Ninja Foodi Instant Pot Air Fryer

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The Instruction Booklet Falls Short

NINJA FOODI | 5 REASONS YOU NEED A FOODI OR INSTANT POT AIR FRYER COMBO

I found myself struggling to get accustomed to how this machine works, at first. The provided booklet wasn’t as helpful as I would’ve liked. It doesn’t include photo diagrams describing each piece of the machine, so I had to dig through the Ninja website to find the full manual, which was more helpful.

There were other instructions that were lacking as well, like an explanation of how the steam knob works, and certain core recipes that disappointed me about the included booklet.

When you consider that some folks may not be as tech savvyor have access to the internet at allit’s much more crucial to include all the user information in the provided booklet, rather than hidden somewhere online.

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.

Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer Vs Instant Vortex Air Fryer: Are They Just Air Fryers

If youve got a weakness for fried food then either of our candidates here will certainly fit the bill, but air fryers are more versatile than you might think. Both of these models come with other settings too, so alongside being able to turn out the best crispy and crunchy French fries, these appliances can also be used for other culinary tasks too. Alongside air frying they can roast, bake and reheat food. Both machines are also useful for keeping food warm if youve got a dinnertime delay to content with.

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer and Instant Vortex Air Fryer can carry out any of these tasks thanks to presets. This means that youve got very little to do. Pop in your food, or ingredients depending on the task in hand, press a button or two and thats about it. Because everything has been pre-programmed the appliance cooks for the allotted time and your food should emerge ready to eat.

Fries are perhaps the best example of this in action, but either of these air fryers can be used in subtler ways. With practice they can also bake items pretty impressively too. Whatever it is youre cooking theres always going to be less oil involved, which in the case of frying or roasting is a step towards healthier eating.

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Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer: What To Cook

Instant pots can cook the most common foods. Note that the instant pot is preferred for stews and food requiring boiling. But it has different cooking functionalities that can enable it to function as a slow cooker, sauté pan, and more. It can cook beef, chicken, bread, soups, vegetables, eggs, rice, noodles, cakes, multigrain, porridge, and even prepare yogurt.

The air fryer has a long list of foods you can cook in it. The appliance can bake, air fry, roast, grill, dehydrate and reheat. It is preferred for making French fries, baked potatoes, omelets, hard-boiled eggs, egg rolls, cakes, banana bread, fried chicken, turkey, muffins, air-fried fish, air-fried bacon, and much more.

If you want stew, soups, boiled rice, and multigrain meals, consider an instant pot. However, if you like air-fried, crispy meals on the outside and juicy on the inside, an air fryer is the better option.

Also Check: Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl In Air Fryer

Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker And Air Fryer

Ninja Foodi Review: An Instant Pot and Air Fryer In One

This dual pot cooks meals so fast. If youre still trying to decide and want an Instant Pot vs Ninja Foodi comparison we have done that too.

The things I like about using this one is that:

  • The pot is wider and a bit shallower.
  • This seems to cook food a bit faster than its competitor. I feel it also helps avoid the dreaded burn notice others have experienced with the IP.
  • Ninja Foodi pot has a non stick coating.
  • Helps A LOT in the cleaning process. I also feel this helps avoid the burn notice with an added barrier between the food and heating element.
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    The Probe Thermometer Is Convenient And Works Well

    The Smart Thermometer is a clever addition to the Foodi that makes perfectly cooked proteins an easy feat.

    The Foodi model we tested comes with a built-in Smart Thermometer, which can be used to cook protein to an exact temperature. There are also associated automatic programs to cook protein according to desired doneness. Just insert the probe, decide between rare and well done , and the Foodi does the rest.

    We tried it on the Fish setting at Medium for our salmon-quinoa-broccoli dish, and the resulting fish had a crispy brown exterior while the inside was tender and almost falling apart .

    There are also thermometer settings for beef, lamb, pork, and chicken/turkey. Once the thermometer is inserted , choosing the protein type and preferred doneness on the screen takes just seconds. You set it, and the Foodi will tell you when it’s ready.

    Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer Vs Instant Vortex Air Fryer: Are They Efficient

    Aside from allowing you to indulge in fried food more frequently thanks to their low or no oil design, the humble air fryer is fast and efficient. In fact, we find that using n air fryer is an increasingly popular alternative to turning on the oven or grill, depending on what it is were cooking obviously.

