Ninja AG301 Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with Air Fry, Roast, Bake & Dehydrate, Black/Silver

If you will call it that, it's a Ninjavation. br>br>Also, a word of caution: Ninja Fan(tm) is a term I use to describe someone who enjoys the martial arts. I use their blender all of the time, as well as their Foodi air fryer/pressure cooker/serious convergence device. Ninja has always been dependable and versatile, which are two qualities I value in my kitchen. BUT. br>br>You had a feeling there would be a "but. " br>br>My main problem with the air fryer was preparing food (steaks, chicken thighs, etc. ) that would have been better grilled rather than air-fried. fried. True, I *could* do it, and the results were satisfactory, but I always felt there had to be a better way. And now we've arrived. br>br>This Foodi knows how to do it. In a big way. In a nutshell, it's a well-designed and engineered indoor grill with the added benefits of air frying, baking/roasting, and dehydration, all of which I adore. I'll go over them one by one, but BLUF: This is a truly fantastic device. Let's start with the big event: br>br> grilling in the house Ninja does a fantastic job with this. It's not meant to provide square feet of grilling space, but it'll suffice for four hamburgers and two hot dogs. (Unless it's my steak, in which case there's barely enough room for one. ) Yes, I enjoy steak) or five-six thighs (yes, I like thighs). sized. In terms of mechanics, it employs a convection system similar to that of my other Foodi, but it performs admirably in the grilling application. The grill plate is quite heavy (cast iron, I believe) and provides the conduction aspect of grilling, necessitating a six-person crew. Before you start cooking, give yourself eight minutes to warm up. Warm up the grill plate, add the food, and you've got grilled food without the use of charcoal, propane, or even going outside! Jerk chicken in the winter will be fantastic! br>br>One of the first things I made with it was grilled garlic zatar naan (photo attached). After warming up, it only took about two minutes to finish, and the result was fantastic. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and difficult to keep hidden from the rest of the house (I made it. ) MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, M Make one for yourself). Grilling meat, seafood, and other foods, on the other hand, is a breeze. Furthermore, unlike other indoor grills that require you to grill with the lid down, opening the Foodi to check on things does not significantly reduce heat recovery. It quickly regained its original temperature, and the cooking process was not slowed. The results for meat are fantastic, and yes, you can get grill marks if you oil the meat (use canola oil to avoid any potential smoke). This includes an air-conditioning unit. br>br> While I'm waiting for my steak to rest (steaks should be rested after grilling), I'll put it in the fry basket. right? After that, it's a simple matter to make a batch of fries. My other Foodi, air frying, produces the same results as my other Foodi. There's plenty of room for it. It's also simple to make buffalo wings - it works. I'm not sure what kind of voodoo Ninja practices, but I don't care. I press a few buttons, it takes care of itself, and I have a good meal that night. br>br>Other methods that work well include baking and roasting. The important thing to note here is that I always roast meat in an air fry basket to ensure even air distribution. If the measurements aren't quite right, a small roasting rack can be used instead. One minor quibble is that I always sear a roast before putting it in the oven, and this step is still required with this device; however, my oven is old school and takes about three hours to heat up, whereas the Foodi takes about five minutes. I'm pleased because it's large enough to hold a medium-sized roast. br>br>At least for me, dehydrating is a (relatively) new feature in the Ninja stable, and it works much better for small batches than my dedicated dehydrator. You can increase the amount of food you can dehydrate here by hacking (you can get small perforated metal trays and line them with plastic mesh from a craft store to stack your food). Cooking pasta, dehydrating it, and putting it in food saver bags with cheese powder and powdered milk is one of the things I do for my backpacking meals. In the backcountry, I make Mac and Cheese with one cup of boiling water. br>br>Taking care of yourself is a breeze. Dishwasher-safe interior components include the splatter screen, grill plate, fryer basket, and cooking pot. On the back of the device, there is a grease collector that is also easily cleaned. br>br>This is what it is. It has a large footprint, but if you're going to use it frequently, like I do, the size doesn't matter. Counter space allocation is a given if the device is useful (again, versatile and reliable). To summarize, this Foodi brings the house down. It's a fantastic addition to my kitchen, and even though I've only had it for a few weeks, it's already become a near-essential item. This is a must-have piece of kitchen equipment for me. It's absolutely wonderful.

