Do I want this for Christmas?

[ktgrok]

It's an indoor grill/air fryer that you can put the meat on, tell it what kind of meat and what doneness, stick the included, attached thermometer in it, and walk away. "Virtually smokeless". Can do frozen meat too I think. Also works as a griddle for pancakes, etc (and I do need a new one, mine is about done for)

Expensive...but given that I love grilled food, and my outdoor gas grill continually has rodents getting into it and using it as a toilet and to store their acorns, it's very tempting. 

I'm also wanting a different air fryer though...mine is SO loud. SO SO SO loud. 

Edited September 18, 2021 by ktgrok

[Katy]

Yes, I have it and you definitely want it.  It's wonderful.

[ktgrok]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

Yes, I have it and you definitely want it.  It's wonderful.

OOH! First hand experience!

What do you love about it?

[Farrar]

Before I clicked on the thread to see what it was, I was like, I think you already know the answer to this.

I've wondered about those as well. Are they actually worth it...

[kristin0713]

My question is, how do you clean it? I had a George Forman grill back when they were popular and I loved the result, but I hated cleaning that thing. 

[Katy]

I love the meat thermometer and how it cooks everything perfectly, crispy on the outside but not overdone every single time.  Especially fish. Flaky but not dry, every time.  My kids even ate trout and salmon and said, "Yum!" Normally they only eat white fish slathered in tartar sauce.

I LOVE that it doesn't heat up my whole house the way my convection oven & microwave do (Stupid open floor plan). Either one of the others will take my great room from 68 to 92 in the time it takes to cook a frozen pizza.

I love how fast & easy it is to cook on.  I love that it beeps when you're supposed to turn food over, and if I get distracted by one of my kids and don't come back to it, it shuts itself off so nothing gets burned.

I love that it's wide and flat so not only can you do meats, dumping in a bag of frozen potato wedges (the seasoned ones from walmart are better than fries, IMO), they all get crispy.

I love that my kids love to eat roasted vegetables, even brussels sprouts made in it.

I love that both the liner pan and the grill pan are enameled so it's super easy to hand wash and dry in less than two minutes, even if you forget to check that your kid washed it and left it to dry on in the closed grill for two days.

I didn't buy the extra stuff like a griddle, there's one built into my stove so I don't know about that.

The only thing that I've found is that I don't like: it's easy to overcook things like sweet potato fries, even if they have air fryer directions.  I think those directions are for deep narrow baskets instead of wide/flat ones.  If you smell the thing, go check on it, and WRITE DOWN the time for yourself.  That and if you have a big family you might have to do three rounds- Meat, veggies, and potatoes.  So DH has already mentioned getting  second one twice.  I'm willing to permanently devote counter space to ONE, but not TWO.  My kitchen is too small for that.

It also does a bad job with frozen breaded things that are meant to be deep fat fried and are not pre-cooked.  Like Walmart has this frozen breaded okra that is rolled in raw corn meal so thick I suspect it is actually grits.  Those don't turn out with quite the right texture even if you spray them with oil before dumping them in.

 

I'm not usually a Walmart fan, but they have free grocery pickup here and the local stores don't.  Oh, and I use their avocado oil spray for the grill and the food.  The white hourglass spray can with the picture of the avocado on it. I don't remember the brand.  I bought a Misto sprayer to see if any avocado oil works as well, but I haven't tried it yet.

[ktgrok]

I currently use an air fryer that also is wide, rather than deep, and had the same experience that stuff needs less time if it is thin. 

I love that it doesn't heat up the house!

Is it super loud? I HATE how loud my air fryer is. I actually just checked with an online free decible reader and it says it is about 84 decibles - that's as loud as a truck engine!

 

[TheReader]

That sounds like a great find. And with weather like ours (i.e., I'm just comparing TX Gulf Coast to Florida), it's either usually too hot/humid to grill outside, or so cold that it takes a zillion times longer, so having an indoor option would be awesome. 

[ktgrok]

Just now, TheReader said:

That sounds like a great find. And with weather like ours (i.e., I'm just comparing TX Gulf Coast to Florida), it's either usually too hot/humid to grill outside, or so cold that it takes a zillion times longer, so having an indoor option would be awesome. 

Yes, fighting the mosquitoes to grill and sweating over the grill (or near the grill) is not fun. By the time I come in I'm dripping in sweat and my face is bright red. But, better than heating up the oven and making the whole house hot. (although we replaced our AC and now I can cook during the day again!)

