Ninja Air Fryer - A Love Affair

Lamb chops, bit of olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper 145F for medium rare
preheat for a couple minutes at 390F cook for about 8-10 minutes

I had an air fryer once before. It was the size of a small spaceship so, even though it worked just fine, I had where to put it, it didn’t fit in any of my cupboards and I had to keep it in the garage. That means I never used it and to be honest, at that time, I thought they were only good for fries and chicken wings. 

Gadget maven that I am, I also have a CrispLid for my Instant Pot and I love it too, although when I need to make, say, enough chicken wings for the three of us, I have to cook them in a couple of batches but for doing veggies, browning something I just pressure cooked (like a bread pudding or a whole chicken) and when it’s just one or two of us, the CrispLid is perfect. I didn’t even know I would want a larger capacity air fryer until I was offered a Ninja Air Fryer. I love my Ninja blender with a fierce, burning love and because of that, I said yes to their air fryer, thinking I might use it a few times, the novelty would wear off, it would be huge and it would end up in the garage, next to my other one. Much like how the Instant Pot is really just an electric pressure cooker with a couple handy extra features, air fryers are basically a portable convection oven with good marketing. It doesn't mean they aren't both great kitchen appliances but they aren't magical either so I wasn't sure how this would pan out.

salmon on a bed of roasted chickpeas, tomato, greens, shallots, lemon and capers
cook the salmon for 12 minutes at 400F and after drying canned chickpeas, tossed
them with a bit of olive oil and garlic salt and cooked about 13 minutes at 390F

I have been waiting to make absolutely sure that this was not going to wear off and that I would continue to love my air fryer before I recommended it and it has not worn off, i continue to use it all the time and I do love it.

 

The Ninja is taller and has less girth than other air fryers, the basket is bigger than my CrispLid in circumference and it’s deep enough that I can cook food in two layers, using one of my pressure cooker trivets. The Ninja also allows you to use the roast setting if you want to cook in a manner that is closer to your oven, it dehydrates (I haven’t tried that yet) and it has a reheat function, which I do use all the time. I found a nice spot for it on my counter, tucked under a cupboard, beside my toaster and I am happy to report that I have only had to turn my actual oven on once since it got here. Since Toronto seemed to have experienced a perpetual heat wave this summer, that has been a very, very good thing. Its also very easy to clean - dishwasher safe but why bother when you can just give the basket and rack a quick, sudsy rinse in hot water under the tap.

Just in the last week I have used it to: heat up buttered, garlic pita, made smashed baby potatoes, made home fried potatoes for breakfast while I make scrambled eggs and got coffee ready, roast a handful of cauliflower that I would have otherwise thrown out and heated up leftovers.

From cooking burgers for 10 minutes at 360F to making meatloaf in an 8" steel pie plate that that I use in my Instant Pot or using a low trivet to layer chicken wings or baby potatoes on top of chicken thighs at the same time, I use the hell out of my Ninja Air Fryer. The only con is that, despite being compact in comparison to other brands, it is still a bit of a beast and if you have a tiny city kitchen like me, you may find it difficult to store. It certainly takes up a chunk of my counter space but I moved other things to the basement to make room for it.

There are a million amazing bloggers out there who share fabulous air fryer recipes and ideas and so I am not going to go that route and add my own. I am just going to tell you that if you are like me, you are often cooking for just one or two people, maybe three, this thing will be a godsend. 

Instead, I am going to share some of my favourite air frying links with you and spread the love amongst my peers:

This guy has multiple air fryer videos and i love them all

Handy Air Fryer Calculator for converting from oven temp

I recommend her book but I also love Two Sleevers blog - it's full of really delicious, unexpected air fryer recipes

* I was gifted the Ninja Air Fryer to try out and review if I chose to and, as always, my opinions are unapologetically my own. The Amazon links are affiliate links so I do earn a small commission from any sales