Carson Jimenez

| Sep 15, 2021

And it functions in the same way that a commercial would. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. br>br>This is a large and heavy piece of equipment. This is not for you if you don't have enough space in your kitchen. br>Air fry bucket is on the small side for some, especially if you're used to a Nuwave with a second level. br>It's faster than a grill. The only reason I put it first is that people will judge the unit based on the time rather than the temperature of the meat. br>br>As you can see in my photos, I marinated the steaks on purpose and even added some olive oil to the marinade, for a reason. because my GF wanted to try it that way, and it was the most difficult smoke test for this, so if your idea of a great steak is salt, pepper, and possibly garlic, this is the steak for you. This is a unit that you will enjoy as well. 2 steaks, about an inch thick, cooked for 12 minutes, flipped after 6 minutes. 2 steaks, same size, 9 minutes med/wellbr> ish (next time, I'll give them 8 minutes) WITH GRILL MARKERS! as well as char flavor This isn't a substitute for a smoker or a traditional charcoal grill. However, if you only need 2 (possibly 3) steaks, they will be ready in under 15 minutes, inside. br>I haven't tried chicken yet, but imagine the grill marks and crispy skin if you start with the skin side down before flipping! br>Keep in mind that this thing is being cooked on both sides by a hurricane of hot air. If you only use time, don't blame the machine. br>Small round pan for cupcakes. Time limit: five minutes 5 minutes, to be exact! br>Cut 4 potatoes into regular sized pieces. I tossed them in the basket, and 12 minutes later, I had crispy, delicious fries. I also used unfiltered olive oil, which was against the rules. again. There will be no smoke! Cleaning. br>br> I see you'll have to clean the area where the basket and the pot sits at some point, but it's not a big deal, and the grill is "easy" basically like any slow cooker. The splash guard does an excellent job of keeping the heating element clean, and I anticipate cleaning it with oven cleaner at some point in the future. Again, nothing to be concerned about. br>br>This is a fantastic unit in general. While it won't replace my Nuwave extended ring for larger cooking or my Nuwave round open setup, it WILL replace my other inside grill because, while both are smokeless, this one sears meat and gives that great char flavor we all crave.

Giovanna Barrera

| Aug 23, 2021

We live in a condo and are unable to have grills on our balconies, so I decided to try this. It's ideal; I just cooked a steak that was delicious.

Brayan Dennis

| May 19, 2021

I like how quickly it cooks the food. T- The bones and roasted vegetables turned out beautifully. Even when it was cooling down, I had to turn on the kitchen vent fan because it was smoking heavily. You can't expose a parrot to smoke, and I have one. As a result, I'm considering returning it.

Ernesto Moody

| Feb 07, 2021

It's insane, but I literally cook here every day. From crispy bacon for breakfast to homemade fried chicken for dinner, I've got it all covered. We've also tried fries and a grilled burger. I still need to figure out a few things about how to use it, but so far I'm really enjoying it. My only complaint is that cleaning the grill is a little difficult, and the brush that comes with it isn't very useful.

Kason Mathis

| Sep 25, 2021

I liked how it turned out, but if you're cooking two or three items, you'll need to figure out what order to cook them in due to the different cooking times. Then whatever you prepare first must wait for other things to finish. Steak, fries, and corn on the cob were among the dishes I prepared. I started with the fries, followed by the steak, and finally the corn. After seeing it on TV, you'll be surprised to learn that the cooking area is much smaller.

Sky Douglas

| Oct 05, 2021

This grill is fantastic on the counter! Steaks, chicken, hamburgers, and sausage have all been grilled on the grill. I used the air fryer to cook frozen fries, and they turned out exactly like restaurant fries! It's incredibly simple to put together and clean up afterward. We'll probably never grill outside again because we're only two people and this is perfect for us.

Whitley Tanner

| Sep 16, 2021