Ninja - Air Fryer - Black/Gray

I've had my share of the latest and greatest kitchen gadgets that either turned out to be a fail or added so much extra work it wasn't worth it. So I resisted buying an air fryer for the longest time, as much as I wanted one. I do like the occasional fried item, but deep fryers seemed so wasteful to me and dirty as well. For a single guy, it just didn't seem to make sense. And I just didn't believe that air fryers worked that well and even if they did, what's the use of buying a gadget for just fries? When the opportunity presented itself to check out the Ninja Air Fryer, I was skeptical but having a pleasant history with some other Shark/Ninja branded products in my house, I figured it was worth a shot. I never expected to love it this much though! So easy to use that once I did my first item in it, I haven't looked at the manual since. You pick it up pretty quick - preheat, put the food in, set the timer and then give it a little shake/toss a couple of times during the cook time. Seriously, that's all there is to it; every other recipe is some remix of those steps. Fries come out golden brown and crisp outside, white and fluffy inside completely free of oil. It's definitely quicker than the oven and more efficient too, since you're not spending all that energy heating the void of air in your oven, just heating the food. And not just fries, but all kinds of fried delights. I've used it to warm up take out egg rolls and they come out like fresh ones. I've cooked sausages and hot dogs in mine and they taste like they came off a grill! Hamburgers too! In fact, I keep finding new uses for it the more I think of it. You can even use it as a food dehydrator! This came in super handy when a good harvest of Summer veggies and herbs left me with more than I knew what to do with. The timing couldn't have been better. It's very versatile as a cooking method and very precise. (And because it's so easy to clean, I'm more willing to experiment with putting new stuff into it!) Best of all, it's super clean to use; it doesn't fill the house with a fried food smell and the lining of the basket is one of the best non stick surfaces I've ever used - everything just wipes off of it. If they ever put that coating on a set of pans, I'm buying it for sure. Cleaning is so easy that you find yourself using it a lot more often. I've been using mine at least once a week since I got it. No more lining the stove with aluminum foil and airing out the kitchen. As I said, many of my previous purchases have ended up either in the back of a closet somewhere or donated to charity. Not this one though. It's out on my counter and in use regularly. I'm finding new recipes for it on Google and I'd definitely buy another one once this one wears out - which should be quite a while based on how solid it's made. If it's anything like my Shark vacuum cleaner I'll be using it for years. Trust me, this is one kitchen gadget that not only lives up to the hype but actually surpasses it.

“Air fryers are the new thing.” I asked my wife & that was her response. Enter the Ninja 4-Qt Air Fryer. “You need to add spray (Pam) before you turn use it.” Another one-liner, but after reading the instructions, I decided NOT add any Pam. Good, because I didn’t need to. First thing cooked: Trader Joe's Hash browns. Drop the suggested oven temperature by 25 degrees and instead of 20-25 minutes, it was done in 6 and there wasn’t a soggy potato to deal with after - it was insanely crispy. Then, some cinnamon rolls - about 4 minutes / flip / 4 minutes to get a good cook-through. Nachos? Yes please! About 3 minutes for melted cheese and hot crispy chips. Bacon. It tends to blow the pieces around a bit, causing some clumpage (is that a word?). Good old bacon will make a bit of smoke, but not enough to set off my smoke detector, which is quite sensitive. But all said & done, you can have it crispy or chewy … both of which came out perfectly. One thing that just isn’t right, is the ‘preheat’ part. You’re supposed to preheat before you start cooking (makes sense), but the preheat part is 3 minutes at the heat you want, then it shuts off … doesn’t maintain temp like an oven would. It’s a pretty sizable appliance (?) so you’re going to want to be sure there’s a place, or at least somewhere you can hide it, should counter space be a concern. Overall, if a family member wanted one for Christmas or the like, I’d gladly get one for them.

I honestly don't know why I didn't buy one of these a long time ago. I hate using the oven.... i actually hate cooking & have made a bad habit of eating out a lot. Not good. I bought this 5/9/20 & have cooked SO much with my Ninja. Lots of veggies, salmon, steelhead trout, rainbow trout, chicken breats, etc. Eating healthier has never been so easy, IMO. I did see a review where they said the edge was melting. Well I learned, very quickly, that you must take the "basket" out all the way. You can't let it lean or sit on the edge of the air fryer. You get some food odor, but not much & you do get a little "plastic" smell, but nothing crazy. I make sure to wipe down the inside after every cooking, to keep the build up gone. You won't be sorry if you spend the money on buying an air fryer. I bought the Ninja on reputation & reviews. This Ninja works great for being single....if you're a larger family then you'll need a larger air fryer. Do your homework & you'll never use your oven again besides cookies!

I loved my Ninja Foodi so much I had to get it a companion and purchased this one! These devices are truly amazing, you get food that taste almost exactly like when they’re fired but without the oil. I purchased this one so I can make something in my Ninja Foodi and make something (mostly fries) in this one. Some of the times ninja recommends should be taken with a grain of salt, experiment with your own times to make it right. For instance fries, Ore-ida extra crispy fast food fries took about 10 minutes @ 350/360 (plus a 3 minute pre heat) for about a quarter of the bag. This one is louder than the Foodi but not by much, also where the Foodi will stop when the lid is opened, this you have to press pause. Those little things are very small to me for an overall excellent air fryer. If you haven’t experienced air frying yet, you really need to!

After much research, the ceramic plate is what sold me on this fryer, as in the reviews of many other makes it mentioned baskets and interiors flaking - and none of the reviews for this make complained of any such problems. We cooked wings (4 flats and 4 drums at a time) squirting the rack and wings with a little canola oil in a spritzer. After the 3 minutes of preheating we cooked them for 10 minutes at 390 then turned and cooked another 10 minutes. Perfection! Juicy but not undercooked, crispy and flavorful. The unit did smoke a bit, but I read some tips and added a little water to the basket and that cured it. We also cooked some frozen fries and they came out perfectly too. And this is just the beginning! We can’t wait to discover what else we can air fry!

I love my air fryers! This was my first and it was a life changer. Steaks cooked to perfection in 10 min or less right along with some veggies. It's fast, it's easy, and it's clean. All you need is a little spray of a light oil and a shake of salt and herbs. I've lost 17 pounds so far since the middle of October. I was so happy I bought a second one (the SP101).

I was skeptical getting an air fryer from other reviews on other devices mentioning plastic taste or breaking in a few uses. I wish I bought this sooner! Everything has been great!! It’s a little loud but worth it :)

Great purchase and addition to my kitchen appliances for a great price. The steel rack accessory is an excellent idea.