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When several dishes need heat at the same time, a countertop cooker can take pressure off the main oven. Photo: Pexels.
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Thanksgiving cooking has one recurring problem: the oven is never big enough when you need it most.
The turkey is roasting. The casserole needs another 20 minutes. Someone wants to warm the rolls. The sweet potatoes are waiting. Then the first tray of food starts getting cold while everyone tries to work out what can fit where.
That is where an air fryer or countertop air-fry oven can become genuinely useful. Not because it replaces your main oven, but because it gives you a second hot cooking zone for sides, appetizers, rolls and leftovers.
This year, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26. Crafting Your Home recently noted that the average Thanksgiving gathering in Butterball’s 2026 research is expected to be around 10 people, which helps explain why kitchen space becomes such a premium once several dishes are moving at once. Read the Crafting Your Home Thanksgiving survey summary.
If you are trying to decide between a traditional basket-style air fryer and a larger countertop oven, these four models cover the main choices: the COSORI TurboBlaze 6 Qt, Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141, Ninja Flip SP151 and Ninja Flip SP101.
Quick Picks
Best all-round basket air fryer: COSORI TurboBlaze 6 Qt — roomy 6-quart basket, high temperature range and several cooking functions.
Best simple basket air fryer: Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141 — straightforward 5-quart design with four core cooking modes.
Best for holiday sides and countertop space: Ninja Flip SP151 — air fryer, toaster oven and countertop oven that flips up when not in use.
Best if you find the older Flip design at the right deal: Ninja Flip SP101 — similar space-saving countertop concept with air-fry and oven functions.
COSORI TurboBlaze 6 Qt: Best all-round basket air fryer
The COSORI TurboBlaze is the model I would look at first if you want a conventional basket air fryer that can handle more than snacks.
COSORI lists a 6-quart capacity designed for roughly three to five people, a temperature range up to 450°F and functions including Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dehydrate, Frozen, Proof, Reheat and Keep Warm. The basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe, which matters after a long cooking day.
For Thanksgiving, the attraction is flexibility. You could use the main oven for the turkey while the TurboBlaze handles Brussels sprouts, roasted vegetables, reheated appetizers or a smaller batch of stuffing.
The 6-quart square basket also gives you a useful amount of surface area without taking over the entire countertop.
What stands out
- 6-quart capacity
- Up to 450°F
- Multiple cooking functions
- Five fan speeds tied to cooking modes
- Dishwasher-safe basket and crisper plate
- Keep Warm and Reheat functions that are useful during holiday meals
Worth considering: this is still a single basket. If you are feeding a large crowd, you may need to cook sides in batches rather than expecting it to replace an oven rack.
The biggest advantage of a countertop cooker on Thanksgiving is simple: it gives the main oven one less job. Photo: Pexels.
Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141: Best if you want to keep things simple
The Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141 is smaller and simpler than the COSORI, which may actually be the reason to choose it.
Ninja lists a 5-quart basket, cooking temperatures up to 400°F and four core functions: Air Fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate. The basket can hold up to 4 pounds of fries or 5 pounds of chicken wings, according to the manufacturer.
This model makes the most sense if you want an air fryer that does the basic jobs without filling the control panel with modes you may never use.
On Thanksgiving Day, I would think of it as the “side dish machine.” Use it for roasted vegetables, crispy potatoes, reheating appetizers or reviving anything that has gone soft while waiting for the turkey.
What stands out
- 5-quart basket
- Up to 400°F
- Air Fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate
- Nonstick basket and crisper plate
- More compact than a countertop toaster oven
Worth considering: you get less capacity and fewer functions than the COSORI TurboBlaze, so it is better suited to smaller batches.
Ninja Flip SP151: Best for Thanksgiving sides when oven space is tight
This is where the comparison changes.
The Ninja Flip SP151 is not simply a basket air fryer. It is a countertop toaster oven and air fryer with a wide cooking chamber, and Ninja designed it to flip upright against the backsplash when it is not being used.
Ninja says the SP151 offers eight functions: Air Fry, Roast, Broil, Bake, Pizza, Toast, Bagel and Dehydrate. It can air fry up to 4 pounds of ingredients and handle a 12-inch pizza. The company also says flipping it upright can reduce its countertop footprint by 50% while stored.
For Thanksgiving, that wider oven-style shape may be more useful than a deep basket.
Think dinner rolls laid flat on a tray. A small casserole. Roasted vegetables spread out rather than stacked. Leftover slices of turkey and stuffing reheated at the same time.
Crafting Your Home’s recent guide to 12 Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes is a good reminder of just how many dishes can compete for oven space on the holiday — from green bean casserole to stuffing and sweet potatoes.
What stands out
- 8 cooking functions
- Wide oven-style cooking space
- Fits a 12-inch pizza
- Air-fries up to 4 pounds of ingredients
- Flips upright for storage
- Includes an air-fry basket, sheet pan and wire rack
Worth considering: it takes more active counter space while cooking than a basket air fryer, and at 1,800 watts it deserves a suitable wall outlet rather than sharing an overloaded kitchen power strip.
