Is The Ninja Foodi Grill Worth It

Is The Ninja Foodi Grill Easy To Clean

Is the Sear ‘N Sizzle Grill Grate worth buying for the Ninja Foodi XL Grill? Let’s Find Out!

The cooking surfaces all have a nice nonstick coating that makes cleanup really quite easy. You may notice some longer/hotter cook times leave behind a more oily surface reside that takes a little extra to wash off, but thats the case with any dishes, honestly.

Youll have to remove and clean the splatter shield in the lid after each use, but that plus all other removable parts are dishwasher safe, so cleanup should be quite a breeze!

Is The Ninja Foodi Worth Buying

Ive been a fan of Alton Brown for more than a decade for his approach to food thats equal parts science, history and good ole common sense. As such, I tend to take his rules for cooking to heart, especially his disdain for unitools. You know, those one-use gadgets that can only do one thing really well and typically end up gathering dust somewhere in a far-flung corner of a kitchen drawer or cabinet.

Thats why I was initially skeptical of the Ninja Foodi. Its large, has an equally big attachment and seemed like a step down from an Instant Pot. But after owning one for almost a year, I can confidently say its been a great addition to my kitchen repertoire, and earns its reputation as one of the best air fryers you can buy.

The Bottom Line: The Ninja Foodi is a kitchen multitasker that’s as big on features as it is in size. Not only can it slow cook, sear and saute, it also functions as a pressure cooker and air fryer, complete with swappable lids.

Pros: This ain’t no one-trick pony. The Ninja Foodi can prepare a variety of foods faster than conventional means thanks to its pressure cooker functionality. And when you’re done, you can crisp things up with the built-in air fryer.

My other beef is that it can be a bit difficult to clean the air fryer lid. Youll definitely want of those small flexible brushes to get those hard-to-reach places between the grate and the actual lid.

Can I Use My Ninja Foodi As A Slow Cooker

Slow Cook Function: As if there werent enough uses for the Ninja Foodi, it even has a slow cook function. You can set the temp to high or low and remember to turn the black valve to vent when slow cooking. While most of us like the speed of pressure cooking, the slow cook function sure has its uses.

Read Also: Remove Grill Grease From Concrete

Ninja Foodi Grill Steak And Potatoes

Youll only need five ingredients and your Ninja Foodi to make this extremely hearty and nearly complete meal of perfectly seasoned steak and potatoes.

As long as you have some russet potatoes, steak, avocado oil, steak seasoning, and sea salt, you can have this tender, flavorful meal on the table and ready to eat in just an hour.

Easy Ninja Foodi Grill Salmon

Ninja Foodi 4

You can cook this delicious salmon in lemon garlic butter sauce to perfection in just 25 minutes. Its low-carb, low-calorie, and unbelievably flavorful.

Its garlicky, buttery, and has just a hint of lemon zestiness in every bite. If youre looking for a fish-based dish that isnt overly fishy, this recipe is ideal.

Read Also: How To Clean Stainless Steel Barbecue Grates

How It Compares To Competitors

The Ninja Foodi is bulkier and heavier than other multi cookers and air fryers, but if you can look past that, it outperforms its competitors.

The air frying functionality makes the Ninja Foodi a standout appliance that doesnt have many direct competitors.

Reviewers rave about the tenderness of dishes they cooked under pressure, and the crispiness of their air fried food, or those finished off with the TenderCrisp setting. In terms of food quality, the Foodi ranks up with the best of them.

MyRecipes states that this machine is easier to clean than an Instant Pot because of the coating on the inner pot and the Foodis plastic exterior. TechGearLab agrees about the ease of cleaning, except when it comes to the air frying lid: Since it’s connected to the machine and has a grate that is hard to get into, it’s a huge hassle to clean.

As for features, the Foodi really can do everything a standard Instant Pot can do. The added air frying functionality makes the Ninja Foodi a standout appliance that doesnt have many direct comparison competitors.

