I am so excited to share with you why the Ninja Foodi is the kitchen gadget you need in your life! It has so many amazing functions and things it can do. Like seriously, if there is one thing I can’t live without when I am cooking it is my Ninja Foodi. Whoever thought of it has to be a genius or a wizard in the kitchen. I am going to answer all your questions and give you some useful tips.
All About The Ninja Foodi
Overall, I believe you are going to fall in love with your new Ninja Foodi. I seriously have!! When you’re short on time, or when your kitchen is hot in the summer, or you simply want to make a tough cut of meat super nice and tender, this is the appliance to have. Furthermore, it makes some of the best food you have ever tasted!! Trust me when I say, you need to try this thing out! Once you use it, you won’t want to cook any other way.
What Is A Ninja Foodi?
First things first, if you haven’t heard of a Ninja Foodi I am sure you are asking yourself what in the world it is. Well, it is an innovative kitchen device that can crisp food, be used as a pressure cooker, steam, roast veggies, dehydrate, air fry, and even slow cook. It is an all around Jack of all trades when it comes to cooking. Imagine how much easier your life will be when you can use this one device to make so many recipes!!
What Can I Make In The Ninja Foodi?
This is where I get really excited; you can make so many recipes in the Ninja Foodi. There are tons of things you can make, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
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Bacon – You can make crispy, delicious air fried bacon in the Ninja Foodi in around 15 minutes.
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Popcorn – It is so easy to make popcorn in the Ninja Foodi! It tastes amazing too!
- You can roast an ENTIRE chicken, crisp up the outside, AND make the gravy all in the same bowl in a fraction of the time that it takes in the oven!
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Rice – Make fluffy rice with little effort!
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Homemade Yogurt – Rich, creamy yogurt made at home is so much better than store bought.
- I roasted a gorgeous Bone-In Ham with Peach Glaze!! Who would have thought a whole ham!!!
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Steak – You can broil juicy, tender steak and sink your teeth into a scrumptious dinner!
- Cakes, Fruit Crisps, etc – Believe it or not, you can bake all sorts of delicious desserts in it! (Also, flatbreads, biscuits!!!! Yummm!!!)
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Vegetables – Steam or roast your favorite vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, brussels sprouts or anything else you want.Â
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Beef Jerky – Yes, you read that right! You can make your own flavorful beef jerky at home!
- It also makes the crispiest chicken wings you ever ate!! Oh my gosh, wings are one of my favorite things to make in the Ninja Foodi!! I’ve made Garlic Parmesan Wings, and Teriyaki Wings in the Foodi so far. I can’t wait to make more flavors!!Â
Can I Make The Same Recipes In The Ninja Foodi That Are Made In The Instant Pot?
Yes! They are both pressure cookers, so most recipes will work. That being said, I can’t speak for EVERY recipe, so there may be some recipes that need a bit of tweaking, but for the most part, the principles are the same. The only difference is that with the Instant Pot, you’ll have to do any crisping or browning in the oven, whereas with the Ninja Foodi, you can do it all in the same pot.
What Should I Avoid When Using The Ninja Foodi?
Whenever you get a new kitchen appliance, it’s essential to research the proper way to use it. Typically, you get a manual with instructions, but I wanted to give you a few reminders too. Here are a few tips:
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Never spray the inner pot with an aerosol cooking spray. It will cake up and is a bear to clean.
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Always make sure that you use the proper amount of water or broth when using the pressure cooking function. This can affect the result of the recipe drastically.
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Always unplug the Ninja Foodi when it isn’t in use. You should keep most of your small appliances unplugged, so they don’t get bumped and turned on by accident.
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Never use the Ninja Foodi on your stove top. If you accidentally turn on a burner, you can completely melt and ruin the device.
Where Do I Buy A Ninja Foodi & What Accessories Do I Need?
I know you are ready to go out and buy your own Ninja Foodi if you don’t already have one! Buying extra accessories will add to your overall experience. There are several models available and you can get one at most of your appliance stores. This is the one I love the most:
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Ninja Foodi – I like this model because you can make 8 quarts of food, it has passed 14 levels of safety and it makes amazing food!
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Accessories – Each set comes with thirteen different accessories that you are going to love! Springform pan, steamer rack, plate gripper, and kitchen tongs are just a few of the items that come in this kit. Â Â
What Other Recipes Can I Make in The Ninja Foodi??
Here are just a few for you to take a peek at! Some are my own recipes, and some are delicious recipes from my friend at The Salted Pepper!
- Â Ninja Foodi Spaghetti
- Ninja Foodi Cheesy Meatloaf
- Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Meatballs
- Ninja Foodi Roast Chicken
- Ninja Foodi Split Pea Soup
- Ninja Foodi Mini Apple Tarts
- Ninja Foodi Buttery Ranch Pork Chops
- Ninja Foodi BLT Spaghetti Squash
If you have any other questions about the fabulous Ninja Foodi, please feel free to message me personally on this page, or just leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today, I hope you have a wonderful day!!
Jenny says
I had to take my pressure lid apart and cannot find a diagram to put all the parts back together. I have a little oval shaped silicone ring Im not sure where it goes. Ive went on the Ninja site and still nothing… Please help!!!
Joanne says
Hi Jenny! My goodness, you took the whole lid apart?? I’ve never done that, and I’m sorry, I can’t give you any help on this. Personally, I dont think I would trust my skills to take a pressure cooking lid apart and put it back together again properly to make it safe to use. Maybe try calling Ninja customer service, they could possibly help?
Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
Kendra I Barber says
I can’t get my air fryer to crisp anything! What am I doing wrong?
Joanne says
Hi Kendra – So, your question is a bit vague. I understand that you’re having some issues with crisping, but you’ve given me no other information. What are you crisping? Can you tell me your process? Are you use the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer or the air crisping function on the Ninja Foodi? I would need more information to try and help you 🙂 Feel free to email me directly at Joanne@thesaltypot.com and we can go through it. Other than that, if you’re using the Ninja Air Fryer specifically, I would suggest contacting Ninja themselves and have them troubleshoot your problem as I don’t have any experience working with the Ninja Air Fryer stand-alone appliance.
Vicky says
I just made the Tendercrisp Macaroni and Cheese in my Foodi and the pasta turned grey. What did I do wrong?
Joanne says
Oh Vicky, I’m so sorry you had problems with that recipe, but you know, you’re not the only one. That recipe is poorly designed, so I want you to know YOU did nothing wrong!
If you want to give Mac and Cheese another go, here is a great recipe that’s well tested for you to try. https://thesaltedpepper.com/creamy-mac-cheese/
Phyllis says
Hi,
Is there a way to convert a recipe for the 6.5qt to the 8qt Ninja Foodi? I found a few recipes on the Ninja website I would like to try, but some are only for the 6.5qt.
Thanks
Joanne says
Hi Phyllis! So *most* recipes will translate exactly over from the 6.5 qt to the 8qt ninja foodi! Just remember you always need around 1c of liquid for the 8qt to come to pressure for anything you cook. 🙂
kilee says
So i am looking at getting a ninja foodi but was wondering if it produces a lot of heat when using i live in camper and keeping it cool without cooking is a job in itself. I’d like to know cause my stove produces alot of heat in my kitchen and would like to get away from that.
Joanne says
Hey Kilee, thanks for the question! So the foodi doesn’t give off much heat itself. There are a lot of people who buy it specifically to use in RV’s and such because of that fact. The only thing you might find is that when the pressure release happens, it might add a bit of humidity to the air for a bit but RV’ers will put the fan above the stove on to help fix that. Let me know what you decide I’d love to hear about it!!
Tera says
I dont know what I’m doing wrong.. I follow the recipes for chicken fried steak and for chicken stripes and I still dot get a crisp coating its white and hard, even adding oil to the egg mix or spraying them and seems like it is over cooking them too..and this is on the air crisp and when I did fries it didnt crisp up..I followed what it said on my sheet. I need help. I love my ninja but I’m getting fustrated too..I want my family eating healthier but to also enjoy the same foods we love without frying in so much oil too..
Joanne says
Hi Tera! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂 I can totally understand your frustration for sure. However, I think I need you to narrow down your question or be more specific because you’ve got a few different things going on and I think if you were a bit more specific with what you’re asking me, I could certainly help you better!
Theresa Johnson says
I have a Ninja Foodie and have made a beef roast in it from frozen. It was delicious! My question is, will it work to use 2 roasts by using the rack and elevating one?
Thanks!🙂
Joanne says
Hi Theresa! Ok, well I’ve never tried that method. However, as long as the roasts don’t pass the height of the max mark on the pot, and most importantly, the roasts are around the same size and weight, it should work. I’d love to hear your results if you try it!!
Tim Monroe says
where did you find the best price?
c t says
bed bath & beyond!
Darla Kermendy says
I have use the aircrisper on bone in pork chops, and another time boneless chicken breast. Both times the meat came out tough. Juicy, but tough meat. Any suggestions?
Joanne says
Hi Darla, you could try pressure cooking the proteins for a short amount of time, and then finish at the very end with Air crisping. Also, it’s advisable never to do a quick release when pressure cooking because the proteins can become tough.
Patty says
Do I shorten the cook time if I am using a smaller piece of meat? Say a 21/2 lb. corn beef instead of the 5 lb. the recipe calls for. Thanks
Joanne says
Yes Patty, you’d shorten the cooking time by about half. If you were cooking potatoes lets say, and they were all the same size, and the cook time on them was 8 minutes, if you added double the amount of potates, then the cook time would be the same because it all depends on how long the heat takes to get to the center of the item. But if you took that all those potatoes, and then halved them, and pressure cooked them – you would cook them for half the time because they are now half the size.
So the piece of meat is half the size of the one in the recipe, then you cook it for half the time. I hope that helps!
Dianne says
How do I make half recipes? Would like to use it for mainly cooking for 2 people. Half the ingredients? Length of time for cooking?
TheSaltyPot says
Hi Dianne!
So technically, yes. However, you have to keep in mind that the Instant Pot usually needs 1 full cup of liquid to be able to come to pressure. So it would depend on the recipe. If you are making something like a hamburger helper, adding the right amount of liquid will mean the difference of it being a creamy casserole texture or becoming a soup because it has too much liquid.
If it’s something like ribs or something that doesn’t depend on the liquid becoming part of the sauce, then there’s no problem halving the recipe, but still using enough liquid so that it measures 1 cup of liquid.
Personally, I think what I would do is cook the full recipe, and then freeze in portions for two people. It would be awesome because you cook once, eat twice! 🙂
B says
Like, what’s the worst that can happen? You eat the same amazing meal again and you don’t have to defrost it first? lol.