/10. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined the toast would go great with pretty much everything including omelets, sandwiches, eggs benedict, and soup.
The light golden brown areas were slightly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. On top of that, the golden brown areas were crispy all the way through and the light golden areas gave us a different, softer texture.
For the immediate second batch at the same toast level, the oven automatically reduced the time to 4 minutes. This time, the toast had a more even brown color than the first batch. However, there was a more apparent unevenness on the bottom with colors that ranged from white to dark brown.
Nonetheless, nothing was burnt, so it did not taste bitter. The extra crispiness made the toast even better for soup. All in all, the oven got a 7.8/10 for consecutive usability.
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 5/7
- Cooking Time: 5m 13s
- Second Batch: 3m 42s
- Convection: No
We began our Toast test by choosing toast level 4—the middle one out of the 7 options—for 4 pieces which we placed on tray level 2. The four pieces of bread came out only slightly toasted on top. We then chose level 5 and the surface color was more appetizing but less even.
So, we tried again one last time at level 6 but it produced four completely brown pieces of toast which were also a bit dry. In the end, we settled for level 5—5 minutes 13 seconds on the timer—as the best possible option with a score of 6.8/10.
At this level, the toast had a perfect golden brown color around the center of the oven. However, it was lighter the further it got to the rear, so we could only give it a 7/10 for even surface color.
The unevenness also translated to the texture where the toast achieved great crispiness in the golden brown areas but got softer in the lighter areas. This resulted in a 6.5/10 for taste from our chef.
Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined they would be good to have with omelets and sandwiches. They could be served with soups or eggs benedict but wouldn't make a perfect pairing.
We placed the second batch of four in immediately after the first one. We chose level 5 again whereupon the oven automatically deducted the timer to 3 minutes 42 seconds.
Because the oven was already hot, the second batch showed an increase in evenness for both surface color and crispiness deserving a 7/10. This batch would be more suitable for soups.
Pizza
- Function: Pizza
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 5m
- Convection: Low
Our Pizza test was one of the few occasions where we felt the Ninja didn’t measure up to its potential. We suspect the score would be better if we were baking a fresh pizza instead of a store-bought 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza. Anyhow, we settled on a score of 6.5/10 for this test.
After preheating, we placed the baking tray and the pizza at tray level 3 as suggested by the digital display. The oven only took 5 minutes to bake the pizza compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label. According to our standards, this deserved a 10/10 for cooking time.
Unfortunately, despite having the convection system on low, the crust was only golden on the side closest to the fan. The other half of the crust lacked color. In addition, such a short amount of time wasn’t enough to crisp any of the crust (even the golden side). Thus, we could only give the crust a 6/10.
The reason we had to stop the cooking so early was that the meat and the bell peppers on the golden half of the crust were beginning to char. Luckily, the toppings on the other half cooked properly. However, it seemed the cheese didn’t have enough time to melt, so the toppings only got a 5/10.
Considering the state of the crust and the toppings, our chef gave the pizza a 6/10 after tasting it.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 4m
- Convection: Yes
For our Pizza test, we didn’t use the pizza presets because they didn’t include the correct size for our choice of pizza. This was also a good chance to test out the Breville pizza pan, but we were surprised to find the overall score ended up at 6.8/10.
Thanks to the oven’s strong power output and convection setting, it only took 4 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza placed on tray level 2. This was extremely fast and deserved a 10/10 according to our data on average toaster oven performance.
However, the pizza still had a problem with cooking evenness. A quarter of the entire crust was golden brown but the rest of it lacked color. As you can imagine, the golden brown part was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside while the lighter part was simply soft throughout. Thus, we could only give the crust a 6/10.
The same issue applied to the toppings which had a nice caramelization where the crust was golden but not much in the substandard area. The cheese was also not quite melty so the toppings also got a 6/10.
Altogether, our chef gave the pizza another 6/10 after tasting it. We chose not to increase the cooking time of the pizza as it could result in burning the part of the crust and toppings that were already properly baked.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Air Roast
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 40m
- Convection: Maximum
The strengths of the Ninja really shined through in our Whole Roasted Chicken test, scoring an impressive 9/10. We placed our 3-pound whole chicken in the air fryer basket with plenty of room to spare and slid it onto tray level 3. We also placed a baking pan below to catch any drippings.