It Slices It Diceswhoops Wrong Machine

I dont like to cook. But I most certainly do like to eat. So Im always looking for an easier way to prepare food. Im not alone in this pursuitjust look at how popular the Instant Pot and its clones have become. But the Instant Pot is, at its core, just a fancy pressure cooker.

I spend a good part of the year making food on the gas grill out on my deck. But living in the Northeast, grilling outdoors isnt always practical. In fact, as I write this, theres a couple of inches of snow on the gas grill and the deck.

Thats where the Ninja Foodi Grill comes in. If you watch the infomercial, it seems like theres nothing food-related this gadget cant do. While the reality is a bit more limiting, the Foodi Grill is a multipurpose cooking instrument that lets you cook a wide variety of foods on your countertop, though, in my testing, some came out better than others.

Recommended Reading: Is Veggie Grill 100% Vegan

Can You Use The Air Fryer Without The Basket

Many of you have asked us, Can I use an air fryer without basket?. The straight forward answer is yes, you can, as long as you are ensuring that the airflow within the air fryer remains the same. Many people choose to replace the basket with other accessories to alter or enhance the output of their air fryer.

Why Is My Ninja Foodi Grill Smoking

Ninja Foodi Grill Review – What I Really Think!

If you are still experiencing smoke when you use the Foodi Grill, maybe its time to reevaluate your cooking temperatures. Nothing will get ruined cooking at a lower temperature so try scaling back the heat a bit. Other people have experienced less smoke when putting some water in the main cook pan.

Recommended Reading: Grilled Pork Chop Internal Temp

How Is The Ninja Foodi Different From The Instant Pot Or Instant Pot Duo

While the Instant Pot was designed to be vertical for space saving, which definitely works for soup recipes, the Ninja Foodi was designed with the air frying function in mind.

The Ninja Foodi is wider and since air frying requires the circulation of air you want a wider surface area in order to be able to air fry more delicious foods at once. You really dont want food to be touching when air frying because you want the hot air to hit the entire surface.

Ninja Foodi Deconstructed Beef Wellington

Flawlessly roasted tenderloin, creamy, earthy mushrooms, a buttery crescent roll sheet, and thick, fluffy mashed potatoes: If that doesnt sound like heaven, I dont know what does.

This one takes a bit of time to pull off, but a large portion of it is resting time, and even if it took twice as long to make, itd still be worth it for the fantastic taste.

Recommended Reading: What Temp To Grill Pork Chops At

How The Ninja Foodi Replaces Your Kitchen

The Ninja Foodi takes multiple appliances and puts them in one machine. Instead of having a pressure cooker, an oven, a yogurt makes, a dehydrator and a steamer as separate devices you have one. The Foodi is not a fridge though. Youll still need a fridge.

We use the Foodi to reheat food as well. Just pop your food into the Foodi for about five minutes on the auto air crisp temperature and your food will be crispy, warm and delicious.

Is the Ninja Food Worth it when it Comes to Price? How the Ninja Foodi saves you money:

Average cost of a pressure cooker: $90

Average cost of a dehydrator: $150

Average cost of an air fryer: $100

Average cost of a yogurt maker: $30

Average cost of a steamer: $20

Cost of all the functions: $390

The Ninja Foodi: $200

Ninja Foodi Vs Instant Pot

I had the Instant Pot and really loved it, but compared to the Foodi it is very tall instead of wide. Because the Ninja Foodi is wide you can fit more food into it, from veggies to an entire chicken.

What Comes In The Ninja Foodi Grillbox

Ninja® Foodi Smart XL Grill: It

Heres what came in the box :

The Ninja Foodi Grill Unit This is the main unit that can cook food at temperatures as high as 510 or as low as 135 for dehydrating. To turn on, press the power button on the front display and then choose a cook function . The top part of the Ninja® Foodi Grill, or the hood, lifts to reveal the interior where different cooking accessories can be inserted. A splatter guard on the underside protects the heating element from grease and can easily be removed to clean. The Ninja Foodi Grill can be set up on a counter, kitchen table or small kitchen cart. Just make sure you have enough clearance to open the hood.

