While both brands aim to make your time in the kitchen easier and more enjoyable, Ninja focuses on high-tech countertop appliances that deliver powerful, multi-functional cooking, and Our Place is known for its design-forward, versatile cookware that streamlines your cooking process with beautiful aesthetics. Ninja offers an electronic solution for air frying, roasting, and baking, whereas Our Place provides a stylish, all-in-one stovetop pan.
Let's compare these two beloved brands to help you decide which is the right fit for your kitchen and cooking style.
Ninja: The High-Performance Kitchen Appliance Brand
Ninja is a major player in the kitchen appliance market, celebrated for creating powerful, user-friendly blenders, multi-cookers, and especially air fryers. The Ninja "Crispi" terminology refers to their line of air fryers that use advanced technology for quick, even crisping with little to no oil. They target home cooks who prioritize speed, convenience, and a high degree of versatility from a single countertop machine.
- Product mix: A wide range of countertop appliances, with a strong focus on their famous air fryers, multi-cookers (like the Foodi), and high-powered blenders.
- Style/vibe: Sleek, modern, and utilitarian. Designs feature a mix of black and stainless steel accents, emphasizing function and blending into a contemporary kitchen without standing out.
- Price point: Mid-range and accessible. Popular air fryers typically cost between $120 and $200, offering significant technological features for the price.
- Quality: Known for durable construction using sturdy plastics and stainless steel. The non-stick coatings on baskets are PFOA-free and designed for performance and easy cleaning.
- Dimensions/Scale: Air fryer capacities generally range from 4 to 6 quarts, making them suitable for singles, couples, and small to medium-sized families looking to cook main dishes or sides.
- Sales: Ninja products are frequently on sale at major retailers, especially during holiday periods like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
- Shopping Experience: Widely available at major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target, making them easy to purchase both online and in-store.
Ninja is the go-to for anyone seeking a powerful appliance that can perform multiple cooking tasks like air frying, roasting, and reheating with technical precision and speed.
Shop Ninja: ninjakitchen.com
Our Place: The Stylish, Multi-Functional Cookware Brand
Our Place became an internet sensation with its thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing kitchenware, particularly the flagship Always Pan. The brand’s philosophy is centered on creating products that are both beautiful and functional, designed to replace multiple traditional kitchen items to reduce clutter. They appeal to design-conscious consumers, urban dwellers, and anyone who wants their cookware to double as a piece of decor.
- Product mix: Focused on versatile cookware and dinnerware. The Always Pan is its hero product, but the line has expanded to include the Perfect Pot, bakeware, and other kitchen essentials.
- Style/vibe: Vibrant, modern, and minimalist. Celebrated for its signature color palette, Our Place products are designed to be "Instagram-worthy" and displayed on the stovetop.
- Price point: Mid-range to premium. The Always Pan 2.0 retails for around $150, positioning it as an investment piece that replaces multiple other pans.
- Quality: Made from high-quality aluminum with a non-toxic, non-stick ceramic coating that ensures even heating and effortless cleaning. Materials are chosen for durability and safe cooking.
- Sustainability: The brand emphasizes manufacturing with responsible materials, creating non-toxic cookware, and reducing consumption by making one item that serves many functions.
- Dimensions/Scale: Sized for daily use, the Always Pan is ideal for cooking meals for one to four people, perfect for small families, couples, and apartment living.
- Shopping Experience: Primarily sold direct-to-consumer through the Our Place website, which fosters a strong brand community through recipes and storytelling.
Our Place is perfect for those who value beautiful design and high-quality, non-toxic materials, offering a streamlined cookware solution that looks as good as it performs.
Shop Our Place: ourplace.com
Ninja vs. Our Place Comparison
Price Comparison
While their products sit at a similar mid-range price point, the value proposition is entirely different. A Ninja air fryer at $120-$200 buys you a piece of cooking technology - an appliance capable of functions like air frying, roasting, baking, and dehydrating. It's a machine designed for speed and convenience.
The Our Place Always Pan at around $150 buys you a beautifully crafted piece of stovetop cookware meant to replace your fry pan, sauté pan, steamer, skillet, and more. Here, the value is in materials, design, and its ability to consolidate your cookware collection and save cabinet space. One is an investment in countertop cooking tech, the other is an investment in versatile, aesthetically pleasing stovetop cookware.
Style & Aesthetic
The visual difference between Ninja and Our Place is stark. Ninja products are designed with a sleek, tech-forward, and functional aesthetic. With a palette of black, gray, and stainless steel, they are made to look durable and powerful and fit seamlessly into a modern kitchen without drawing too much attention. The focus is clearly on the user interface and performance.
Our Place is all about aesthetics. The brand’s claim to fame is its stunning color palette and minimalist design. The Always Pan isn't meant to be hidden in a cupboard, it’s a statement piece for your stovetop. If making your kitchen more beautiful is a goal, Our Place has a clear advantage.