[Katy]

I usually turn up the tv two notches when I am running the air fryer, but it's mounted on the opposite wall from the kitchen so idk.  Noise doesn't typically bother me but high pitched sounds do, so I don't feel like I'm a good judge.

This link says Ninja air fyers are between 30-60 decibels.  https://kitchensnitches.com/are-air-fryers-loud/

[Terabith]

Yes, you want this for Christmas.  

[ktgrok]

40 minutes ago, Katy said:

I usually turn up the tv two notches when I am running the air fryer, but it's mounted on the opposite wall from the kitchen so idk.  Noise doesn't typically bother me but high pitched sounds do, so I don't feel like I'm a good judge.

This link says Ninja air fyers are between 30-60 decibels.  https://kitchensnitches.com/are-air-fryers-loud/

So, like half the sound level my current one is. That would be a huge improvement. Also, the pitch of this one is terrible - it REALLY bothers me but not the rest of the house. Just me. Like, I avoid using it sometimes when I'm already dealing with other sound and just can't take one more annoying noise. 

It is also ridiculous to clean - there are little screws in the door panel at the bottom where crumbs/food tend to fall. Impossible to fully clean out even with a toothpick. Like, who puts uncovered phillips head screws on the inside of the door panel at the bottom where when it is open (opens like a regular oven) and you pull out the tray crumbs and grease fall down into them?

[ktgrok]

Soo, quick google says I have the loudest brand of air fryer. Sigh. THAT was not in the reviews when I bought it, lol. 

In the ninja grill/thing how many chicken nuggets could you do at a time, do you think?

[Katy]

I only have one kid that likes chicken nuggets right now.  But the description says 24 hot dogs, so if you go with 2-3 nuggets per hot dog, maybe 50-75?  Oh, those potato wedges I like, it's a 32 oz bag... nutrition label says bag holds about 45 wedges.  The whole bag fits with room to spare.  So yeah, I'd think 50 nuggets would fit fine.

[ktgrok]

24 minutes ago, Katy said:

I only have one kid that likes chicken nuggets right now.  But the description says 24 hot dogs, so if you go with 2-3 nuggets per hot dog, maybe 50-75?  Oh, those potato wedges I like, it's a 32 oz bag... nutrition label says bag holds about 45 wedges.  The whole bag fits with room to spare.  So yeah, I'd think 50 nuggets would fit fine.

Oh wow!! That's huge! I can fit about 15 or so on a tray in mine, and there are two trays. Definitely wouldn't fit a bag of fries, of any size. So it definitely would be big enough to replace my current air fryer, and quieter, and could grill as well, and function as a griddle for pancakes, which I am going to need as mine the cord is detachable and lately I have to really coax it to stay attached. One day soon I am sure it just won't attach at all. 

 

[Katy]

27 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Oh wow!! That's huge! I can fit about 15 or so on a tray in mine, and there are two trays. Definitely wouldn't fit a bag of fries, of any size. So it definitely would be big enough to replace my current air fryer, and quieter, and could grill as well, and function as a griddle for pancakes, which I am going to need as mine the cord is detachable and lately I have to really coax it to stay attached. One day soon I am sure it just won't attach at all. 

 

When I dump the bag in it isn't one layer flat, it's probably two layers.  So maybe half that if you want one layer alone.

[ktgrok]

2 minutes ago, Katy said:

When I dump the bag in it isn't one layer flat, it's probably two layers.  So maybe half that if you want one layer alone.

with mine you have to do one layer or it doesn't really cook. 

[Katy]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

with mine you have to do one layer or it doesn't really cook. 

I spray the preheated tray with avocado oil, I dump in the frozen bag, I spray the top layer, it all comes out perfect.  DH did make some sort of fish with coating once and layering it messed with the coating, but it was perfectly cooked.

[Drama Llama]

. . . 

Edited October 26, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[ktgrok]

11 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Nah, Christmas is too far away, she wants it for Halloween.  

My anniversary is October 13th.....even sooner!

But in all seriousness I just spent $200 on a coffee maker thingy....so maybe I need to wait a bit, lol. 

[ktgrok]

13 minutes ago, Katy said:

I spray the preheated tray with avocado oil, I dump in the frozen bag, I spray the top layer, it all comes out perfect.  DH did make some sort of fish with coating once and layering it messed with the coating, but it was perfectly cooked.

Oh, yeah, that would never work in mine. If even a few fries are on top of each other they don't cook well. I think the vertical nature of it just isn't efficient. 

Is it easy to keep clean(ish)?