With this test, we were able to confirm the manufacturer’s claim that food in this oven didn’t need to be turned, especially when using its air fryer basket. Nonetheless, to stay consistent with our test parameters, we still flipped the chicken after the first 25 minutes.
The oven took only 40 minutes to cook the chicken all the way through and to create an appetizing-looking and crispy skin. It was one of the fastest cooking times among our toaster ovens and deserved a whopping 10/10, on par with the Cosori CO130-AO which uses a rotisserie kit.
The skin was evenly golden from the bottom to the top. It also crisped up nicely around the tips of the wings and drumsticks as well as areas with a lot of fat.
However, it would seem the surface of the chicken cooked so quickly that a lot of the fat didn’t get rendered out from the skin. Thus, while the outer layer of the skin was crispy, the inside was soft. The skin’s softness from the remaining fat, unfortunately, prevented it from scoring higher than 8.5/10.
Checking with a meat thermometer, we found the chicken’s internal temperature to be 194°F-199°F which was quite high compared to the USDA recommended of 165°F-180°F. This was the reason we didn’t continue cooking longer for better skin caramelization. Our chef was afraid that would overcook the chicken. After carving the chicken, we found no pink spots in the meat and gave it an 8.4/10 for doneness.
With such a short cooking time, the meat remained delightfully juicy. Also taking into account the texture of the skin, our chef gave the chicken a 9/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 1h
- Convection: Yes
For our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we placed a 3 lb chicken in a belly-up position onto the broiling rack and baking pan combo on tray level 1. The outcome was pretty satisfactory, scoring a 7.5/10.
The Breville took 1 hour to roast the chicken to a desirable color which was our standard for an 8/10. The skin overall had a golden color, especially at the wings and the tips. However, it still had some very light areas.
In addition, when we flipped the chicken after the first 40 minutes, some of the skin on the back of the chicken got stuck to the broiling rack. This was an indication that the skin was soft and didn’t crisp up much despite having the convection fan deployed. Thus, we gave the skin a 7/10.
The oven was able to maintain a good internal temperature so the chicken was cooked all the way through leaving behind no pink spots. However, the cooking time was a little long, so the chicken’s internal temperature ended up at 198°F which was higher than the recommended 180°F by the USDA. We gave the doneness of this chicken an 8.6/10.
Nonetheless, the meat wasn’t dry and combined with the skin it was enough to get a 7/10 for taste from our chef.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Air Fry
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 19m
- Convection: Maximum
We put 12 oz of frozen fries into the air fryer basket and slid it onto tray level 3. We also gave the fries a toss after the first 13 minutes. The overall score for our Baked French Fries test was 7.8/10.
The oven took 19 minutes to bake the fries which was enough for a 7.7/10. With this oven, our chef had to balance the cooking time with the color of the fries. If we stopped baking too early, the thicker fries would lack color; if too late, the thinner fries might be burnt.
The fries’ colors ranged from light golden on the thicker ones to golden brown on the thinner ones. This unevenness resulted in a 7.5/10.
The colors of the fries largely reflected their texture. The longest and thickest fries had a slightly crispy outside and a very moist interior. Meanwhile, the shortest and thinnest fries were completely crispy all the way through.
The silver lining was that average-sized fries got perfect, crispy surfaces with moist interiors. While the texture varied, none of them were bad, so we gave the overall batch an 8/10.
Considering the varied colors and textures of the fries, our chef awarded them a respectable 8/10 after her taste test.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 24m
- Convection: Yes
Despite the power draw of 1800 W, the Breville didn’t perform as well in baking french fries as many toaster ovens with the same output earning a 6.1/10. Looking at the results from the Ninja DT201, our assumption was that the broiling rack wasn’t as efficient for this purpose as an air fryer basket.
For our Baked French Fries test, we didn’t turn on the Frozen Foods toggle because we needed to keep track of the exact cooking time. The oven took 24 minutes to bake 12 oz of frozen fries on tray level 2 which wasn’t very fast. Compared to many other toaster ovens we’ve tested, it could only get a 6/10 for cooking time.
Even though we gave the fries a toss after the first 10 minutes, they still came out with uneven coloring scoring a 6.5/10. Most of the thinner fries had a pretty good golden color while most of the thicker ones had a much lighter color.
