Kitchen

[Lilysmom1]

It took me a long time to convince myself I should try out an air fryer.  I am not a gadget person and I hate countertop clutter.

I wound up ordering the above Ninja.  In short, I love it and use it all the time.  My prerequisite was that it had to be big enough to cook a 3-4 lb chicken.  

I am trying all kinds of new things.  The common theme for me is that air fryer recipes call for way too much time to cook.  As an example, yesterday I tried French Fries for the first time.  (Store bought frozen, thick, not shoestring).  The recipe I used called for cook 15 minutes, flip, cook five more.

I know from previous experience with this air fryer to disregard cooking times.  I tested after 7 minutes, done to perfection.  I am learning by trial and error and keeping a chart of cooking times for various cuts of meat.

Anyone else have this experience?

[LizzieInSRQ]

@Lilysmom1 maybe you can help me with a question since you own this already? 

I watched the initiaal presentation but had to leave the room a few times and perhaps missed this but i diid see the vendor rep set up cooking temp and time. When she did, the food was already placed inside.

Is there no need for preheating? This confused me. Is this why its got Rapid in the product name?

Edited to Add:I just realized that you are not be posting about the Todays Special Value which is the 12-in-1 and but you are posting about the 5-in-1 so my aplogies as my question may not apply. 

[Lilysmom1]

@LizzieInSRQ , with my ninja you do have to preheat but it literally takes about two minutes to bring it to temp.  It is so much faster than the conventional oven because it is a small space.  I can cook at 3 lb chicken in 50 minutes.  You can use the grill insert to do chops.  

I think you should read the reviews.  There is good info there on its operation.  I am sometimes reluctant to get one that is too complicated but if you can cook two items in one, it sounds pretty good.  

I found with mine that it was trial and error.  You learn pretty quickly and, as I mentioned, I now keep a chart of cooking times.

I have a Bosch dual fuel range (gas and electric) with convection cooking which I love but I have not used it in awhile because I am using this.  It is perfect for two people.

See below items cooked in mine.  I love it...If mine were to die, I would buy another.  Cleanup is easy.  HTH.

[Carolina925]

I don't have the Ninja but I did finally get a small air fryer last year. I don't cook much in the summer but I used it often last winter and will bring it back out soon to start using it again. I've not cooked meat in mine, just vegetables. I like to cook them until they have a nice oven baked finish, they seem so sweet that way. I got this guide online and it's a big help to me.

[gardenman]

Every air fryer is a bit different. My old one said it needed to be preheated. My new one says, "Nah." My old one cooked faster (maybe due to the preheating?) while this one cooks more slowly. I have to add time to every recipe to get things done.

I'm not sure how much preheating really helps as when you remove the basket to add the ingredients the hot air comes out with the basket. The basket is hot, but it's not touching a lot of the food and metal cools off quickly when removed from the heat. I guess there's some heat left behind when you preheat an air fryer but how much? It's not like preheating a real oven where the oven stays hot when you add the food. When you take the basket out of an air fryer, you're talking out the hot air and since you're cooking with hot air, I'm not sure how effective preheating truly is.

[Lilysmom1]

@gardenman , mine has a lift top , not a drawer.  I think you are right.  Each one is a bit different.  My brother is looking at the ninja 12 in 1 whic is 8 quarts I think.

[LizzieInSRQ]

@Lilysmom1 it looks like a winner forsure. Thank you for the preheat info too.

[wagirl]

I use the Breville oven still--have been since 2017 and it's still working well, but when it dies I think I will go with Ninja brand and especially LOVE  the TSV for today---I did buy the NINJA outdoor grill/smoker in June,  that is hands down the best thing I have bought in years!!! I use that thing nearly every day. But mostly I use my Breville as my only oven and use the big oven as storage.