Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, it is probably important to know that I am transitioning from an old Samsung Convection Toaster Oven to this and I have only been using this for two weeks. I looked at other options but they seemed huge (in size). One of the complaints I have read about the Ninja SP101 is that it is smaller. It is. It is good sized in depth and width but lacks (for some) in height. For me, that works but even when I made a good sized amount of nachos I had to press it down a bit so it didn't get too near the heating element. I am single and cook for 1-2 people and this is ideal. It takes up a bit larger footprint than my ancient Samsung but is lower profile. I don't mind the lower profile (I prefer it) and unless you are wanting to cook multiple items or any foods that are higher vertical then this is fine. It also looks good sitting on my counter. PROS: I like the controls and after a short learning curve is pretty simple to use. This pre-heats up quickly and cooks fast. The first item I cooked was frozen fries and used the Air Fryer. The fries were crisp and tasty. I was very happy with this. I toasted bread and bagels and it seemed to toast fairly uniformly taking a bit longer that I thought it would considering how powerful this oven is. I'm good with this. I used Air Broil to make nachos and it was perfect and quick! I used Bake to make some cookies and used parchment paper and it worked well. I ordered the casserole dish, thinking the higher sides would help prevent messes. Last night I cooked a wok dinner with tofu cubes, peppers, onions, noodles (boiled first), carrots, broccoli, celery and cashews with a teriyaki marinade. OMG, this was so good and no messes and the new casserole dish is non stick and although lighter and most likely cheaper (in quality), I prefer using this to the pan that came with the oven. Dinner was delicious! I have not used Dehydrate and Keep Warm functions yet. The light is a nice feature. CONS: During Air Fry the left front corner seems to cook hotter and burnt the edges of my french fries in this corner. The fries (in just this corner) were still edible just blackened. I have read that some customers thought the oven was difficult to clean. The sheet pan included with the oven is heavier than the casserole dish I later purchased but it seems more difficult to clean, as I had to make a few attempts to remove cheese. The surface is not smooth and has small bumps on it that concern me, but really not with reason as of yet. My main focus is to keep the oven clean and prevent splattering and boil overs as the heating elements are exposed and I feel are vulnerable. I will be using parchment paper and using the casserole dish more than the sheet pan. I have not made pizza yet but my concern here is that if I set the pizza on the rack there is nothing below it to catch any potential mess and can fall on the heating elements. There is the crumb tray but that is below the heating element. My initial thought was to place the cooking sheet under the wire rack but the sheet (and casserole dish) are designed to sit on top of the rack and don't use the grooves on the sides to support itself. I tested out putting the crumb tray directly under the wire rack and it does fit so this would protect the heating element but if I'm going to do this, I probably should just use the cooking sheet pan instead. I have often considered putting a silicone baking sheet under the wire rack to catch any drippings or mess but, again, does this defeat the open cooking of using the wire rack? I'd prefer to cook a pizza in a pan rather than drip on the heating element as my biggest concern (from other reviews) was that once it drips on the element it is nearly impossible to clean. Right now I am operating under the delusion of keeping the SP101 new but this is not practical (for any oven). It would be nice if the tray was spring loaded and would come out when the door was opened. You must manually pull out the tray or wire rack to remove from oven so you really need to have oven mitts at the ready to even add ingredients. My Air Fry Basket has a minor defect in the middle of it but is minor. Other: I don't use the flip feature as I'm OK with its footprint and as I said earlier, it looks good sitting on the counter. But the flip feature does work well and if you are interested in this feature it seems worthwhile. I have been pulling the oven out when I use it to keep the cord away from the oven and giving it more space to ventilate. I have a plastic can opener mounted above where I use the oven. Even after a 450 degree cooking the can opener is warm to the touch but does not get too hot. The sides of the oven don't get overly hot (but the glass does). This seems well built and I probably don't need to pull it out but will continue to do so. I don't think I will ever have a reason to use my regular oven again. This oven is big enough (for my cooking needs) and this oven pre-heats so much faster than my big oven, cooks more evenly and is more convenient. I am going to give my big oven a good cleaning and know it will stay clean as I probably won't use it again. This oven is a good air fryer and I am impressed with the results, but I have never had an air fryer before. All the other functions seem really good. The wire rack and sheet pan are sturdy but I wish the sheet pan could support itself using the rails like how the air fry basket does. The air fry basket is flexible but still sturdy and mine had a minor defect. The crumb try is fine. I really like the added casserole tray. I would highly recommend this product unless you need or want the extra height of the Cuisinart TOA60. The Cuisinart, after reading reviews, was my first pick but after looking at the overall footprint, I decided against it. I am happy with the size and performance of the Ninja SP101. I will update this only if I have some issue with the oven.