To the same degree, the fries had different textures throughout earning it a 6/10 for this testing component. The pieces with a golden color were crispy outside and soft inside while the lighter ones were mostly just soft all the way through.
With all of that in mind, our chef couldn’t give a score higher than 6/10 after tasting the fries.
Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Toaster Oven Design
- Exterior (20%)7.0/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
- Exterior (20%)9.5/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
In the Ninja Foodi 10-In-1 XL Pro Air Fry Toaster Oven Box
- Model: DT201
- Warranty: 1 year
- User Manual
- Baking Rack x 2
- Baking Pan x 2
- Broiling Rack
- Removable Crumb Tray
- Air Fryer Basket
The Ninja toaster oven arrived firmly positioned between two foam pads inside an eye-catching package. Its seven included accessories were also fitted nicely in carton boxes. The oven came with a separate user manual, a tips and tricks sheet, and a recipe booklet.
- Model: BOV845BSSUSC
- Warranty: 1 year (US only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Broiling Rack
- Pizza Pan
The Breville toaster oven came in an eye-catching box but it was only secured with two foam pads. On the bright side, its accessories including a baking rack, baking pan, broiling rack, and pizza pan were neatly placed in a fitted carton box.
The oven’s user manual explains in detail how each oven function works and includes a number of recipes. To elevate your pizza party, you can opt for the optional pizza crisper, pizza stone, and bamboo cutting board.
Exterior
- Weight:26.4 lbs (12.0 kg)
- Length:16.9" (43.0 cm)
- Width:20.3" (51.5 cm)
- Height:13.4" (34.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Removable
The Ninja has many ventilation holes on its casing, especially at the back and on the bottom, to accommodate its extremely powerful convection system. A unique design choice that stood out to us was the fact that the control panel was located on the oven’s cool-touch door handle.
Most ovens situate their control panel on the casing, thus adding to the oven’s footprint. By combining the control panel with the door handle, the oven can also maximize space for its cooking chamber.
You don’t need to worry about the handle slamming to the ground or countertop since the door hinge does a great job of keeping the door firmly in place. While it doesn’t have tray-level indicators on its glass door, the digital display does show the recommended tray level for every function.
Our measurements of the oven’s footprints were 16.93" x 20.28" x 13.34" which jived closely with the manufacturer’s 17.09" x 20.22" x 13.34". For these measurements, we also took into account the door handle and rear buffer.
The oven has a buffer on its backside to prevent it from being pushed too close to the wall. The feature could be a bit longer, in our opinion. We do need to mention that the bulky shape of the oven and its lack of carrying handles may make it difficult to move around.
- Weight:18.1 lbs (8.2 kg)
- Length:18.4" (46.7 cm)
- Width:15.9" (40.5 cm)
- Height:10.8" (27.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:Yes
- Crumb Tray:Slide-out
An exterior feature that stood out to us on the Breville is its side-positioned carrying handles which double up as air ventilation holes for the convection system. We were also impressed by the indicators on the glass door that direct you to its three tray levels and many cooking functions.
The Breville has an interesting automatic eject feature for when the oven rack is in the middle guide rail. This is achieved thanks to a magnet in the corresponding position on the oven door.
Further attention to the design shows in the convenient slide-out crumb tray and strong base stands. The oven’s door handle is cool-touch and provides a good grip. Unfortunately, the back buffers are not long enough to create ample space between the back of the oven and the wall.
Our measurements of 18.39" x 15.94" x 10.78" for the oven pretty much coincided with the dimensions provided by the manufacturer—18.5" x 14.5" x 11". The 1.5-inch difference in width is probably because we took the door handle into account.
Control Panel
- Type:Digital display + 10 buttons
- Temperature:85°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 4 hours
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:Yes
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:No
When plugged in, the On/Off switch will light up. You then press it to turn on the oven and its digital display. The door handle is black while the digital display is white, creating good color contrasts.
The control panel includes two buttons to adjust cooking functions, two for time, two for temperature, a light toggle, a Start/Stop button, and the ‘2-level’ button.
The ‘2-level’ button is unique to this Ninja. It suggests the best rack levels for cooking two trays of food at the same time. This even allows you to roast a tray of meat and a tray of vegetables at the same time. Everything is explained in detail in the Ninja recipe booklet.
