Yes I Have A Few Traditional Slow Cookers Too And Now I Just Added This Ninja Foodi Grill
Update Now they have a Ninja Smart Grill you can get that offers a few other perks and tricks to cooking food perfectly.
I know that seems excessive but since I cook and do reviews for a living I have been lucky enough to receive several of these free of charge so I can share my thoughts with all of you. I received this Ninja Grill because I contributed a recipe to a Ninja Foodi cookbook they are currently creating.
- Honestly, I wasnt so sure I really needed this. I really wanted a Foodi in white but they ran out and I was left choosing this to try out.
We have a large outdoor grill at our home and a smoker so I thought the last thing I needed was an indoor grill. BUT at our cabin up in Northern Idaho we didnt have any way to grill so I had this sent there.
I made this Ninja Foodi Pro Grill review video while I made the first thing in it which was brats and air fryer vegetables!
I only used a few ingredients to make dinner tonight, and took a few photos to show you here.
Is the Ninja Foodi Grill worth it?
If you love grilling but you live in an area where you wont want to cook outside year round, then yes. Looking for a multi function air fryer, this has a few functions so save room on your countertop.
Why does my Ninja Foodi grill smoke?How do you cook bacon in the Ninja Foodi grill?
We have step by step directions to make air fryer bacon for you right here. It is the only way we make it now.
Recipes To Enjoy This With
Filed Under: Air Fryer Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Chicken Wing Recipes, Clean Eating Recipes, Easy Keto Recipes: 30 Minutes or Less, Healthy Recipes, Keto Appetizer Recipes, Keto Dinner Recipes, Keto Recipes, Ninja Foodi Recipes
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Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer Review: Verdict
The Ninja is a beautifully designed air fryer with a unique feature the ability to cook two foods at different temperatures at the same time. Each basket can hold a pound of food which makes this a great air fryer for feeding a family, whether everyone will eat the same thing or you need to make two different dishes to satisfy everyones preferences. Once you master the programming its easy to use, but theres a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. It will fry most things you throw into it with ease, with the exception of fries from scratch, and will do so quickly as theres no need to preheat.
However, this model isnt for you if youre tight for countertop space or want to roast a chicken in your air fryer. The Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer is also quite pricey, costing about $60 more than our winner, the Cosori Smart Wifi Air Fryer 5.8qt, but if you think about it, you are getting two air fryers in one.
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Features: Dual Baskets With Coordinated Cooking Options
Air fryers have gone from new and innovative to ubiquitous. But that doesnt mean theres nothing new to be found. This Ninja model solves the not-enough-space problem while also freeing cooks from having to choose whether the wings or the fries get air fried. The dual baskets, along with the ability to control the left and right side separately, means that either side can have its own time and temperature settings. Even better, though, are the Smart Finish and Match options.
With Smart Finish, the cook can set separate cooking times and temperatures for each basket, then let the machine handle starting the shorter cooking time so the two items finish at the same time. Of course, that doesnt help if the cook is guessing how long something will take, but its perfect when making family favorites, so the fish and chips are done at the same time.
The Match option simply repeats the settings from one side to the other. Its not an earthshaking innovation, but when a double batch of wings is in the fryer, its nice to be able to set the time and temp a single time, then start both at the same time. I noticed that the right side cooked just a little hotter than the left side. It wasnt a dealbreaker and the difference wasnt major, but it was enough to notice that foods on the right were slightly darker than those on the left.
The Ninja Foodi Dz201 Match Cook
The DZ201 features a smart finish feature. Simply put, the foods will finish simultaneously even if they have different cook times, temps, or perhaps functions.
It works together with the hold function. So, instead of cooking right away, the other zone will not start until it matches the cooking time of the other zone.
*Product Images and Videos Courtesy of Shark Ninja
Alternatively, if youre cooking the same recipe, you can press the match function to copy the exact same settings. Brilliant right?
For advanced cooks or amateur cooks, this is an excellent feature. It makes sure that both foods will still be hot when served. Plus, you dont have to worry about setting a timer for yourself on when to start the second dish.
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Testing The Ninja Foodi
When I received the first Foodi, Id never used an air fryer before, so I also sent a Foodi to my good friend and one of the moderators of my , Genene, to test. Genene loves cooking with her electric pressure cookers and she has a couple of air fryers that she uses on a regular basis in conjunction with her pressure cookers, so I knew shed be able to tell me how the Foodi stacks up.
