I have the 5-in-1 Foodi Grill. I also have a Jenn-Aire stove with grill. I bought the Ninja because I had an asthmatic cat and the Jenn-Aire downdrafts just don't do the job getting the smoke out. I chose this model, which I think is no longer sold, for 1 reason.
It fit the space I had for it which is on top of the Jenn-Aire Grill Grates. Easy choice since the newer models don't. I did have my husband 3-D print a cover for those knobs so they don't accidentally get used when it's there, but you have to push them down to turn them so I don't know it's needed. I've just seen so many stories of people keeping theirs on one of their stove eyes and the eye accidentally getting turned on, ruining their Ninja.
I do love it for the grill function, and I've also used it in the roast mode although the one item I usually used that for is no longer made. :-( I've never used it in the Air Fryer mode because I had a small countertop AF.
The other thing I noticed was that the filter is larger on mine vs the XL models. The filter covers the heating element which means the heating element covers almost the entire cooking area in mine, but not the XL's. I watched a Youtube Video comparing them and that did make a difference in how it cooked as well as what you can put in it since mine is deeper than the XL models. You pretty much have to spatchcock a whole chicken to cook that on the grill.
A con for my model is that some of the newer XL models now have a lower and an upper heating element, so you can cook things like pancakes and eggs with the lid open.
My observations:
They still smoke when grilling. To keep that from happening, put a cup or two of water in the bottom pot before grilling. It'll catch the fat and it won't smoke.
They're not as easy to clean as they claim. Part of that is probably because I like marinated meat and that sugar sticks to the grill grates and they're a pain to clean each individual depression. They claim you can put them in the dishwasher, but I don't trust it not to mar the non-stick coating.
Also, I'm particular about keeping that filter clean, so every time I grill, I also have to spray down that filter and scrub. If you've watched any presentations you'll see how black those things get just from the presentations.
I have since replaced my air fryer with a Ninja Combi which is like a small countertop convection oven and includes an Air Frying function and I find that so much easier to clean if only because I only have to wash two flat racks. But, it doesn't grill, so I keep the Foodi for that, although we do have an outdoor grill and DH now has a small Blackstone griddle. We sometimes do burgers on that, but I still prefer a grill for steaks.
Blogs & Forums
Forums
Blogs