- Type:LCD + 3 control knobs + 5 buttons
- Temperature:120°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 10 hours
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:Yes
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:No
The Breville has 3 control knobs for function, temperature, and timer. Its five buttons include four toggles for temperature conversion, interior light, convection fan, and Defrost feature. The Start/Cancel button and the digital display both shine red when the oven’s cooking.
The LCD screen will display ‘E01’, ‘E02’, or ‘E05’ when there is a non-resettable issue with the appliance. When this happens, immediately unplug the cord from the wall outlet and call the Breville Customer Service Center.
The ‘E03’ shows up when the oven temperature exceeds its design limit. Should this occur, unplug your oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then plug it back in.
The ‘E04’ appears when the room temperature is below the set minimum. If this happens, unplug the oven and move it to a warmer area.
Cooking Functions of the Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven
- Air Fry (250°F–450°F)
- Whole Roast (250°F–450°F)
- Air Roast (250°F–450°F)
- Bake (180°F–450°F)
- Dehydrate (85°F–200°F)
- Pizza (180°F–450°F)
- Bagel (level 1-7, 1-9 slices)
- Toast (level 1-7, 1-9 slices)
- Broil (HI or LO)
- Reheat (100°F–450°F)
Each cooking function on the Ninja has its own temperature range to match the function’s purpose. What’s special about this model is that each function deploys a specific convection level and a specific number of heating elements, each tailored to the dishes stated in the recipe booklet.
Whole Roast, for example, uses a high fan speed and the rear convection heat source to provide rotisserie-style results. Air Roast uses the maximum fan speed and the rear convection heat source to quickly cook food for a crispy outside and juicy inside.
Air Fry also uses the maximum fan speed and the rear convection heat source to cook food as quickly as possible for the crispiest results. Pizza uses the rear convection heat source but a low fan speed to avoid drying the pizza crust and toppings too much.
Bake operates the same way as Pizza. The same goes for Dehydrate, which has a lower temperature range for removing moisture from foods.
The remaining cooking functions don’t deploy the convection fan. Broil activates the top heating elements on the high setting to provide top-down heat for a crispy finish. On the other hand, Reheat activates the top and bottom heating elements on the high setting.
Toast also activates the top and bottom heating elements but on the medium setting to quickly and evenly brown both sides of your bread. Bagel, however, activates the top heating elements on the medium setting and the bottom heating elements on the high setting. This is because the recipe book instructs you to place the bagel slices cut-side up.
- Toast (level 1-7)
- Bagel (level 1-7)
- Bake (1 minute - 10 hours)
- Roast (1 minute - 2 hours)
- Broil (300°F, 400°F, 500°F; 1 minute - 20 minutes)
- Pizza (6″-13″; Fresh/Frozen)
- Cookies (1 minute - 1 hour)
- Reheat (1 minute - 2 hours)
- Warm (1 minute - 2 hours)
- Slow Cook (2 hours - 10 hours)
The Breville has 10 cooking functions which make full use of its wide timer and temperature ranges. Functions that allow for the full adjustment of temperature (120°F - 450°F) include Bake, Roast, Cookies, Reheat, and Warm.
The Toast and Bagel functions have 1-7 levels which include predetermined timers for 1-6 slices. This toaster oven went the extra mile as most others don’t take the number of slices into account.
Meanwhile, the pizza function includes presets for sizes ranging from 6" to 13" along with fresh or frozen pizzas. The Broil function has three preset temperatures including 500°F, 400°F, and 300°F for up to 20 minutes.
The Slow Cook function has two settings: ‘LO’ with a timer of 4-10 hours and ‘HI’ with 2-8 hours; and you can further adjust the timer up and down while cooking. After the Slow Cook cycle finishes, this function automatically turns to Keep Warm at 175°F for up to another 2 hours.
Interior
- Heating Elements:5 quartz + 1 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:4
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:No
The best aspects of the DT201 are its convection system and heating elements. Together, these two systems are designed to eliminate the need for rotating your pans or flipping foods halfway through cooking, a fact that we confirmed with our performance tests.
The convection fan provides airflow of up to 130 CFM (cubic feet per minute). Such a powerful convection system would usually be very noisy but thanks to the door’s tight seal, it wasn’t a problem.
The Ninja has three quartz heating elements on top and two on the bottom; most other similarly-sized units have four in total. What really separates this oven from the rest, however, is its third heat source in the rear, right where the convection fan sits. This nichrome heating element surrounds the convection fan cavity to properly and consistently heat the airflow.