We both agree that its nice having only one appliance that can do two things, but there are drawbacks as well. The biggest drawback is that the air frying lid / crisping lid is not removable. The crisping lid stays in the open position while youre pressure cooking. Genene felt the crisping lid was in the way when she was using the saute feature to saute vegetables before pressure cooking.
The pressure cooking lid is a separate, detachable lid, so youll need room in your pantry or kitchen to store it.
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Schlo 24qt Air Fryer/toaster Oven
The oven/air fryer combos are very popular in commercial kitchens. They offer the convenience of an air fryer, as well as the versatility of an oven. The Schloß 24Qt Air Fryer Oven is a great option for businesses that want to invest in this type of equipment.
The oven has a capacity of 24qt, which means it can cook a large amount of food at once. The large cooking space can fit a whole chicken or up to 12 cups of french fries. The unit also has 7 pre-programmed settings including French fries, pizza, barbecue, roasting, and defrost. It also has a manual mode so you can control the temperature and cooking time.
Schloß 24Qt has two speeds of air circulation, which gives you more control over the cooking process. The fast speed is perfect for frying and the slow speed is ideal for baking and roasting.
The oven comes with a removable crumb tray and a wire rack, which makes it easy to clean. It also has a tempered glass door so you can keep an eye on your food while its cooking, which you cannot do with classic basket-style air fryers.
Be aware that this is a Chinese-made product, despite what the name might lead you to believe. This means that its cheaper than some brands, but it features lower quality parts. Overall, we think that the performance is good, and the build quality is satisfactory.
Features:
- 2 speeds of air circulation
Cons:
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What To Look For In A Commercial Air Fryer
When choosing a commercial air fryer for your restaurant, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
- Size: The size of the unit is important, both in terms of the physical dimensions and the capacity. You need to make sure that the unit will fit in the space you have available and that it has enough capacity to meet your needs.
- Temperature Range: The temperature range is also important, as you need to make sure that the air fryer can handle the types of food you want to cook.
- Ease of Use: You need to make sure that the air fryer is easy to use, as you dont want your employees to waste time trying to figure out how to operate the machine.
- Cleaning: Another important consideration, as you need to make sure that the air fryer is easy to clean and that it doesnt require any special cleaning solutions or tools.
- Price: As a responsible business owner, you need to make sure that the air fryer is within your budget. There are a number of different factors that will affect the price, such as the size, features, and brand.
- Warranties and Service: Finally, you should also make sure that the air fryer comes with a good warranty and that there is a company that can provide service and support if you need it.
Making Ninja Foodi Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
There was a Pepperoni Pizza Pasta in the Foodi recipe book. Since I also have a Pepperoni Pizza Pasta recipe in my cookbook, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, I thought it would be fun to give their version a try.
After pressure cooking the noodles and sauce for 6 minutes, you top it with cheese and pepperoni. Then you use the air fryer lid to melt and brown the cheese. The cheese browned a little more than I usually like. However, I liked that you can lift up the air fryer lid any time while its cooking. The blower pauses while the lid is raised and you can check and see if you want more or less browning.
While it was great to be able to melt and brown the cheese in the same pot, the disadvantage is that you dont have as much surface area as you would in a 9×13 pan to spread the cheese out over the pasta. Also, it makes a big pot of pasta. I had a leftovers that I store in the pressure cooking pot in the fridge, so the inner pot wasnt available to cook something the next day without transferring it to another dish.
Get my version of the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Pasta recipe.
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Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer Review: Ease Of Use And Cleaning
This is not a product for anyone who is not willing to read the owners manual multiple times. Although the multi functionality can be confusing at first, after a few uses, you get the hang of programming.
The buttons are responsive and well laid out on the panel. Each of the baskets has a rack on which food is placed. Its very easy to pull the baskets out of the machine and lift the racks from the baskets as well as reposition everything.
Its improbable that you would get burned by the Ninja as it operates, although on the lower right-hand side, we measured an external temperature of 137°F which is starting to get hot. If you have to use the controls or one of the handles to pull out the baskets, you can do so easily as they remain at room temperature. As it operates, the air fryer has a dBA reading of 65.5 which is one of the highest readings we got from an air fryer. This is roughly the noise level of conversation in your home.
Both the basket and its insert have a nonstick finish for easy hand cleaning, but they can also be safely washed via the dishwasher.
