7/26/2023 0 Comments Ninja foodie air fryer and grillBut the downside is that it’s a chunky appliance and it’s not ideal if you’re short on space. I found that despite its relatively small capacity, the air fry basket felt roomy and there’s definitely a benefit to being able to spread out foods like fries, instead of having to pile them high like in a traditional basket. But if you don’t think you’ll use the grill function, you may as well save some money and look at Ninjas dedicated air fryers, most of which can also dehydrate, roast and bake. For smokeless indoor grilling with minimal cooking smells, this grill will give you great results. I really enjoyed using the grill and air crisp functions and achieved great results with both, so I’d say if you’re going to use both of these functions it’s definitely worth it. Should you buy the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill? If you’ve got a dishwasher and want an easy life, everything is dishwasher friendly including the splatter guard, so there’s actually no need to do it by hand. The grill plate is trickier to clean due to the ridges and grooves, but Ninja supplies a cleaning brush which helps. Thanks to the non-stick coating, hand washing all the accessories was very easy and I didn’t experience any sticking whatsoever. And did I mention how much I liked having enough space in the crisper basket for two grilled cheese sandwiches side-by-side? Cleaning On the plus side though, it’s very simple to use and cooks just as well as other top-performing air fryers. I didn’t mind this, but it is marginally less convenient and some people might find it annoying. Instead, you have to reach for the oven mits and lift out the crisper basket to shake it. As I’ve already mentioned, this means you can’t simply grab a handle to pull out the basket and give it a shake when your fries need stirring. Unlike other air fryers from Ninja and its highly rated competitors such as Instant, this one doesn’t have a pull-out cooking drawer. The heat comes from the lid, so perhaps cooking something like pizza that needs a lot of heat on the base, was not a good idea. Sadly though, the base was still a little too doughy, so I had to chalk this one up as a learning experience. After seven minutes, I opened the lid to check on progress and it was immediately obvious that the cheese and toppings were cooked enough. Maneuvering the doughy fresh pizza base into the cooking pot was tricky to say the least, and I barely managed to do it with the pizza still intact. I know fresh pizzas need a hot oven to cook well, so in the absence of any advice in the cooking charts, I set it to the highest available temperature which was 400☏. So when I was making homemade pizzas for dinner, I thought I’d try and cook one in the Ninja using the bake function to see how it turned out. However, the recipe book doesn’t offer up much guidance or suggested times and temperatures for the bake mode, so I was a bit in the dark and attempted to use it like baking foods in an oven. I did want to have a go with the bake setting. (Image credit: Future) Oven baking in the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill I’m yet to be convinced about the bake mode, though. You can even see it in our guide to the best indoor grills, and it's the only one in that roundup that can also air fry. It’s not perfect, but I found the grill and air fry functions performed well. I tried this grill in my own kitchen for a couple of weeks and found it super easy to use, I’m even tempted to ditch my previous air fryer and keep this instead. It takes up more space in your kitchen than a similar capacity fryer, but having said that, the unique grill function makes it more versatile too, allowing you to produce char-grilled meats, fish and vegetables from the comfort of your kitchen, so no more worrying about sudden rain showers while you grill your steak. In comparison to Ninja’s standalone air fryers, it’s an expensive choice especially given the capacity, but it’s the cheapest of the indoor grill range offered by the brand. And though this is branded as a 5-in-1 grill, what that means in real terms is that as well as an indoor grill, it’s also a stand-in for the best air fryer, plus it can roast, bake and dehydrate. Ninja is one of those brands you can count on when it comes to innovation in kitchen appliances. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
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