    Both the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer and Instant Vortex Air Fryer can be powered up and reach ready-to-go heat in very little time. Its certainly faster than our resident oven. Therefore, either model is also super handy for warming up things, like pre-cooked bread rolls for example, but pizza slices also work a treat too.

    We’ve also found that either appliance happens to be a really handy addition to the kitchen when it comes to keeping food warm, or reheating it. If youve got a family where rounding everyone up frequently means that food on the plate is, at best, tepid or at worst stone cold then having the convenience of the keep warm or reheat features on these appliances is very useful indeed.

    Both machines will probably be on for less time than if you, say, roast a chicken, as the heat they produce is more direct, used in a small area and can be more intense depending on the settings you choose. Weve found that with practice both these air fryers offer an excellent way to manually adjust cooking times, with less energy likely to be used as a result.

    Read Also: How To Cook Using Instant Pot

    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.

    Instant Pot Vs Ninja Foodi: Cooking Modes

    INSTANT POT DUO CRISP versus NINJA FOODI Air Fryer Chicken Fingers Tenderloins

    Both the Instant Pot Pro Crisp and the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid have 11 cooking modes.

    For the Instant Pot Pro Crisp, these are:

    Pressure Cook

    Keep Warm Proof

    Both have all the essentials covered, and in my opinion, it’s not a number game with these machines. Sure, if you like the sound of making yogurt in a mode that’s specifically designed to do that, then opt for the Ninja. However, it’s just a pre-set temperature and timer, something you can easily replicate if you opt for the Warm mode on the Instant Pot

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    Best Buy Customers Often Prefer The Following Products When Searching For Ninja Pressure Cooker And Air Fryer

    Browse the top-ranked list of ninja pressure cooker and air fryer below along with associated reviews and opinions.

  • Top comment

    The best all around pressurecooker/AirFryer you can buy , Im so in love with my new ninja product….Works well! Great airfryer and pressurecooker! Would recommend to anyone!…NinjaAirFryer/PressureCookerNinjapressurecooker

    See all customer reviews

    Product Description

    The PRO pressure cooker that crisps. 11 programmable cooking functions provide endless recipe options inside the nonstick 6.5-qt cooking pot and 4.6-qt Cook & Crisp Plate. TenderCrisp Technology lets you pressure cook then air fry finish.See all Pressure CookersTop comment

    The best all around pressurecooker/AirFryer you can buy , Im so in love with my new ninja product….Works well! Great airfryer and pressurecooker! Would recommend to anyone!…NinjaAirFryer/PressureCookerNinjapressurecooker

    See all customer reviews

    Product Description

    The PRO pressure cooker that crisps. 11 programmable cooking functions provide endless recipe options inside the nonstick 6.5-qt cooking pot and 4.6-qt Cook & Crisp Plate. TenderCrisp Technology lets you pressure cook then air fry finish.$119.99Your price for this item is $119.99Save $80

  • Testing Out Other Foods In The Ninja Foodi

    The first recipe Genene made was the Baked Macaroni & Cheese recipe from the Foodi cookbook. Genene said it seemed like a lot of liquid prior to the Air Crisp time of 7 minutes. But its the perfect amount of liquid after air frying the noodles absorb the liquid as the topping browns.

    An interesting twist on this mac and cheese recipe is you start it with lemon juice and baking soda, cook it for 0 minutes and let the noodles finish cooking during a 10 minute natural release. The noodles were softer than Genene likes, so the next time she would reduce the natural release time to 8 minutes. Both she and her husband enjoyed the mac and cheese recipe.

    Genene also baked biscuits, Louisiana Battered Flounder, and Frozen Curly Fries using the crisping lid all crisped up beautifully. She tested the pressure cooker by making hard boiled eggs, and the timing for hard boiled eggs was exactly the same as in her Instant Pot.

    Also Check: Veggie Broth Instant Pot

    Ninja Foodi Review: Pressure Cooker And Air Fryer Combo

    PUBLISHED · MODIFIED September 14, 2021 · BY · 1058 words. · About 6 minutes to read this article.· This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases·

    Are you curious about the Ninja Foodi, a pressure cooker, and air fryer combination? Recently I did a Ninja Foodi Review and wanted to share my results with you. It’s an air fryer pressure cooker combo so it piqued my curiosity. I knew I just had to see how it worked. This is my unbiased, non-compensated review of the Ninja Foodi.