[Katy]

4 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Oh, yeah, that would never work in mine. If even a few fries are on top of each other they don't cook well. I think the vertical nature of it just isn't efficient. 

Is it easy to keep clean(ish)?

Yes, if I'm making multiple courses I hold the trays in one hand wearing an oven mitt and just dump out the crumbs.  I think once something was so crummy I needed to wipe them out with a paper towel.  Afterwards you can put them in the dishwasher but I usually don't bother because it takes less than a minute with a brush and some dawn to get them clean.  I've seen some people on YouTube complain about oil buildup in the lid, but they must be using something other than avocado oil because I think I've only wiped it twice.  It's metal but it doesn't touch the food so idk how people could have a lot of buildup there.

[Katy]

I feel like I should stop.  If you get it and hate it I'll feel bad.  I bought mine after Dawn from Minimal Mom's third video on hers.

[vonfirmath]

32 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

My anniversary is October 13th.....even sooner!

But in all seriousness I just spent $200 on a coffee maker thingy....so maybe I need to wait a bit, lol. 

Take the coffee maker back?

[Drama Llama]

. . . 

Edited October 26, 2021 by BaseballandHockey

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Nah, Christmas is too far away, she wants it for Halloween.  

Maybe 3/4 Christmas?  Wouldn't that be September 25?  

[ktgrok]

55 minutes ago, Katy said:

I feel like I should stop.  If you get it and hate it I'll feel bad.  I bought mine after Dawn from Minimal Mom's third video on hers.

Ok, if Dawn likes hers, that's even more reason to get it. I bought a pasta pot she loved and I use it several times a week. Only pot I really use these days. 

33 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Take the coffee maker back?

Oh no! It makes really yummy cold brew. in less than 15 minutes...it has to stay, lol. (on top of regular coffee, iced tea, hot tea, a coffee concentrate for lattes, iced coffee, etc)

[alisoncooks]

Aw man. I don't know about YOU, but I think *I* need it for Christmas! 😉

(And I'm not one for kitchen gadgets. I don't even have an instant pot!)

[kristin0713]

7 hours ago, Katy said:

I love that both the liner pan and the grill pan are enameled so it's super easy to hand wash and dry in less than two minutes, even if you forget to check that your kid washed it and left it to dry on in the closed grill for two days.

 

So the liner pan and the grill pan are removable for cleaning? 

[Kassia]

7 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Aw man. I don't know about YOU, but I think *I* need it for Christmas! 😉

(And I'm not one for kitchen gadgets. I don't even have an instant pot!)

same!

[ktgrok]

I'm still stuck on the great idea of having the lid on top, rather than a door that opens up in the front like my goofy thing.

[Katy]

52 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

So the liner pan and the grill pan are removable for cleaning? 

Yes, and they can both go in the dishwasher if you prefer to throw them in the empty space instead of hand wash in less than a minute.  It takes longer to rinse out all the holes than it does to get the food off. 

[kristin0713]

22 minutes ago, Katy said:

Yes, and they can both go in the dishwasher if you prefer to throw them in the empty space instead of hand wash in less than a minute.  It takes longer to rinse out all the holes than it does to get the food off. 

I think that I need this.  I was considering asking for a Sous Vide stick, but this is so much MORE!  I really don't like to give up counter space to big appliances...but I might have to make an exception. 

[R828]

I have this and love it too! Costco has them and if I remember correctly recently had them on sale too. 

[KungFuPanda]

22 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Soo, quick google says I have the loudest brand of air fryer. Sigh. THAT was not in the reviews when I bought it, lol. 

In the ninja grill/thing how many chicken nuggets could you do at a time, do you think?

Does your oven have convection broiling? I do all of my “air frying” this way, it works out great, and I can do larger pans. 

[Toocrazy!!]

I wish I would have known about this a couple weeks ago! I just bought DS the ninja air fryer toaster oven combo to go with his indoor grill. This would have been a much better choice. 
We use our indoor panini maker for steaks and they are delicious. But I don’t need a new countertop filler. Already looking for space to store my bread machine and instant pot😂

[Tree Frog]

22 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Oh no! It makes really yummy cold brew. in less than 15 minutes...it has to stay, lol. (on top of regular coffee, iced tea, hot tea, a coffee concentrate for lattes, iced coffee, etc)

What awesome coffee maker do you have? I use the Aeropress, which makes good coffee, but it doesn't make cold press coffee.

[ktgrok]

47 minutes ago, wilrunner said:

What awesome coffee maker do you have? I use the Aeropress, which makes good coffee, but it doesn't make cold press coffee.