The quartz heating elements heat food directly using infrared light, so airflow isn’t always important. Meanwhile, nichrome heating elements heat up the air around them, so their effectiveness can be improved with the help of convection systems.
The cooking chamber has four tray levels with engraved numbers 1-4 from the bottom up. It also has a coating but it’s not 100% non-stick, so it may be prone to stubborn stains.
Of course, an oven like this won’t lack an interior light. While this oven isn’t designed to accommodate a rotisserie kit, its performance showed that it could provide the same results.
- Heating Elements:5 quartz
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:3
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:All three levels
The BOV845BSS has a non-stick interior coating which explains the black color. The black interior isn’t a problem though thanks to the oven’s interior light. When necessary, you can remove the glass cover to change the interior light bulb which is a G9 type, 25 W, 120 V.
Each of the three tray levels has a safety hook to prevent the oven rack from accidently sliding all the way out. However, only the bottom one is positioned further in, specifically for this purpose. The convection system, while quite powerful, is pleasantly quiet.
The Breville has five quartz heating elements that use infrared light to cook. Compared to the more common nichrome heating elements, these heat up and cool down faster while also being easier to clean and more energy-efficient but don’t last as long in terms of durability.
For this unit, each heating element has a safety guard to prevent direct contact with baking pans and trays. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Capacity of the Ninja Foodi 10-In-1 XL Pro
- Length:14.5" (36.8 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:11.0" (27.9 cm)
The Ninja has the largest cooking chamber out of all the toaster ovens we’ve reviewed so far, measuring around 30.82 liters. While the manufacturer didn’t state a specific capacity, this unit could comfortably accommodate a 12-pound turkey.
Each rack level can also fit nine slices of toast or a 12-inch pizza. With the 2-level even cooking feature, you can roast a 5 lb whole chicken and a tray of vegetables at the same time.
- Length:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Height:8.3" (21.0 cm)
The Breville’s cooking chamber has a capacity of 25 liters which is quite common among large toaster ovens. This was one of the rare occasions where the cooking chamber’s volume that we measured matched the manufacturer’s stated capacity.
Many large units can also fit 6 slices of toast but not all can fit a 13-inch pizza like the Breville. This oven can also fit a 9-cup muffin tray or a 4.16-liter Dutch oven.
Power Cord
- Length:3.2 ft (1.0 m)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 38 inches — plenty for household use. Unfortunately, the oven doesn’t have a storage place for the cord. The rear buffer is also not designed to wrap the cord around.
- Length:3.3 ft (1.0 m)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:110 V - 120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 39.37"—plenty of length for household use. It does protrude from the bottom of the oven though, which may create inconvenient bends.
Accessories
- Length:14.5" (36.8 cm)
- Width:11.5" (29.3 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The Ninja comes with two baking racks which fit perfectly with the rail guides to prevent accidents when moving food in or out.
- Length:14.1" (35.8 cm)
- Width:11.6" (29.5 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking rack fits perfectly with the guide to prevent accidents when placing food in the oven and has a pattern to keep the baking pan on top of it in place.
Accessories
- Length:13.5" (34.4 cm)
- Width:14.5" (36.8 cm)
- Height:1.0" (2.6 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The Ninja comes with two baking pans to make the most out of its capacity. They are designed to be smaller than the baking racks and too short to reach the upper guide rail.
They have an enamel coating which is non-stick and easy to clean. Note that citric acid from citrusy fruits can damage this coating.
- Length:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The baking pan has a non-stick enamel coating. However, it’s not big enough to fit into the guide rails which means it can’t fully utilize the capacity of the cooking chamber.
Accessories
- Length:13.5" (34.4 cm)
- Width:13.5" (34.4 cm)
- Height:1.0" (2.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The broiling rack is designed to fit nicely onto the baking pans and also has an enamel coating. It has grooves and ridges which can give your roast dish that grill-like appearance. The holes at the bottom allow grease to drain from the food onto the baking pan below.
- Length:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The broiling rack fits perfectly on top of the baking pan and shares the same enamel coating. It has grooves and ridges to allow for air circulation around the food as well as holes to allow the grease from the food to drip onto the pan below.