Cooking Pot Shaped like a deep roasting pan this is inserted first into the Ninja Foodi Grill is used to catch drippings when grilling or air frying. You can also use this part by itself to roast or bake foods. You can even insert a cake or pie pan inside to bake up a lovely dessert.

Grill grate This gets inserted over the cooking pot for grilling and is part of the magic that helps the Ninja Foodi Grill superbly execute those amazing grill marks. Two handles on the side allow for easy insert and removal. I found it super easy to clean with some warm soapy dishwater and a scrub brush for sticky bits. This piece has some weight behind it.

Crisper Basket The crisper basket is used whenever you want to air fry dehydrate. The grill grate gets removed and the basket gets placed inside the cooking pot. Also, super easy to remove and clean.

Recommended Reading: How To Deep Clean Weber Grill

Cooking And Cleaning: Easy Peasy

Actually, cooking requires that you preheat the grill, which takes about eight minutes. Much of my testing involved grilling boneless 1-3/4 inch thick NY Strip steaks. The directions tell you to lightly coat the food with oil to enhance searing. The type of oil you use for this is importantit needs to have a high smoking point. My first attempt was using a light coating of peanut oil. While there wasnt enough smoke to set off the smoke alarm, there was a noticeable amount.

Next time out, I brushed on a light coating of generic vegetable oil and sprinkled on some Montreal Steak Seasoning. I set the Grill Control on High , and let the grill preheat for eight minutes, setting the timer for an additional eight minutes which starts when the grill has preheated.

An Add Food message is displayed on the control panel when the grill has preheated. Opening up the lid and placing the steak on the grill started the timer. After four minutes, I opened the lid and turned the steak, and after an additional four minutes, the steak was ready. And though the grill marks are semi-circular, they were there, just like on my outdoor grill.

Air frying worked as advertised, taking about the same amount of time at 350 degrees as would take in the oven, though the fries came out nice and crispy. I cant say the same about the roasts.

What Makes The Ninja Foodi Great

First off, the fact that it takes the place of more than one appliance is a huge plus thats why we loved the Instant Pot so much when it came out. And even though it does have a ton of uses, Business Insider says it doesnt cut corners on any of them.

The Foodi is surprisingly easy to use and doesn’t skimp on effectiveness in squeezing in its long list of functions.

Not only does Business Insider compliment the Foodis functionality, it sings high praise for ease of use as well, saying, Cooking with the Foodi is pretty much fool-proof, whether you want to make a savory pork tenderloin that falls apart with a poke of your fork, or sweet potato fries that are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Its simple for entrees, sides, desserts, or whatever else you can think to cook with it. Even if youre not a professional or following the included recipe guide, Good Housekeeping says the controls are straightforward and intuitive to use.

The position of the Foodis pressure release valves are clearly labeled and the control panel features easy-to-use buttons with presets and custom settings.

You May Like: Frozen Turkey Burgers On George Foreman Grill

Verdict: Is The Ninja Foodi Grill Worth It

Any lover of grilled food will love the Ninja Foodi grill instantly due to its efficiency and quality cooking capabilities.

Remember, you get a 5-in-1 appliance to utilize multiple cooking functions. It offers excellent versatility for just about any kitchen and youll definitely get your value out of investing in the Foodi grill.

While it does have a small downside of being a little larger/bulkier for storage needs, we think its worth it. Definitely still a smaller storage footprint than having each of its features stored separately!

For an ideal year-round meal prep sidekick that really has your back, you cannot go wrong purchasing this grill. Happy cooking!

What Could Be Improved

Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill Full REVIEW and DEMO

While this grill produced the least amount of smoke of all the indoor grills weve tested, when cooking bacon there was still smoke present. We got the best results by placing the unit on the stovetop and using the vent hood when cooking bacon. That said, wed like to see the cord be a bit longer for this reason.

