A:Answer No it's not like a microwave. A microwave heats faster, in seconds. The ninja foodi heats and cooks in minutes and food turns out great. Your food is either toasted to perfection, baked and moist not dry, and fried just right not soggy. A microwave can't fry, leaves your food soggy and can dry out meats. I really love my foodi ninja, I use it all the time, best investment I've made. It may not heat as fast as a microwave but it's still faster than most counter top ovens.