With this air fryer, you get an owners guide which clearly explains how to use it. However, as the machine is multifunctional and programming it is somewhat complicated, you will find yourself referring to it often, especially when its still new. A Quick Start Guide is also included which contains an overview of operation, lots of cooking charts, and some recipes.
Ninja Foodi Vs Instant Pot: Prices And Products
To put it simply, Instant Pots are standalone electric pressure cookers. But they do so much more than that. At the most basic end of the spectrum, Instant Pot multi-cookers act as a 6-in-1 pressure cooker. This means that all models in the Pot range can pressure cook, slow cooker, steam, sauté, cook rice and act as a food warmer.
While some of the more premium models can also air fry, sous vide food, make yogurt and sterilize baby bottles. Most of the Instant Pot multi-cookers come in 3, 4, 8 and 10-quart options.
- Instant Pot Duo
- Instant Pot Duo Plus
- Instant Pot Lux
Winner: For us, Instant Pots range comes out on top when it comes to price and the sheer range of great products available. The brand has far more multi-cookers to choose from, each of which are kitted out with a whole host of different features. It also beats Ninja Foodi on price every time.
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Which Ninja Foodi Should You Buy All The Cookers And Air Fryers Compared
While some of us may find an evening standing at the stovetop therapeutic, or even inspiring, there are just as many folks who would willingly ditch the hours of prep, stirring, and constant pan and oven checks in exchange for the time spent. Thats where high-performance small kitchen appliances come into play. Lets look at two types: Multicookers and air fryers.
A multicooker is a compact kitchen appliance thats easy enough to stow away but just as simple to break out and quickly set up when its needed. Built for speed and convenience, the average cooker allows you to boil, simmer, sauté, grill, and roast a myriad of breakfast, dinner, and dessert recipes using significantly fewer ingredients, with finished meals ready for eating in record time.
An air fryer is another type of small appliance that uses fan-driven convection technology to create a crisp outer shell for a number of deep-fried favorites. Everything from mozzarella sticks to onion rings can be whipped together quickly, and best of all, air fryers require little to no cooking oils to achieve that perfect crisp exterior and melt-in-your-mouth interior.
Ninja Foodi Vs Instant Pot: Benefits To You
Both Instant Pot and Ninja Foodis multi-cookers would appeal to both chefs who want to use the top-of-the-range cooking devices to try out new recipes and cooking techniques.These multi-cookers would also appeal to those who like batch cooking or food lovers who want to experiment in the kitchen, because you get at least six different kitchen appliances in one machine.
Both multi-cookers offer you the ability to mix up your cooking. You can air-fry one day, warm up food the next day and cook a big pot of rice the following. Plus, these handy kitchen gadgets can save you time.
They can cut down on the amount of minutes you spend cooking, as you just have to put all your ingredients in one pot and they can cut down on the amount of time spent washing up as theres just one dish to clean.Winner: Its a tie! Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi offer umpteen benefits to people looking to simplify their cooking, or cut down on the amount of pots, pans and utensils they need to make a wide range of meals.
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Ninja Foodi Deluxe Xl Fd401 8 Qt Pressure Cooker Air Fryer
If you want a device that can do it all, you cannot go wrong with the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL FD401 8 Qt Pressure Cooker Air Fryer. This 8-quart version we are looking at today is the biggest available and it is the perfect addition for any cook who loves to make delicious food in a variety of ways.
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What Is The Difference Between A Pressure Cooker A Slow Cooker And A Multicooker
Given how many different types of kitchen gadgets are on the market these days, its helpful to know the difference between a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, and a multicooker.
In brief, a slow cookeroften referred to as a Crock-Potcooks or simmers food at a relatively low temperature for a long time. Its frequently used to make stews, briskets, or anything that you might want to prep before heading out for the day and eat when you get home from work.
A pressure cooker speeds up this process by sealing food and liquid in a pot and using the trapped steam from cooking to quickly raise both the temperature and pressure. That makes them great for quickly making a meal that would otherwise take an hour or two.
Older pressure cookers used to be mostly stovetop models, but these days theyre largely electric and live on your counter.
The Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker are Instant Pot Ultra are both multi-cookers that can do a lot more than slow cookthe Ninja can ever air fry.
A multicooker is simply an electric cooking device that combines multiple functions, such as slow cooking and pressure cooking and yogurt making, into one device.
In our experience, most electric pressure cookersincluding the Instant Potare actually multicookers. But before you buy one, make sure it has the functions that youre most likely to use.
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