Accessories
- Length:13.5" (34.4 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:0.7" (1.8 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The removable crumb tray is a useful accessory for cleaning up pesky crumbs. The tray also fits perfectly with the oven’s shape so as to minimize crumbs falling onto the oven’s floor when you take it out.
- Length:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Width:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
Similar to the two above, the pizza pan has an enamel coating and can accommodate a pizza of up to 13 inches. It won’t be as effective as a proper pizza stone (which you can purchase) but is still a nice included accessory.
Accessories
- Length:14.5" (36.8 cm)
- Width:11.3" (28.8 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The air fryer basket fits with the guide rails, unlike many other toaster ovens that have a basket which fits inside the baking pan,e.g., the Cuisinart TOA-60. Of course, you’ll still need to place a baking pan below to catch drippings. However, this design choice, combined with its fishnet structure, allows for plenty of space and maximizes heat circulation around the food.
Build Quality
The Ninja’s casing is made of durable and thick stainless steel which gives the oven good heat insulation. Thus, during our tests, the oven’s exterior only got hot to the touch after cooking for a long time at a high temperature (>400°F).
The digital display has a good color contrast which makes it easy to see—an advantage compared to the Instant Omni Plus 18L. Its buttons are highly responsive and very sturdy. All of the accessories are designed well to fit their purposes and make the most out of the oven’s capacity.
Unfortunately, possibly due to uneven metal expansion, the pans that we received bent when heated. Even though they flattened out again once they cooled, this was still a manufacturing flaw.
Moreover, the light button seemed to be broken when we received the oven. We could sometimes turn the light on and sometimes not. Nonetheless, we deemed these flaws to be specific to our particular unit, so we didn’t deduct too many points in terms of build quality.
The Breville has a sturdy build and is made from durable stainless steel. The oven has good heat insulation and a good convection system so the casing rarely gets hot to the touch—only after a long cooking time at a high temperature (>400°F).
Its LCD has a good color contrast, the control dials turn smoothly, and the buttons have good responsiveness. On another note, this unit doesn’t provide enough oven racks to make full use of the three tray levels and additional accessories.
Note: This product adheres to the California Proposition 65.
Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Usability Review
- User Control (30%)9.9/10
- Ease of Use (50%)9.9/10
- Cleanability (20%)8.0/10
- User Control (30%)9.5/10
- Ease of Use (50%)7.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)8.0/10
User Control
The control panel of the Ninja is far from simple but the digital display presents all the information in a way that’s pleasing to the eye and not at all complicated. In addition, its buttons are really straightforward.
The timer adjusts in 1-minute increments when under 1 hour and 5-minute increments when over 1 hour. You can also hold the +/- buttons for 2 seconds to activate faster scrolling in 5-minute increments.
The temperature can be increased in 5-degree increments. You can also hold the +/- buttons for 2 seconds to activate faster scrolling in 10-degree increments.
For the Toast and Bagel functions, the preset temperature is 450°F, similar to all toaster ovens. Adjusting the Temp/Shade and Time/Slice buttons simply changes to a predetermined cooking time.
The best part, however, is that you can select the number of bread slices and toast up to 9 slices at once. You can also manually adjust the time once cooking has started to better choose your preferred shade of browning. This toasting performance really puts the Ninja in a class of its own.
The Air Roast and Air Fry functions are basically distinguished by their tray positioning, especially when cooking two trays at the same time. To utilize the Air Roast function, for instance, you can place the meat dish on tray level 1 and the vegetable dish on level 3. As for the Air Fry function, you can cook two trays of the same food to the same results by placing them on tray levels 2 and 4.
The Dehydrate function is another stand-out feature in our minds. The recipe booklet outlines instructions for several types of food. You can purchase additional dehydration accessories to dehydrate up to 4 levels at one time. The Reheat function can also be used to keep your food warm at around 120°F.
The timer of the Breville is specified by the minute. The temperature can be adjusted in 5°F/5°C increments by turning the knob slowly and in 10°F/10°C increments by turning the knob fast.
You can freely adjust the time and temperature while the oven is running but will need to press Cancel to change the cooking function. Keep in mind that this may repeat the automatic preheat phase if the temperature is lower than the manufacturer’s set point.
Regarding the extra unique features, the Temperature Conversion button is a nice touch for international users. The convection setting can be applied to almost all cooking functions except for Toast, Bagel, and Broil.
