Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Steam Airfryer 9L Verdict

Who it fits

The Philips NA551 is strongest when you regularly cook with steam and want separate spaces for a main and a side. The additional cooking modes are worthwhile only if you will use them.

Its differentiator is not 9L total capacity by itself. The decision is whether Steam, Steam + Air Fry and Steam Clean solve recurring jobs that a conventional air-fryer workflow does not need to solve.

Choose it for households that want to steam foods such as fish, vegetables or dumplings while keeping dual-basket air frying available in the same appliance. It also makes sense when a larger main drawer and smaller side drawer reflect how dinner is usually portioned.

It is a weaker fit when steam is not important, when both sides of the meal regularly need similarly large cooking zones, or when a very compact kitchen makes a 38.3cm-wide × 44.4cm-deep × 35.5cm-high appliance difficult to place.

Retailer prices

Prices we've recently checked.

We keep retailer prices separate from product fit. Different retailers and marketplace sellers can show different prices, and prices and availability can change. Check the retailer before buying.

JB Hi-Fi Australia

$299

Checked 7 Oct

What changes the decision

Steam has to change what you actually cook

The NA551 earns its place in the Air Fryer set because steam is integrated into an asymmetric dual-basket format. That is more meaningful than simply counting presets or cooking methods.

If moist-heat cooking is a recurring requirement, the combination of Steam and Steam + Air Fry changes the jobs the appliance is being asked to cover. If you mainly want conventional air frying, those additional modes should not be treated as automatic value.

This is the central switching rule: buy for the steam workflow, not for the longer feature list.

The 6L + 3L split matters as much as the total capacity

The NA551 has 9L total capacity split 6L + 3L. That is a main-and-side architecture rather than two equal baskets.

That can be useful when one component of the meal is consistently larger than the other. It is less convincing when you regularly cook two foods in similar quantities, because the smaller basket remains the limiting side of the pair.

The total-capacity headline therefore does not answer the real question. The relevant question is whether the asymmetric split matches your portions.

Steam Clean is an ownership feature, not the purchase thesis

Steam Clean gives the NA551 a cleaning-oriented function that a basic air-fryer workflow does not need. It is reasonable to count that as an ownership convenience.

Steam Clean gives you another cleaning option, but does not guarantee that the whole appliance is faster to wash. If easy upkeep matters, consider the baskets and accessories as well.

The better decision rule is to treat Steam Clean as supporting value after the steam-cooking case already makes sense.

More capability also means more appliance to accommodate

The NA551 measures 38.3cm wide × 44.4cm deep × 35.5cm high and weighs 8.75kg in the product record. Its own positioning record marks very compact kitchens as an unsuitable use case.

That does not make it unusually large relative to every rival; PIQSY does not make that comparison without a like-for-like evidence check. It does mean the appliance deserves an intentional bench-space decision rather than being treated like a compact single-basket fryer.

The same principle applies to complexity. Steam, combined steam-and-air-fry cooking, dual baskets and sync finishing broaden what the appliance can do, but they are only advantages when those workflows are actually useful.

How useful is owner feedback?

Owner feedback can help you judge day-to-day cleaning and cooking. For this model, the stronger reasons to choose it are still the steam functions and the 6L + 3L basket layout.

There are known unknowns

The NA551 product record currently does not resolve a warranty length. PIQSY therefore does not use warranty duration as a reason to prefer or reject this model.

That is an evidence-confidence boundary, not evidence that the product has no warranty. Check the current manufacturer or retailer terms at the point of purchase if warranty length is important to your decision.

Prices and owner ratings can change. Before buying, check the current offer and whether you would actually use the extra steam functions.

Who should choose something else

Consider Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Airfryer 9L: Families wanting to cook a main and side simultaneously in two independently controlled baskets.

PIQSY conclusion

Choose the NA551 when steam genuinely expands your regular cooking workflow, the 6L + 3L split matches your portions, and you have space for the appliance. In that scenario, its additional systems are solving recurring jobs rather than adding unused capability.

Skip it when you do not value steam, when a very compact kitchen is the binding constraint, or when two similarly large cooking zones fit your meals better. Those are not minor caveats: they directly weaken the reasons the NA551 exists in this set.