    I did a full Ninja Foodi review video you can watch to see how I used and cooked with the Ninja Foodi. using it both as a pressure cooker and as an air fryer and how that works in a single device.

    Cons Of The Instant Pot

    Instant Pot? Pah! The Ninja Foodi is a pressure cooker, slow cooker and ...
    • If youre looking for more than a pressure cooker then the IP definitely doesnt do it for you.
    • If you want an air fryer or dehydrator, the Instant Pot doesnt have that.
    • Sealing issues with the Instant Pot seem to be the biggest issue Ive heard. The ring is super finicky. Ive had one incident where it never completely came up to pressure and I had to release it and it basically ruined dinner cause it was like par-cooked.
    • The rubber seal keeps cooking smells and I can definitely attest to this. When I made my Instant Pot Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, my Instant Pot now cant unsmell of Chinese five spice, lol
    • Im hearing the slow cooker function is TERRIBLE on the Instant Pot I havent tried it because I use my 23 year old Crockpot because I know it works.

    Recommended Reading: Instant Pot Air Fryer Tray

    Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker And Air Fryer Review

    Why the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer is our favorite new kitchen appliance! If you love pressure cooking and air frying this is a game changer!

    Have you seen the new Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer? It. Is. Amazing. Its literally changed how and what we eat for dinner. Let me show you how it works, and then you can cook all the Ninja Foodi recipes we have!

    Ninja Air Fryer Max Xl

    You must be familiar with the word Ninja, right? As you might think, the word is always associated with the fastness, quick, and finish the job well done with much time efficiency. Just like what we just said, Ninja Air Fryer Max XL works in the same way. Its big, fast, and could finish what it was tasked for pretty quickly. Like most its siblings, the Max XL comes with bigger size, capacity, and even one feature thats becoming its very special capability. Read also: Instant Vortex vs Power XL.

    Most people would say this air fryer is a standard maker for the industry. What you can get from it is the better overall controls, larger capacity, and higher temperature to create crispier results without compromise. Whats interesting from it aside from offering versatility for cooking different kinds of frozen foods is the Max Crisp option, which enables the higher heat up, reaching the maximum 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Check price

    Aside from that feature, Ninja Max Xl comes with the sleek, clean design, and easy to use buttons. Theres the button to adjust temperature, but its unusable when Max Crisp is on the work.

    For the capacity, Ninja Max XL is capable of cooking 5.5 quarts at maximum. The number is not that gigantic, but decent enough to reduce cooking process. You can still cook for your whole family, even though repeated process still needs to be done.

    Recommended Reading: What Air Fryer Is Rated The Best

    Read Also: Instant Pot Frozen Meal Kits

    Air Fryer Pressure Cooker

    • I love being able to check on my food when Im figuring out how long something takes to crisp.
    • You can print this air fryer cook times sheet to help you create new recipes too.
    • Heres how to clean the Ninja Foodi with the metal prongs on the lid.

    We have made a variety of air fryer recipes so far. We will continue to add them weekly so bookmark it, here are a few faves!

    Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer Vs Instant Vortex Air Fryer: How Much Can They Cook

    Ninja Foodi Review Pressure Cooker Air Fryer Combination with Recipe

    Most air fryers will be able to cook you a decent portion of French fries or similar, but if youve got a family then either the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer or the Instant Vortex Air Fryer will be ideal thanks to their generous capacity.

    The bonus with the Ninja Foodi is that it boasts twin cooking compartments amounting to 7.6 litres capacity in all, which either doubles your capacity or lets you cook two different parts of a dinnertime meal. Think fries in one, meat or fish in the other. Both compartments can be operated independently or synced to work in tandem producing food separately that is ready at the same time.

    Meanwhile, the Instant Vortex Air Fryer might not sport two cooking compartments but it makes up for that with plenty of capacity. Indeed, the Vortex boasts a 5.7 litre cooking space, which is still more than enough for a bag of frozen fries, a reasonably sized chicken or a small mountain of mini spring rolls.

    That said, both models will need your input when it comes to checking the contents and either moving the contents around or giving things like fries a bit of shake in order to ensure even and consistent cooking. Some appliances like our favourite the Tefal Actifry Genius XL 2in1 has a built-in paddle that does it for you, but its the exception rather than the rule.

    Also Check: How To Cook Frozen Meat In Instant Pot

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