The Frozen Foods button adds a predetermined amount of time but only to the Toast, Bagel, Pizza, and Cookies functions. However, we didn’t find it very helpful since cooking time depends heavily on the food quantity and personal preference.
As for the extra cooking functions, the Pizza presets, with predetermined timers, aren’t very useful as they allow for temperature adjustment but don’t take the current temperature into account. The same goes for the Slow Cook function which has a predetermined temperature that isn’t stated in the manual.
According to our observation, the oven reaches and maintains at 325°F on both Low and High so we didn’t get the point of having two settings. In addition, these temperatures are quite high compared to more common slow cookers’ which are around 200°F on low and 300°F on high.
If you want to adjust the temperature for slow cooking in this oven, you can choose the Bake function for which the timer also reaches ten hours.
Ease of Use
The oven has a short automatic preheat phase which lasts 1 minute 25 seconds and heats the oven to around 200°F. While this feature wasn’t very useful in practice, the oven still reaches the correct temperature extremely quickly. All cooking functions use this phase except for Toast, Bagel, Broil, Dehydrate, and Reheat.
Whenever you select a function, the oven will display the optimal oven rack position. As you cycle through functions, you’ll notice the tray-level recommendations change for the best results. When the door is open, display settings freeze to prevent any accidental changes to the cooking cycle.
The 2-level even cooking feature allows you to cook two sheet pan meals at once which can be very helpful for big gatherings or weekly meal prep. The door hinge allows for partial opening at any angle greater than 75° which most toaster ovens can’t do.
The manufacturer’s claim of ‘30% faster cooking than a traditional full-size convection oven’ was a bit arbitrary. The same goes for ‘up to 30% crispier results vs. a traditional convection oven’. Nonetheless, our performance tests did show crispier and juicier results than many other toaster ovens.
We also couldn’t confirm the claim of ‘up to 50% more even baking results vs. a leading countertop oven’. Our observations of the cooking process did show, however, that the oven distributed heat so evenly that there was no need to flip food midway through the bake.
Keep in mind that opening the door stops the oven but not the interior light. During the cooking process, the light will turn off automatically after one minute, and there’s no way to keep it on.
The oven turns off automatically after 10 minutes of no interaction. Nevertheless, we still suggest you unplug the oven after use for safety reasons.
The Breville has an automatic preheat phase for functions that allow for temperature adjustment as mentioned above. According to the manufacturer, this feature will preheat the oven to 75% of the input temperature before sounding an alert. However, our observation showed that it would always preheat to around 300°F taking about 4m 55s regardless of the input temperature.
Due to the eject feature mentioned above, keep in mind to open the door slowly to prevent the rack from sliding too far outward. The door can be kept partially open at an 80° angle to let food cool inside the oven. Doing this doesn’t stop the oven, unlike some others. Be careful as the door can slam shut if you slip while closing.
When the automatic preheat phase or the cooking cycle ends, the interior light will turn on and then turn off after 30 seconds, similar to when you press the light switch. Unfortunately, there’s no way to keep the light on indefinitely.
If not used for 10 minutes, the oven goes into standby mode until you press Start again. Nonetheless, it’s still advised to unplug the oven after use. Your customized setting will remain in the memory of the oven until changed or the oven is unplugged from the power outlet.
Cleanability
The exterior’s stainless steel finish made it very easy to clean. In addition, the interior has plenty of space, so the grease rarely reached the cooking chamber’s walls.
However, the interior doesn’t have a non-stick coating so we had to put in a little effort to clean the grease. We were also worried that grease could have splashed inside the fan cavity.
The baking pans and broiling rack are easy to clean thanks to their enamel coating. The small downside to this was that the stains that did appear stuck out like a sore thumb.
We could remove most bits that fell off our food thanks to the removable crumb tray. Plus, when the door was fully opened, its hinge left a small space where we could just sweep the remaining crumbs out.
Cleaning the Breville was extremely easy thanks to its stainless steel exterior and non-stick interior. There were some tricky nooks and crannies in the cooking chamber but luckily, there was minimal grease splashing after all of our tests.
The enamel baking pan and broiling rack sported some stubborn stains from the roasted chicken even after we washed them with dish soap. Nonetheless, we took care of them quite easily by brushing them with a paste of baking soda and water.
The slide-out crumb tray was also helpful for cleaning up the crumbs but we still had to tilt the oven to get all of the crumbs out.