Ninja has started selling its first-ever microwave. It is called the Ninja Crispi Microwave, and it does two jobs: it works as a regular microwave and also as an air fryer. It costs $449.99 and is sold through SharkNinja's online store under the model number MW101 The Verge.

Most microwaves have a glass plate that spins your food around while it heats. The Crispi Microwave does not. Instead, it uses what is called a flatbed design, which means the bottom of the microwave is flat and the energy that heats your food is spread out from underneath. Ninja says this gives you about 40 percent more flat space to put food on. The microwave has presets for popcorn, defrosting, frozen dinners, and softening butter.

The air fryer part heats air up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. It has settings for air bake, max crisp, and air broil. The food goes in a 5.5-quart glass container that comes with an insert — a raised piece that lifts food so hot air can flow underneath it, the same way a convection oven uses a fan to blow hot air around. Ninja says the container is big enough to cook an 8-pound chicken. The microwave also comes with two lids: one for storing food and one with a vent for steaming vegetables.

SharkNinja's website lists the MW101 at $449.99, a one-cent difference from the $449 figure reported by The Verge SharkNinja. The company offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on all its products, free shipping on orders over $99 with some exclusions, and product warranty registration Ninja Kitchen.

The $449.99 price is well above what a basic microwave costs, usually between $100 and $200. But it is in the same range as high-end air fryer ovens from other brands. Air frying has gone from being a novelty to something many people now expect in new kitchen appliances, and combining two cooking methods into one machine is a way to save counter space.

The thing to think about with any appliance that does two jobs is whether it does both well enough to replace the two separate machines you might otherwise own. The flatbed design means there is no glass plate to remove and clean, which is convenient. But flatbed microwaves heat food differently, and how evenly they cook depends on how well the manufacturer designed the energy distribution. With a spinning plate, food rotates through hot and cold spots, which helps average things out. Without that rotation, results can depend more on the shape and size of what you are cooking.

The 5.5-quart container is a good size for a combination unit — big enough for a full roast chicken. Building an air fryer into a microwave is harder than making a standalone air fryer, because the microwave cavity limits how much space and heat the air frying part can work with. The fact that Ninja made a dedicated glass container with a piece that lifts food for better airflow suggests they took the air frying mode seriously rather than just adding it as a selling point.

The 60-day money-back guarantee matters here. It gives you enough time to try cooking a range of foods in both modes and see whether the microwave heats evenly and the air fryer cooks well. If either mode falls short, the whole point of buying a two-in-one device is lost.

Ninja has never made microwaves before, so this is a new direction for the company, not an update to an existing product. Whether the combination actually saves space and cooks well enough to replace two appliances is something only hands-on testing will answer. The specifications, at least, suggest this is a genuine effort rather than a quick add-on.