The goal is not another gadget for the sake of it. It is getting all the food to the table hot at roughly the same time. Photo: Pexels.
Ninja Flip SP101: The older space-saving alternative
The SP101 belongs to Ninja’s earlier Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven family and follows the same basic idea: use a wide countertop cooking chamber, then flip the unit upright when you need the counter back.
It remains useful for people who want air frying and oven-style cooking in the same appliance, particularly when the main oven is occupied.
The bigger question is whether the SP101 makes sense beside the newer SP151. If both are available, compare the exact listing, accessories and current price rather than choosing by model number alone.
The SP151 is the cleaner recommendation if you want the newer Flip format, while the SP101 can still be worth considering when the deal is significantly better.
Worth considering: because the SP101 is an older design, verify the exact seller, included accessories and model details on the Amazon listing before buying.
Quick comparison
| Model | Best for | Capacity / format | Max heat | Key advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COSORI TurboBlaze 6 Qt | Most households | 6-qt basket | 450°F | Versatile basket air fryer |
| Ninja AF141 | Simple everyday use | 5-qt basket | 400°F | Easy, compact 4-in-1 setup |
| Ninja Flip SP151 | Holiday sides and baking | Wide oven-style chamber | Check selected function | Flips up to reclaim counter space |
| Ninja Flip SP101 | Value-focused oven alternative | Wide oven-style chamber | Check current listing | Older Flip design |
Which one actually frees up the oven best?
If your Thanksgiving bottleneck is simply roasted vegetables or smaller sides, the COSORI TurboBlaze is probably the easiest answer.
If you mostly want fries, appetizers and reheating throughout the year, the Ninja AF141 keeps the experience uncomplicated.
But if your real Thanksgiving problem is that sheet pans, rolls and casseroles all need somewhere to go, the Ninja Flip SP151 has the biggest strategic advantage because its oven-style chamber handles flatter foods more naturally.
That matters because Thanksgiving prep is fundamentally a scheduling exercise. Crafting Your Home’s Thanksgiving kitchen prep guide based on USDA advice emphasizes planning refrigerator space, thawing and cooking steps in advance. The same logic applies to appliances: decide before Thanksgiving morning which dishes will use the main oven and which will use the countertop cooker.
How to choose the right one
Choose by the food you actually cook
If your priority is fries, wings, roasted vegetables and quick reheating, a basket fryer is the simpler choice.
If you want to toast bread, bake rolls, warm casseroles or spread food across a tray, a countertop oven format makes more sense.
Measure the counter before buying
Holiday kitchens become crowded quickly. Check depth as well as width, and remember that appliances need ventilation while operating.
Do not buy only for Thanksgiving
A countertop appliance should still make sense in January. Think about what you will use on ordinary Tuesday nights once the holiday crowd is gone.
Plan the electrical setup
Air fryers and toaster ovens are high-wattage appliances. Give them appropriate space and follow the manufacturer’s electrical instructions rather than crowding several heat-producing appliances onto the same power strip.
What can you make in an air fryer for Thanksgiving?
An air fryer is most useful for foods that benefit from dry, circulating heat and do not need a huge pan.
Good candidates include roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans, small batches of potatoes, reheated rolls, crispy appetizers and leftover stuffing.
Some traditional dishes are still better in the main oven, especially large casseroles or anything requiring a specific deep baking dish.
And if the oven schedule becomes overwhelming, there is no rule that every Thanksgiving side needs to be elaborate. Crafting Your Home’s roundup of classic Thanksgiving sides can help you decide which dishes are worth protecting oven space for.
FAQ
Can an air fryer replace the oven on Thanksgiving?
Not for a typical full Thanksgiving meal. It is better treated as a second cooking zone for sides, appetizers and reheating while the main oven handles larger dishes.
Is a 5- or 6-quart air fryer big enough for Thanksgiving?
It can be very useful, but expect to cook in batches for a large gathering. The main benefit is taking one or two dishes out of the oven schedule.
Is a basket air fryer or air-fryer toaster oven better?
Basket models are compact and excellent for crisping. Oven-style models are usually better for flatter foods, toast, rolls and small sheet-pan dishes.
Which model is the best pick here?
For everyday versatility, I would choose the COSORI TurboBlaze 6 Qt. For Thanksgiving specifically, where the goal is to create additional oven-style space, the Ninja Flip SP151 is the most useful second appliance.
Final pick
If I were buying one primarily to solve the Thanksgiving oven-space problem, I would choose the Ninja Flip SP151.
The wider cooking area makes it useful for more than fries, and the flip-up storage design becomes valuable once the holiday is over and you want your countertop back.
If you prefer a conventional basket air fryer that will probably get more everyday use, the COSORI TurboBlaze 6 Qt is the stronger all-round option.
