In a market dominated by premium brands, a new contender has emerged that delivers high-performance air frying without the hefty price tag. The Salter Verticook, a cleverly designed dual-drawer appliance, is making waves by offering features comparable to the acclaimed Ninja Double Stack but for a fraction of the cost.
A Game-Changing Design at a Bargain Price
At first glance, the Salter Verticook looks remarkably familiar. That's because it adopts the same innovative stacked-drawer concept that Ninja pioneered with its Double Stack model. However, the similarity ends when you look at the price. While the Ninja Double Stack XL carries a recommended retail price of £269.99, often not dropping below £220 even on sale, the Salter Verticook was available for just £74.99 during a recent Black Friday promotion.
This represents a saving of more than half, making professional-style air frying accessible to a much wider audience. After several weeks of rigorous testing with a variety of meals, the Verticook has proven it's not just a budget imitation but a serious competitor that performs brilliantly across different cooking tasks.
How the Salter Verticook Compares to Ninja
When comparing specifications, the differences are surprisingly minimal. The Ninja Double Stack XL offers a slightly larger capacity at 9.5 litres compared to the Verticook's 9 litres. There is a smaller 7.6-litre version of the Ninja Double Stack available, but even this compact model typically costs twice as much as the Salter alternative.
Where the Ninja does maintain an edge is in its premium finish. The handles are constructed from metal rather than plastic, the touch-screen control panel feels slightly more responsive, and the drawers operate with a more substantial action. These refinements reflect the higher price point and brand positioning you'd expect from Ninja.
However, the Salter Verticook doesn't just match the Ninja in some areas – it surpasses it in others. Both appliances feature the same practical meal rack system that effectively doubles the cooking surface area of each drawer. More impressively, the Salter model includes 12 preset cooking programs, doubling the six presets available on the Ninja.
The Clever Feature That Gives Salter the Edge
Perhaps the most significant advantage the Verticook holds over its premium competitor is one of simple yet brilliant design. Salter has incorporated clear viewing panels into both cooking drawers, allowing users to monitor their food's progress without interrupting the cooking cycle.
This seemingly obvious feature is curiously absent from the Ninja Double Stack, and it provides a compelling reason to choose the Salter model even without considering the substantial price difference. The dual-drawer system enables cooking different portions at separate temperatures with individual timers, and the appliance intelligently manages both cooking processes simultaneously.
The traditional wisdom that you get what you pay for certainly applies to the Ninja's premium build quality and brand reputation. There's no denying it feels like a more luxurious product that you'd be proud to display in your kitchen. However, when it comes to actual cooking performance, the Salter Verticook delivers results that are almost indistinguishable from its expensive counterpart.
True bargains are rare in the world of kitchen appliances, but the Salter Verticook represents one of those exceptional occasions where smart design and aggressive pricing combine to create outstanding value for money.