The cook timer doesnt start counting down until the grill is preheated and food placed in the grill for grilling, but the cook timer starts immediately for baking. Wed like to see that changed as well.

Recommended Reading: How Long To Grill Thin Chicken Breast On Gas Grill

Ninja Foodi Grill Review And Findings

See the November 2021 review of the Ninja Foodi Smart XL Pro.

The expedition this week into indoor electric grilling continues with the Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 Indoor Grill. This popular kitchen appliance is virtually smokeless in fact, of the grills weve tested this one produces the least amount of smoke when grilling meats or veggies. Whats more, unlike other grills weve tested here, this grill can also bake and act as an air fryerit is truly a multi cooker.

From a price perspective, it is less expensive than some of the models weve tested, and more expensive than others. We continue to be impressed with many of these units and the Ninja Foodi Grill is no exception, allowing a perfectly cooked dinner in less than 25 minutes in most cases.

Different than any other unit weve tested, this grill uses cyclonic air flow around an innovative grill grate design. Air circulates around the grate to produce a class leading sear and interesting grill marks.

OK, enough small talk, lets dive into the fun stuff.

Item Specs: Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 Indoor Grill

  • Product Dimensions: 17 L x 14 W x 11 H
  • Wattage: 1760
  • Capacity: 10 x 10 grill grate, 4-qt crisper basket, 6-qt cooking pot
  • Cord Length: 3 feet

*Specs from manufacturer web site.

Is The Ninja Foodi Grill Any Good

You can certainly make the decision for yourself, but we honestly think its an excellent option for smaller cooking needs and/or indoor-only grilling situations.

The fact that its a multipurpose kitchen appliance, offering both grilling capability and acting like a decent air fryer makes it a very good device in our opinion.

You May Like: How To Grill Boneless Chicken Breast On Gas Grill

Best Ninja Foodi Grill Recipes

These Ninja Food Grill recipes couldnt be more delicious!

If youre considering getting or have recently gotten a Ninja Foodi Grill, you may be wondering what kinds of things you can cook on it.

Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox!

As it turns out, there are quite a lot of different things, and Ive listed 20 of my favorite Ninja Foodi Grill recipes here on this list.

Keep in mind: This is only a tiny sample of the things you can make with your new Ninja Foodi Grill.

Ive tried to include a wide variety of options to suit everyones tastes, but again, these Ninja Foodi Grill recipes are only the tip of the iceberg.

There are so many amazing recipes out there, and in time, youll get to enjoy them all.

For now, lets take a look at some of these and give you an idea of where you can get started.

The Ninja Foodi Grill Cons

Ninja Foodi 5

Whenever I write reviews, I attempt to provide an honest and balanced insight into the performance of the product. This is important as it is rare to find a perfect product. With the Ninja Foodi Grill, there are two things to consider when purchasing.

Firstly, it was louder than I expected. I dont know why I assumed a device like this would not omit any noise and on reflection, of course an indoor grill and air fryer that is able to pull off the culinary delights of the Foodi Grill would require a robust method of air circulation. The noise is not overwhelming and I could still easily hold conversations in the kitchen while the Foodi Grill did its thing, just be aware that it does make some noise.

Secondly, there is a minor learning curve. Dont expect to produce a perfect result on the first attempt. If your experience is anything like mine, your meals will be very, very good right from the start, but there will be room for improvement. For me, this was no big deal. I like the challenge of setting the bar high and trying to clear it on each subsequent attempt, but for others there could be some initial frustration. That being said, it is one of the easiest cooking appliances to get the hang of and the throughout my testing I have found the Foodi Grill to be very consistent. My advice is to stick with it, do a bit of research about perfecting your favourite foods and reap the delicious rewards! .

Also Check: Do Pack Rats Hibernate

Popular Articles

More Recipes Like This