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brew System. It does hot and iced and cold (ish) brew coffee -the cold brew is actually done at 100 degrees versus over 200 for hot coffee, takes about 10-15 minutes, hot and iced tea, and from a single cup to a full carafe. 

[importswim]

AAAAAHHHHH why do I read these threads!?! LOL! Idonotneedthisapplianceidonotneedthisappliance.....

 

I have the original foodi and use it as an instant pot/air fryer. I also have a griddle, but I don't have a way to cook steaks perfectly. 🤔

[kristin0713]

So, amazon had the ninja foodie 6-in-1 for $199 the other day, and now it is back up to $249. I'm kicking myself that I didn't just order it and tell DH to put it under the tree.   

[theelfqueen]

Wait for Black Friday? 

[WildflowerMom]

check QVC, too.  They're big with the Ninja stuff. 

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, kristin0713 said:

So, amazon had the ninja foodie 6-in-1 for $199 the other day, and now it is back up to $249. I'm kicking myself that I didn't just order it and tell DH to put it under the tree.   

We did the same thing only with Kohl's.  Great deal and we were thinking about it and then the price increased.  

[vonfirmath]

4 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

Wait for Black Friday? 

Black Friday sales have begun again.

I'm wondering how long choice will remain on shelves.

[Catwoman]

I had the Ninja Foodi that Katie linked in her OP, but I ended up returning it because the nonstick finish on the pans and on the grill chipped way too easily. I babied that thing, and washed everything carefully by hand, yet... lots of chips. There were even a few chips right out of the box, and I was concerned that things would start to rust. 

I had paid $279 for it when I bought it, and I'm glad I returned it to Amazon, but if it gets cheap enough on Black Friday, I might go ahead and buy another one to see if maybe the one I got was just defective or something. I LOVED the way it cooked, and the grill was really nice to have. But I felt that $279 was too much to pay for something that I would need to replace the grill plate and the pan so quickly -- and the replacement parts aren't cheap. 

 

[theelfqueen]

7 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Black Friday sales have begun again.

I'm wondering how long choice will remain on shelves.

Generally an item going back to MSRP in early November means there will be a BF sale on it, in my experience. 

[cougarmom4]

It’s on sale at kohl’s right now for $255…but you also get $60 in kohl’s cash.

[Kassia]

5 hours ago, Catwoman said:

I had the Ninja Foodi that Katie linked in her OP, but I ended up returning it because the nonstick finish on the pans and on the grill chipped way too easily. I babied that thing, and washed everything carefully by hand, yet... lots of chips. There were even a few chips right out of the box, and I was concerned that things would start to rust. 

I had paid $279 for it when I bought it, and I'm glad I returned it to Amazon, but if it gets cheap enough on Black Friday, I might go ahead and buy another one to see if maybe the one I got was just defective or something. I LOVED the way it cooked, and the grill was really nice to have. But I felt that $279 was too much to pay for something that I would need to replace the grill plate and the pan so quickly -- and the replacement parts aren't cheap. 

 

Thanks for posting.  We have this problem with indoor grills all the time and I know DH would be pretty mad if we spent so much and had the same problem.  

[Katy]

10 hours ago, Catwoman said:

I had the Ninja Foodi that Katie linked in her OP, but I ended up returning it because the nonstick finish on the pans and on the grill chipped way too easily. I babied that thing, and washed everything carefully by hand, yet... lots of chips. There were even a few chips right out of the box, and I was concerned that things would start to rust. 

I had paid $279 for it when I bought it, and I'm glad I returned it to Amazon, but if it gets cheap enough on Black Friday, I might go ahead and buy another one to see if maybe the one I got was just defective or something. I LOVED the way it cooked, and the grill was really nice to have. But I felt that $279 was too much to pay for something that I would need to replace the grill plate and the pan so quickly -- and the replacement parts aren't cheap. 

 

Whoa, I don’t baby mine at all and no chips in several months. Yours must’ve been defective. I’m so sorry that happened!

[Catwoman]

2 hours ago, Katy said:

Whoa, I don’t baby mine at all and no chips in several months. Yours must’ve been defective. I’m so sorry that happened!

Thanks! I'm happy to hear that mine must have been defective, because now I can take a chance and order another one on Black Friday. Did you order directly from Ninja? I got mine on Amazon, because the returns are so easy and I wasn't sure if I would like it, but you get a lot of extra bonus items if you order straight from Ninja.