Quality & Construction
Both brands deliver quality, but their materials serve different purposes. Ninja's appliances are built with high-grade, durable plastics and stainless steel components to house its heating elements and fans. The construction is solid and geared towards consistent electronic performance and safety.
Our Place uses high-quality raw materials for its cookware, like a heavy-gauge cast aluminum body for even heat distribution and a non-toxic, long-lasting ceramic non-stick coating. The focus is on tactile quality, heat performance on a stovetop, and safe, food-grade surfaces.
Product Selection
Ninja has a vast and varied portfolio. Beyond the "Crispi" air fryers, the brand offers dozens of products, including blenders, indoor grills, coffee makers, and multi-cookers. They are a one-stop shop for a wide array of countertop kitchen electronics.
Our Place has a more focused, curated collection. While it started with the Always Pan, it has thoughtfully expanded into categories like the Perfect Pot, bakeware, knives, and dinnerware. Their approach is less about broad market coverage and more about creating a complete, aesthetically cohesive system for cooking and dining.
Shopping Experience
Purchasing a Ninja product is incredibly easy due to its widespread distribution. You can find them at nearly any major retailer, from Target to Amazon, allowing for competitive price shopping and quick local pickup. The experience is transactional and convenient.
Our Place has cultivated a loyal community through its direct-to-consumer model. Buying from their website feels more like joining a brand movement, complete with beautiful storytelling, recipes, and a strong social media presence. This creates a more personal and engaging shopping experience.
Sustainability & Ethics
Our Place places sustainability at the core of its brand message. By creating a multi-functional pan, the goal is to encourage a more minimalist kitchen with fewer items. The company also emphasizes its use of non-toxic coatings and responsibly sourced materials, as well as eco-friendly packaging.
Ninja traditionally focuses more on the durability and powerful performance of its appliances rather than on sustainability. While their products are built to last, reducing frequent replacements, the brand doesn't highlight eco-friendly manufacturing or materials as a primary selling point.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice comes down to what you want to add to your kitchen - a high-tech cooking appliance or a design-forward cookware essential?
Choose Ninja if:
- You want to cook crispy foods like french fries and chicken wings with significantly less oil.
- You value speed and multifunctional convenience from a single countertop appliance.
- You're looking for a machine that can roast, bake, and reheat leftovers to perfection.
- Function and performance are more important to you than kitchen aesthetics.
Choose Our Place if:
- You're looking to declutter your kitchen and replace several old pots and pans with one versatile piece.
- Aesthetics are important, and you want cookware that looks beautiful on your stove.
- You prioritize cooking with non-toxic, PFOA-free, and PTFE-free materials.
- Your primary cooking methods are stovetop-based, like sautéing, steaming, frying, and making sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ninja Crispi best for?
The "Crispi" technology in Ninja air fryers is best for achieving a crispy, golden-brown texture on foods with little to no oil. It excels at cooking things like french fries, chicken wings, roasted vegetables, and reheating leftovers like pizza to restore their original crispiness.
Is the Our Place Always Pan really non-stick?
Yes, the Always Pan features a high-quality ceramic non-stick coating that is very effective. To maintain it, it's recommended to use low to medium heat, avoid metal utensils, and hand-wash it, though it is technically dishwasher safe.
Is Ninja or Our Place cheaper?
Their core products are similarly priced - Ninja's popular air fryers and Our Place's Always Pan both hover around the $120-$150 mark. Neither is a "cheaper" brand, but they offer different types of value for that price.
Which is better for a small kitchen?
Our Place is arguably better for freeing up cabinet space by replacing 8-10 traditional cookware pieces. However, a Ninja appliance takes up countertop space. It depends on where you're shorter on space - cabinets or counters. In terms of reducing clutter, the Always Pan from Our Place is hard to beat.
Can they perform the same cooking functions?
No, they have very different functions. A Ninja air fryer uses circulating hot air for dry-heat cooking methods like frying, baking, and roasting. The Always Pan is stovetop cookware for searing, sautéing, steaming, simmering, and frying in oil.
Is Our Place cookware oven-safe?
The newest version of the Always Pan is oven-safe up to 450°F, making it more versatile than the original version. The Perfect Pot is also oven-safe. Always check the specific product guidelines on their site.
How easy are Ninja air fryers to clean?
Very easy. The air fryer baskets and crisper plates are typically non-stick and dishwasher-safe, making cleanup quick and straightforward.
Which brand makes a better gift?
Our Place products are extremely popular as gifts due to their beautiful design, attractive colors, and thoughtful packaging. A Ninja is also a fantastic gift, but it's better for someone who you know has specifically mentioned wanting an air fryer or multi-cooker.
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